This training meditation cultivates clear awareness of the characteristics of desire: An initial pleasant feeling that, when not investigated wisely, quickly becomes craving and clinging–dukkha.  During the recording there are intervals for cultivating mindfulness of breathing, then contemplating a state of mind that involves desire–a song melody, desired success in some project, etc., accompanied by investigation of how this experience changes the pattern of breathing, creates muscle tension and an insistent internal narrative that becomes enchanted with sustaining itself and the accompanying feeling.  You are then invited to redirect attention back to the breath and investigate the changes in breathing patterns, muscle tension and the absence of a demanding narrative, along with the calmness and clarity that emerges with prolonged, alert attention to the sensation of breathing.  This meditation is intended to accompany the talk entitled “The Unwholesomeness Of Desire, August 26, 2020”.