Temptation is an inner dynamic (counterforce) which pushes us away from our commitments. Something happens within us that goes counter to our needs and moves us towards our desires. In the realm of temptation we fall into the desire trap.
‘Desire is the root of all suffering’ – Buddha.
We need to distinguish a healthy desire. This will give me a wholesome experience. This desire is linked and is aligned to my real needs. A desire which is not linked to my real needs becomes a temptation to deviated me from my path. We always know when we feel weak or strong and the dynamics of temptation go directly opposite to how we are feeling. Therefore, if we are weak, the temptation will be very strong and vice versa if we feel strong the temptation will be more subtle.
To build ourselves up and take a commitment, we need to take small achievable decisions every day which are accumulative over time, thus building up a discipline. As we become stronger, the temptations would be small and subtle and would try to deviate us from our commitment and break the resolve of the discipline. A whole chain reaction is then set into motion and within a day or two we go back to square one.
‘When I am weak, then I am strong’ – St. Paul 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Vulnerability knocks out the ego, so when we are weak, we are more alert whereas at our strongest mode we lose our sense of proportion and judgment, as well as respect for others, so the temptation there will be insignificant and subtle and it will then be our downfall. Awareness keeps us balanced in this dynamic.
We must put praise where it belongs and never allow ideas of grandeur to set in and to go to our heads whereby they then take a life of their own.
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