Urging for Pleasure is a Burning Obsession!

Sense-Desire is the foremost and deepest mental hindrance (Nivarana).
The texts given below aim at illustrating how this obsessive and addictive
urge for sensing only pleasure in the form of sights, sounds, smells, tastes
and touches arise, cease, and is finally cured. The present-day dominance
of the porno and entertainment industry speaks -in itself- clearly of this
problems abundance among human beings today...

The Blessed Buddha once said:
On this occasion the Blessed One was staying at Gaya's Head, together
with a thousand Bhikkhus. There the Blessed One told these Bhikkhus this:
Bhikkhus, all this is burning! And what, Bhikkhus, is that All that is burning?
The eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and the mind is burning. All forms, sounds,
smells, flavours, touches, and mental states are also burning! Whatever kind
of consciousness of sense-contact is also burning! Any feeling arisen caused
by contact, whether pleasant, painful or neutral, that too is also burning...
Burning with what? I say: Burning with the fire of lust, hate and ignorance,
birth, ageing, death, sadness, disappointment, frustration, and Suffering!
The Fire Sermon Samyutta Nikāya. Book IV 19-20

First priority: Noticing Sense-Desire (kāma-chanda) makes it fade away:
Herein, Bhikkhus, when sense-desire is present in him the Bhikkhu notes:
"There is sense-desire in me," and when sense-desire is absent, he notes:
"There is no sense-desire in me." He also understands how any yet unarisen
sense-desire arises. He understands how to leave behind any already arisen
sensual desire, and he understands how left sense-desire will not ever arise
again in the future. MN 10

What is the feeding cause that makes Sense-Desire arise?
There are attractive and alluring features and aspects of any object...
Frequently giving irrational & unwise attention to them, this is the feeding
cause of the arising of unarisen sense-desire, and also the feeding cause
of the increase and expansion of sense-desire, that already has arisen. 
SN 46:51

What is the starving cause that makes Sense-Desire cease?
There are disgusting and repulsive features and aspects of any object...
Frequently giving rational & wise attention to them, this is the starving cause
of the non-arising of unarisen sense-desire, and the starving cause of the
decrease and shrinking of sense-desire that already has arisen.
SN 46:51

 

Which medicine cures Sense-Desire, so that it does not re-arise?
These six things lead to the gradual elimination of sense-desire:
1. Learning how to meditate on ugly and disgusting objects.
2. Frequent and intense meditation on disgusting objects.
3. Guarding the sense doors.
4. Moderation in eating.
5. Noble friendship with one who knows how to quell sense-desire.
6. Suitable conversation on the disadvantages of hedonism.
Commentary to the Satipatthana Sutta

1. Learning how to meditate on disgusting objects.
Meditation on disgusting objects produces repulsion towards attractive
objects as a result. This reduces desire for these objects. AN 5:36

The 32 inner organs of the body; A skin sac of bones with 9 oozing holes:
Herein, Bhikkhus, a Bhikkhu reflects on just this body, confined within the
skin and full of manifold ugly impurities from the soles upward and from the
top of the hair downwards in this way: "There is in this body: head and body
hair, nails, teeth, skin, flesh, sinews, bones, marrow, kidneys, heart, liver,
pleura, spleen, lungs, intestines, bowels, stomach, excrement, bile, pus,
blood, sweat, fat, tears, lymph, spit, slime, snot, joint-fluid, urine and
the brain in the skull."

The 9 Corpse Contemplations:
The Bhikkhu goes to a cemetery to see a corpse one day, 2 or 3 days dead:
Bloated, livid, putrid, rotting, stinking & festering, he applies this experience
to his own body in this way: "This body, too: Such is its nature & its future,
such its unavoidable destiny'... He meditates as if he were seeing a corpse
cast away in a cemetery, picked at by crows, vultures, and hawks, by dogs,
hyenas, and various other animals ... a skeleton covered partly with flesh and
blood, connected with sinews ... a fleshless skeleton smeared with blood,
connected with tendons ... a skeleton without meat as a chain of bones
connected with tendons... as bones detached from their tendons, scattered
in all directions; here a hand bone, there a foot bone, here a shinbone,
there a thigh bone, here a hip bone, there a back bone, here a rib, there a
chest bone, here a shoulder bone, there a neck bone, here a jaw bone,
there a tooth, here a skull... He contemplates his body as bones whitened,
as bones somewhat like the colour of sea-shells ... as bones piled up, more
than a year old ... as bones rotting and crumbling into black powder.
This is Awareness focused on the body merely as a putrid and rotting form!
MN 10

As inspiration for this acquisition of this sign of disgust (asubha-nimitta)
curing any lust have a collection of corpse pictures been deposited at the
link below. It can only be viewed by adults > 18 years  
http://s914.photobucket.com/albums/ac350/Asubha/  Password: corpses

Such memorized images of disgust are then remembered whenever lust re-arises.
If the memorized image is vivid, then this urge of desire instantly vanishes,
 since disgust and desire cannot co-exist in the mind at the same time.
Even just noting the desire can cure it, since such advantageous Awareness
cannot occur simultaneously in combination with detrimental thought of lust.
Therefore, at the exact time of knowing the sense desire, that arose in the
preceding moment, that sense desire no longer exists, but only the event of
Awareness knowing and noticing it...

3. Guarding the sense doors:
And how, Bhikkhus, does one guard the doors of the senses?
Seeing a form with the eye, one does neither get caught up by any of the
general features, nor does one become obsessed with any particular detail
of this captivating form...
Hearing a sound with the ear, one does neither get caught by any of the
common aspects, nor does one become infatuated with any specific detail
of this sweet sound...
Smelling a smell with the nose, one does neither get caught by any of the
prevailing qualities, nor does one become as if possessed by any particular
detail of this seducing smell...
Tasting a taste with the tongue, one does neither get caught by any of the
prevalent hallmarks, nor does one become as if gripped by any peculiar detail
of this dazzling taste...
Touching a thing with the body, one does neither get caught by any of the
regular attributes, nor does one become as if fixated by any distinct detail
of this fascinating touch...
Thinking a thought with the mind, one does neither get caught by any of the
universal signs, nor does one become as if immersed in any particular detail
of this entrancing mental state...
Since, if one leaves the sense ability of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and
mind uncontrolled, then evil detrimental states of lust, greed and discontent
will immediately invade and degrade the mind... Therefore does one practise
and gain control of the senses, one guards the doors of the senses, one reins
back the senses, one keeps the senses restrained, and in check... SN 35:239

Friends, there are these forms recognizable by the eye, sounds recognizable
by the ear, smells recognizable by the nose, tastes recognizable by the tongue,
touches recognizable by the body, mental states recognizable by the mind,
which all are attractive and liked, wished, longed and urged for, desired and
thus provocative of both lust and greed. If one welcomes them, enjoys them
and thus remains clinging to them, delight arises. With the arising of delight,
friends, I tell you, there is also the arising of craving. When craving arises,
friends, be aware, then there is also the arising of Suffering…
However, if one does neither welcome, enjoy, nor cling to any of these sense
objects, then delight ceases. With the ceasing of delight, friends, I tell you,
there is also the ceasing of all longing, all craving, all attachment, all clinging,
the ceasing of all addiction, of all bondage, and the ceasing of all Suffering…
MN 145

4. Moderation in eating:
How is a Bhikkhu moderate in eating? In this, a Bhikkhu, reflecting rationally,
eats food neither for the sake of entertainment, nor for infatuation, nor for
wanting bodily beauty, but exclusively for the support and maintenance of
this body, for ending of discomfort, and for assisting this Noble life, simply
considering: In this way I will now end this old feeling, yet without arousing
any new feeling! Therefore will I remain healthy, blameless and in comfort...
Exactly as one anoints an open wound, only for the purpose of making it heal,
or just as one greases an axle only for the sake of easy transport of a heavy
load, so does a Bhikkhu, who is moderated in eating, eat food, while always
meticulously reflecting rationally in this very way ...
SN 35:239

5. Noble friendship with one who knows how to cure sense-desire.
The entire holy life, Ananda, is Noble friendship, Noble companionship,
and Noble association.  Of any Bhikkhu, Ananda, who has a Noble friend,
a Noble companion, a Noble associate, it is to be expected that he will
cultivate, practice and complete this Noble 8-fold Way. SN 45:2

6. Suitable conversation on the disadvantages of hedonism.
Some examples spoken by the Blessed Buddha:
If the mortal, longing for sensual pleasure, gets it, yes, then he is happy!
But when the pleasures inevitably soon fade away, that person, longing,
urging, desiring, is all shocked, as if shot with an arrow... Sutta Nipāta IV, 1

Death carries off the man while distracted by gathering flowers of sensual
pleasures, exactly as a great tsunami carries away a sleeping village.  
Dhammapada 47

Sense objects give little satisfaction, but much urge, pain, panic and despair
later. This danger inevitably inherent in all pleasures is bigger than their joys!
MN 14

Disguised as joy, appearing as attractive, falsely promising only pleasures,
but longing, frustration, and grief surprises and shocks the one not aware! 
Udana II - 8

With desire is the world tied and enchained. With the overcoming of desire
is it freed. With the overcoming of sense-desire are all bonds cut through.
SN 1:69

Sense-desire is like being in debt:
There is a man who has acquired a debt and has become ruined. Now, if his
creditors, when telling him to pay back the debt, speak roughly to him or
harass and beat him, he is unable to put up any resistance, but will have to
accept it all meekly. It is his debt that causes this feeble leniency. Similarly
with a man filled with sensual-desire for a certain person, full of craving for
that object of his desire, he will be attached to it. Even if spoken to roughly
by that person, or even harassed or beaten, he will tolerate it all meekly...!
His sense-desire causes that shy and frail weakness!  It is in this way, that
sense-desire is like being in debt.

Absence of sense-desire is like freedom from debt:
A man, having taken a loan, uses it for his business and comes to prosperity.
He then thinks: "This debt is a cause of worry." He repays the loan together
with the interest, and has the loan papers torn up. After that, then he needs
neither send any letter to, nor bow to his creditors... And why? He is not any
longer in debt to them or dependent on them in any way. Similarly a Bhikkhu
thinks: "sense-desire is a cause of hindrance." He then cultivates 6 the things
leading to its overcoming (#), and removes this hindrance of sense-desire.
Just as one who has freed himself of debt no longer feels fear or anxiety,
when meeting his former creditors, so is one who has given up sense-desire
no longer attached and bound to the object of his desire. Even seeing many
divine forms, then neither passions, nor lust will ever assail or dominate him.
Therefore has the Blessed One compared the elimination of sense-desire to
freedom from debt. Commentary on DN 2

The Blessed Buddha once said:
On this occasion the Blessed One was staying at Gaya's Head, together
with a thousand Bhikkhus. There the Blessed One told these Bhikkhus this:
Bhikkhus, All this is burning! And what, Bhikkhus, is that All  that is burning?
The eye, ear, nose, tongue, body & the mind is burning. Forms, sounds, smells,
flavours, touches, and mental states are also burning! Any eye, ear, nose,
tongue, body & mental consciousness is also burning! Any eye, ear, nose,
tongue, body & mental contact is also burning! Any feeling arisen caused by
eye, ear, nose, tongue, body or mental contact, whether pleasant, painful or
neutral, that too indeed is also burning...
Burning with what?  I say: Burning with the fire of lust, hate and ignorance,
birth, ageing, death, sadness, weeping, pain, frustration, & with desperation!

Burning Like Moths flying into the Flame!
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/ud/ud.6.09.olen.html

More on the folly vanity of desire for simple Sense Pleasure (Hedonism):
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Why_Not.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Burning.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Craving_is_Pain.htm  
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Canon/Sutta/AN/AN.I.1-2.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Canon/Sutta/AN/AN.I.3-4.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Charcoal_Pit.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/Canon/Sutta/AN/AN.I.3-4c.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Colourful_but_Muddy.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Craving_is_Catastrophic.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_Fire_of_Sense-Desire.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/What_is_Disadvantageous.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Joys_of_the_Flesch_and_Beyond.htm
http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Happiness_of_the_Flesh_and_Beyond.htm

Blissful is being without passions in this world,
Blissful is the overcoming of all sense-desires!
Udana II, 1

The Fire of Desire!