How to Desire Without Expectations

By on September 5, 2009 in Meditation, Spirituality
Question:
 
What is the difference between desire and expectation of the outcome?  I mean your book 7 spiritual laws of success. I practiced for several months and did not feel the difference between wants and expect results. I think I have a problem here, in my heart.
 
Answer:
 
I wouldn’t say you have a problem in your heart. It’s just a matter of having developed enough inner silence and self-awareness so that you can desire from your soul level instead of projecting it from the ego, or the conditioned mind. When we have a desire from our soul, we already in a state of completion, and abundance, so our happiness does not depend upon the outcome of the desire. We are already free, happy and content. This is desire without expectation.
 
When we desire from our limited self, we are starting from a position of lack, discontent and confusion. We want something so that it will make us happy, complete, and feel better. If our desire does not happen in the way we want or as soon as we want, we are disappointed, or angry. This is desire with expectation. We are   personally invested in the outcome of the desire, because our happiness depends on it and our false sense of identity is wrapped up in it.
 
The best way to find your true self is through meditation, and as that experience of the soul deepens, you will spontaneously find that you will desire from that level of innocence and fulfillment. It has to come naturally. You can’t  just tell your false self  to desire without expectation, that’s all it knows how to do. You’ll just frustrate yourself. You need to learn  how to think and desire from your silent self beyond your ego. From there, desire without expectation is easy and automatic.
 
Love,
Deepak

 

 

 

About Deepak Chopra

Time Magazine heralded Deepak Chopra as one of the 100 heroes and icons of the century, and credited him as "the poet-prophet of alternative medicine." Entertainment Weekly described Deepak Chopra as "Hollywood's man of the moment, one of publishing's best-selling and most prolific self-help authors." He is the author of more than 50 books and more than 100 audio, video and CD-Rom titles. He has been published on every continent and in dozens of languages. Fifteen of his books have landed on the New York Times Best-seller list. Toastmaster International recognized him as one of the top five outstanding speakers in the world. Through his over two decades of work since leaving his medical practice, Deepak continues to revolutionize common wisdom about the crucial connection between body, mind, spirit, and healing. His mission of "bridging the technological miracles of the west with the wisdom of the east" remains his thrust and provides the basis for his recognition as one of India's historically greatest ambassadors to the west. Chopra has been a keynote speaker at several academic institutions including Harvard Medical School, Harvard Business School, Harvard Divinity School, Kellogg School of Management, Stanford Business School and Wharton.His latest book is "Reinventing the Body, Resurrecting the Soul."
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3 Responses to How to Desire Without Expectations

  1. ElaineSpringer September 4, 2009 at 5:45 pm #

    Thank you for this clarifying explanation. It has set me free !

    All my very best,

    Elaine

  2. mydomainpvt September 4, 2009 at 11:04 pm #

    dear deepak,

    this is beautiful. thanks for this wonderful clarification. you simply distinguished the two feelings in a crystal clear way.

    Wish you love, peace and happiness.

    Trisha

  3. arun raghuwanshi September 5, 2009 at 5:28 am #

    Dear Deepakji

    Sadhuvad!(Kudos!)for such a lucid answer to the question!

    There is no doubt!that religion became a 21st Century Science the day your "7 Spiritual Laws"were!published!"JAI HO"!

    I wish you a-"Jivaem!Sharda shatam!"

    With all my resectfull regards!

    @run