Question: How should one work correctly with foreign desires since the more that you advance, the more they are revealed?

Which is better: to prohibit my weak points so that I won’t fall into egoistic fulfillments, or placate my “beast” when it says, “Get this for me,” thinking that I am doing this to get closer to spirituality?

Answer: You can never placate your beast! You cannot fulfill it in any form! No matter how much freedom you give it, no matter how much you fulfill it with all kinds of pleasures, it will not calm down. On the other hand, putting limits on it will not help.

Feed it, and it will want to double in size. Limit it, and it will still want twice as much. It will seem to you that there are inexhaustible possibilities for pleasure to be found.

How is it possible to overcome this? You don’t need to be involved with your beast. Don’t hit it, and don’t placate it. Be involved with the soul instead. Shut your eyes as if the beast didn’t exist, and be involved with spiritual work. Join a group to take functions and responsibilities upon yourself and drag them without deviating toward the beast because playing with the ego doesn’t bring anything good.
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From the Convention In St. Petersburg “Day One” 9/19/14, Lesson 2

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Salvation Is In A Group
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The Magnitude Of Spiritual Desires

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