Page 30 - BIKC - Eng

12 BRAHMACARYA IN KÅÑËA CONSCIOUSNESS

SENSE GRATIFICATION

“The idea that we can achieve happiness through the
enjoyment of our senses, especially through that prototype of all
pleasure, sex and sexual love, is an illusion which is perhaps the
most deeply rooted and pervasive of all human convictions. With
the disintegration of traditional religions and the official
establishment of secular philosophies this illusion has gained the
force of an obsession.” 26
Sex desire is based on the touch sensation. It is the topmost
pleasure in, and therefore the main binding force of, the material
world. But there are five other senses also: the senses of seeing,
smelling, tasting, hearing, and the mind. Any one of them can carry
away the mind even of a man of discrimination who is endeavoring
to control them. 27 Furthermore, “each sense has many desires to
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be fulfilled.” The pull of the senses is very strong and dangerous.
However, there is no real enjoyment in sense gratification. On
the contrary, there is built-in pain in material pleasure. “Happiness
derived from a combination of the senses and the sense objects is
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always a cause of distress.” And, “as one’s body engages in sense
gratification, it becomes weaker and weaker daily.” 30
Real pleasure means Kåñëa consciousness, the happiness of
the soul. The so-called pleasure of material life is simply an illusory
construction of the mind.
“As for the agitations of the flickering mind, they are divided
into two divisions. The first is called avirodha-préti, or unrestricted
attachment, and the other is called virodha-yukta-krodha, anger
arising from frustration. Adherence to the philosophy of the
Mäyävädés, belief in the fruitive results of the karma-vädés, and
belief in plans based on materialistic desires are called avirodha-
préti. Jïänés, karmés, and materialistic planmakers generally attract
the attention of conditioned souls, but when the materialists
cannot fulfill their plans and when their devices are frustrated,
they become angry. Frustration of material desires produces
anger.” 31