SELFISHNESS comes into existence owing to the tendency of the desires to find fulfillment in action and experience. It is born of fundamental ignorance about one’s own true nature. Analysis of selfishness Human consciousness is clouded by the accumulation of various types of impressions deposited by the long course of the evolution of consciousness. These impressions express themselves as desires, and the range of the operation of consciousness is strictly limited by these desires. The sanskaras or impressions form an enclosure around the possible field of consciousness. The circle of sanskaras constitutes that limited area in which alone the individual consciousness can be focussed. Some of the desires have mere latency of action, but others can actually translate themselves into action. The capacity of a desire to find expression in conduct depends upon the intensity and the amount of the sanskaras connected with it. To use a geometrical metaphor, we might say that when a desire passes into action, it traverses a distance which is equal to the radius of a circle describing the boundary of the sanskaras connected with it. When a desire gathers sufficient strength, it projects itself into action for getting fulfilled.
The range of selfishness is equal to the range of
desires. Owing to the hindrance of multifarious desires, it becomes impossible for the soul to find free and full Wanting ends in dissatisfaction expression of its true being, and life becomes self-centred and narrow. The entire life of the personal ego is continually in the grip of wanting, i.e., an attempt to seek fulfillment of desires through things that change and vanish. But there can be no real fulfillment through the transient things. The satisfaction derived from the fleeting things of life is not lasting and the wants of man remain unfulfilled. There is thus a general sense of dissatisfaction accompanied by all kinds of worries.
The chief forms in which the frustrated ego finds expression are lust, greed and anger. Lust is very much like greed in many respects, but it differs in the manner of its fulfillment, which is Lust, greed and anger directly related to the gross sphere. Lust finds its expression through the medium of the physical body and is concerned with the flesh. It is a form of entanglement with the gross sphere. Greed is a state of restlessness of the heart, and it consists mainly of craving for power and possessions. Possessions and power are sought for the fulfillment of desires. Man is only partially satisfied in his attempt to have the fulfillment of his desires, and this partial satisfaction fans and increases the flame of craving instead of extinguishing it. Thus greed always finds an endless field of conquest and leaves the man endlessly dissatisfied. The chief expressions of greed are related to the emotional part of man. It is a form of entanglement with the subtle sphere. Anger is the fume of an irritated mind. It is caused by the thwarting of desires. It feeds the limited ego and is used for domination and aggression. It aims at removing the obstacles exist-
