I can remember the day when I got my first car; how great and exciting it was. However, the initial feeling was not quite as thrilling in possessing that car as was the pleasure and happiness in receiving it. Each day after, I longed for that feeling of first joy for a second time. Unfortunately that feeling of joy did not come back. Desires are that way, they never keep their promises of continuing happiness because they are incapable of bringing that fulfillment or realization. Mental torture goes with attachments. Desires are momentarily pleasing to the senses or the body. A worldly man foolishly tries to please himself with the pleasures of the body and that is all in vain. Those people die of broken hearts having vainly tried for lasting happiness from worldly material treasures. The happiness promised from mortal desires gives sorrow instead.

Pleasures of the senses spring from outward contacts and are begetters of misery; they are in essence ephemeral because they have a beginning and end. The valiant can enjoy all the good things without attachment. Every incarnate soul must travel through the pathway of life within the territory of sensations and sense traps to break the chains of forced reincarnations to finally reach its ultimate goal. Armed with the armor of wisdom the man of self control travels through this pathway with detachment performing his duty in the tricky world of the senses.

The sages from the East were psychological experts. Instead of just laying down and passing laws and commandments of which neither would minimize or shrink man's resourcefulness for breaking restraints, the sages appealed to the understanding of the human mind by offering convincing analysis of the "why" of correct behavior. Down the stepladder of temptation therein lay the stages of descent to man's downfall, for brooding miserably over sense allures will sooner or later end in baneful results.

With detachment the sage views all external good looks or beauty whether a jewel, a flower or in the face of a beautiful woman; he no longer has the cravings for possessions. The sense slave yearns for control and as precious riches and beautiful women are plentiful in this world, so are his desires for them. In his frustration from non-possession he becomes bitter or angry. However in permitting the mind to harmlessly dwell on that attraction or nourishing it in any way is to ask for the resulting consequences. Even subtly the path it takes will result in identical spiritual destruction. No master or sage would seek happiness from just a good-looking face. Earthly people toil for material acquisitions that are perishable and for goals that are unrealistic and unfulfilling; those who are devotees or students of the divine do not stupidly imitate them.

The sense of taste given by food offers a passing pleasure; however, if a person were to gorge himself with all the food he desired he could still not appease his hunger of the soul by fulfilling the desires of his body. The only good thing about desires and bad habits is that they rarely keep their promises and that is why souls cannot be enslaved or deceived forever for these desires are ultimately found out to be habitual liars.

The spiritual man in the East pays homage to God in morning meditation upon awakening then he goes around his daily routine. To the common body-bound Westerner freedom from desires is virtually inconceivable as he can't even start his day unless he pays homage to his desire for his A.M. coffee and toast. If the spiritual man injudiciously started eating food, his practices that lead to realization would be obstructed. The old adage has a lot of truth to it, "man digs his own grave with his fork and knife." The typical types of meat, particularly pork and beef and other types of gross foodstuff vibration overtax the life-force in the body making it almost impossible to undo its obsession with the over taxed vital organs and senses. The food fanatic is so obsessed with his fanaticism in his observance of dietary and health laws that he finds his body-attachment a true hindrance to spirituality. Wrong eating habits cause overeating, greed and finally indigestion. The soul has no desire for food; it is above hunger. If you select the right foods you will enjoy them more when you feel your body is vibrant and healthy.

How many of you are wine lovers? Jesus himself drank wine and one of his miracles materialized wine but the old adage or so-called persuasive argument given in support of drinking wine is that if it was ok for Jesus to drink wine, it is certainly alright for everyone to drink wine. Back then the scant resources of water in that arid land were many times polluted. Juices from fermented grapes helped provide supplemental liquid nourishment for the body as there was no knowledge of technology for water purification systems available in those times. It is quite opportunistic for the wine or any alcoholic beverage drinkers to justify their inclinations in emulation of Jesus. The great sages have also spoken in opposition to the use of intoxicants. Inebriation used as a vehicle to escape the demands of life produces destructive enslavement. Instead of having your "cup runneth over" in drunkenness, there is a much more effective intoxicant (very few know of) that has the same effects on the brain's electromagnetic field and produces long term euphoria without drunkenness; this ecstatic elixir is called, meditation.

This planet is a habitat of suffering and trouble. Many human births have been wasted away in preoccupation with the gratification of food and money. We should ask ourselves how we are occupying our precious time this current birth. Humans' precious moments eventually fall agonizingly apart. After many painful incarnations every human soul will cry out remembering its permanent home is not here on earth. In other words, after many painful adventurous and many awful incarnations our beleaguered soul cries out, "enough!" Then during a period of philosophical curiosity, God offers the curious child the teachings through a good book, apparently by chance, when the seeker is sincerely in search of a spiritual teacher. But when the student or aspirant is not content with inadequate placations from run-of-the-mill religious treatises coming from mediocre teachers, he is now ready for the truth. At this point, the Lord sends a master to help the student retrace his steps to his rightful heavenly kingdom. Some people are like intellectually responsive beings and not uncommon there are some more like instinctively motivated animals; when you talk to them about sex, money or food they are so materially minded they reflexively understand and respond like a salivating dog. But when you try to have a significant philosophical discussion with them about the mysteries of life or God, their reaction is expressionless as though the conversationalist was stupid.

The unguarded ordinary and untrained human being who roams into the terrain of enticements falls imprisoned whether to unexpected likes and dislikes or aversion and attraction to the senses. Yoga entreats man to retain a grip of iron on the thought process of his mind. One must not lose self-control even with the utmost provocation. When we conquer the mind we will conquer the world.