What we don’t have is not the problem – what we don’t see is

We frequently crave for the many things we don’t have, things often aggressively glamorized by today’s corporate controlled media. Such greed and its concomitant dissatisfaction are, the Bhagavad-gita (14.12) indicates, characteristics of the mode of passion. Greed is like a malaise afflicting our psyche. As long as we are thus afflicted, satisfaction will elude us, no matter how much we acquire; greed will make us dissatisfied about not having some other thing. To cure greed most effectively, we need to practice the potent purificatory process of bhakti-yoga. This yoga makes us aware of the indwelling presence of Krishna, who is the all-attractive, all-loving, all-joyful Absolute Truth. We are his eternal parts. Absorption in his remembrance enriches us far more than the best external acquisitions. The Gita (06.22) assures that the topmost yogis who relish the highest spiritual realization feel so satisfied that they don’t crave for any other gain. However, the same dissatisfaction that dogs us in our material life can distract us in our spiritual life too. To gain the intellectual conviction for focusing on Krishna, we need to recognize our real problem, the root cause of our dissatisfaction: our inability to see what we have, both materially and spiritually. Materially, if we contemplate the talents and assets we do have and look not at those who have more, but the many who have less, we can curb our dissatisfaction. Spiritually and more importantly, we can contemplate our immeasurable spiritual treasures: Krishna’s indwelling presence, and the opportunities to practice bhakti-yoga for relishing that presence. Dwelling on what we have will engender contentment and enable us to work with a higher motive – not the insatiable craving for more, but the aspiration to do justice to our God-given gifts and to share the process for inner enrichment.