These 3 categories of thoughts will destroy your life: Gluttony, Avarice, and Va…
“Thoughts live far, very far, very very far…”
Our life is basically a collection of billions and billions of thoughts. We can look at our physical body only when we look at the mirror. Keeping that aside, we are what we think about ourselves. We are actually trusting the mirrors and the photographs of ourselves to decide who we are.
Strangely enough, although other person can look at us but in a very short time, he too, begins to judge us based on our thoughts. It is safe to conclude that we are defined by our thoughts. The purer the thoughts, the more pure the person will be. But a valid question for this might be, how do we attain that level of purity when there is so much of impurity and filth already stored in our minds. But the first thing we need to understand is what are those impure thoughts. So let us classify them, to get a better idea about that.
These thoughts as mentioned in the PHILOKALIA, a religious book of Greek are GLUTTONY, AVARICE and VAINGLORY. Let us briefly understand about these thoughts and the dangers they pose upon us.
- GLUTTONY
“Gluttony is nothing but habitual greed or excess in eating” God created food, so people can survive, they can live only if they eat. But the cunning person, took it the other way, he began to live to eat. People cannot resist eating these days. He has started to go more outside in search of different items and delicious food. The quality of food has deteriorated in hotels and restaurants, with the passage of time. Food is being prepared in such a manner that leads to craving and it is deliberately made in a manner that makes it addictive. In high competition, the hotel owners have to provide delicious food at low rates, so they compromise on the underlying quality which is invisible.
But the effect of overeating and consuming food that is not mild will have a detrimental effect not only on our physical health but also on the mental health. It is said that obesity is the root of all diseases. It also applies to spiritual life. Immoderate diet will prove to be a big hindrance in our progress in spiritual life and it will become an impediment for our peace of mind.
2. AVARICE
It means “EXTREME GREED FOR WEALTH OR MATERIAL GAIN”
“Still more! Little more and more!” There is no end to hunger for wealth and material gain. A person develops an understanding of different things and material comforts he can get from wealth after a certain age. That marks the beginning of his craving for wealth.
Different people have different degrees and amounts of cravings. But all have this craving, for sure. The more craving and greed, the more restless the person becomes. A person may lose just a few dollars and he might become furious the whole day. And there might be another person who might get cheated and lose half of his accumulated wealth and still maintains his composure. He begins to get isolated from his family and friends because he has no time and wants more wealth. He becomes fearful of not earning more wealth and also about securing his existing wealth. He begins to doubt his friends and relatives. He completely loses track of his spiritual life.
His craving will end when he finally perishes or when he would have lived his life and now would have become helpless with no control over his actions.
3. Vainglory
It is defined as EXCESSIVE PRIDE IN ONESELF OR ONE’S ACHIEVEMENTS.
It is difficult to overcome challenging thoughts like greed, passion, attachment, and lust. But the most difficult one to control is CRAVING FOR RECOGNITION. Everybody is in one way or another is lost in his EGO.
People keep on justifying to others as well as themselves that I AM SPECIAL. I DO THINGS THAT OTHERS CANT. Although in their heart they know that it is a blatant lie. They do it because they feel insecure, they doubt themselves and want to reaffirm that THEY ARE SUPERIOR.
It is a huge challenge to come out of this mental issue. In fact, it is the most difficult out of all. If you are making any effort to make progress in your spiritual life, the danger of VAINGLORY will always harass you.
You can consider these three types of thoughts GLUTTONY AVARICE VAINGLORY as demons who will always trouble you all your life. No amount of spiritual progress is possible without taking care of these demons.
Although, I have not provided you with a solution to overcome these enemies, but you need to at least introspect about these and first of all come to an agreement that these are indeed very dangerous things for our life. Only then we can think about working on them.
