A Mind with Desire (raga)
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Now we must understand this word “raga”.
We have 3 types of “raga” -
kama raga, rupa raga and arupa raga.
Kama raga means that desire for the pleasures of the senses.
This is the norm of the Kama world.
You find existence, you find birth in this Kama world due to this desire for the pleasures of the senses.
When one uproots this desire for the pleasures of the senses completely, one no longer finds birth in the world of senses or in the Kama Worlds.
The world of senses not only means the human world, but it also covers all those states of torment like the animal world, the pretha world, the hells, the world of “asuras”.
Then we also have the divine worlds, various planes of the existence of the devas.
All those are the world of senses.
So one of the main conditions for the existence or for arising or for finding a foothold in the Kama world is this desire for the pleasures of the senses which arise in the mind.
Now Rupa Raga means that desire for the states of tranquility, serenity, collectedness, one pointedness of mind.
Arupa Raga means that desire for even higher states of bliss of concentration.
When you go beyond the 4 Rupa Jhanas, which is the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th jhanas, you go into what are called the Arupa Jhanas.
So these are the 3 types of desires of Kama, Rupa and Arupa Raga.
Three types of lust or thirst.
Now when the desire for the pleasures of the senses arises, you must know it has arisen.
When the desire for form or samadhi or bliss of concentration arises, you must know that it has arisen.
If the desire for the formless concentration arises, you must know it has arisen.
If there is no such desire for any of those three, then you must know that it is not present, that it has ceased.
That is the meaning of being mindful and aware of a mind in Raga and a mind not in Raga.