Working with sensual desire (kamacchanda)

When craving or distraction toward pleasant experiences pulls you out of meditation, use anicca contemplation to see the transient quality of what is craved.

Why it works

Sensual desire in meditation is the pull of a compelling object (a thought, a memory, an anticipated pleasure) that is being attended to with craving rather than equanimity. Anicca contemplation — seeing the impermanent, unsatisfying nature of the craved object — directly reduces its pull by correcting the misperception that makes craving feel worth following.

How to do it

1. When pulled toward a pleasant object, pause before following it.
2. Briefly contemplate the impermanent and conditional nature of the craved thing: "If I got this, how long would the satisfaction last?"
3. Note the vedana quality — "pleasant pull" — without following it.
4. Return to the primary object and note: "desire... passing..."

Evidence

Mindful awareness of craving (urge surfing) reduces automatic following of cravings in addiction contexts. The mechanism — holding the craving as an object of observation rather than acting on it — is directly applicable. (clinical)

Bowen et al. study substance craving; the transfer to meditation distraction via desire is mechanistic.

Sources

• Bowen et al. (2014), relative efficacy of mindfulness-based relapse prevention, JAMA Psychiatry — urge surfing reduces relapse rates

Common mistake

Suppressing the desire, which makes it more compelling — the antidote is to observe it fully, not to push it away.