Page 85 - Desire to Disaster

he saw Sādhvī Sunanda’s face. But now, the joy he felt was
different.

Although the object of observation was the same, the process
of observation was the same, but since the elephant’s mind,
intention and focus had shifted, the result of observation was
no longer the same.

Earlier, Rupsen’s intention when he saw the beautiful Sunanda
was the fulfilment of his desire, his mind was captured by
her external beauty and his focus was on sensuous pleasure.
Hence, whenever he saw her face, he felt physically attracted
to her.

Now, Rupsen’s intention was to turn away from sinfulness,
his mind was turned inwards on the soul, and his focus was
on spiritual development. Hence, when he saw Sunanda, he
felt only the desire to seek shelter in dharma; a profound sense
of gratitude towards her for her benevolence and kindness
towards him; and deep rooted admiration and support for the
self-control and penance practised by her. In fact, his heart
danced with joy and gratitude each time he saw her.

This is a clear indication that when one’s intention, mind
and focus change, the same act shall produce different
consequences. Upādhyāya Yashovijaya explained this
beautifully : He gave the example of two people eating the
same food. One is a glutton, and lives to eat. The other is
a deeply detached person, who eats only to live. Outwardly,
both are eating the same food. But inwardly, their response
to it could not be more different!
The glutton’s mouth is watering in anticipation of the taste of
the food. And the detached person’s eyes water because he
is concerned about the extra karmic burden that desire for
tasty food creates.

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