The following text has been slightly modified from Chapter 25 of Chozen Bays’ book (see full reference below).
The exercise: As often as possible during the day, become aware of the arising of desire.
Reminding yourself: Post small notes in strategic locations that ask, “What is my desire right now?”
Text from the book (p. 109-110): When the alarm clock rings, desire for more sleep. Walking into the kitchen, desire for coffee. In the evening, desire to lie down in bed. And so on. Many people are stunned to find they are a mass of desire, thinly disguised as “rationality”…. We all know how desire can take hold of us like a cocklebur. …
There is nothing innately wrong with desire. Desire keeps us alive….Watching how often desire arises during the day bring it out of the unconscious realm, where it can control us, directing our behaviour without realizing it.
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Reference: Chozen Bays, J. (2011). How to train a wild elephant and other adventures in mindfulness. Boston, Massachusetts.
Photo: Creative Commons, Flickr. Steve Kennedy. See https://flic.kr/p/6SUFp3