Desire and Addiction: Voices of Longing Calling You Home, Part 1

Tara Brach introduces a discussion on grasping and addiction, highlighting how these energies manifest individually and collectively in harmful habits and societal issues. She emphasizes the potential for change through love for life and deepened attention, offering two archived talks focused on desire, mindfulness, and compassion. Using an anecdote about a child's focus on the present moment, she explores how often people are preoccupied with wanting more, leading to suffering and addiction. She discusses the nature of desire, its role in human existence, and how unmet needs and societal influences amplify wanting, often leading to fixation on substitutes. She introduces the concept of "wanting mind" and guides listeners through a reflection exercise to recognize and investigate their own desires, encouraging a shift from judgment to curiosity and friendliness, and introducing the RAIN method (Recognize, Allow, Investigate, Nurture) to loosen the grip of wanting.