Lama Thubten Yeshe (1935-1984) was a renowned Tibetan Buddhist master, known for his dynamic teachings and founding the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT). Born in Tibet, he sought refuge in Nepal post the Chinese invasion. Lama Yeshe's teachings, deeply ingrained in the Gelugpa tradition, stressed on compassion and wisdom, highlighting each person's enlightenment potential.



His book "When the Chocolate Runs Out" embodies these principles, offering insights on how wisdom and compassion manifest in everyday life. It particularly explores the impermanence of external objects as a basis for lasting happiness, a theme elaborated through various excerpts and personal interpretations in his work.



The introduction to that book is a work of genius:

“We love chocolate so much that on some level, we believe that so long as I have chocolate, I will be happy. We then base our whole life around pursing chocolate. But sometimes, we cannot get chocolate or when chocolate disappears we get unhappy. Even if we get chocolate, it does not end the desire to get more chocolate, or maybe even better chocolate. 

Possessing chocolate is not the problem. The problem is our grasping, turning the chocolate from a source of happiness to a source of dissatisfaction. This  grasping is the power of attachment at work. Chocolate, like all our pleasures and problems come and go. Attaching our happiness to chocolate misses the reality that both the chance to get chocolate, and the mind desiring a certain type or quality of chocolate is constantly changing.  

Enjoy chocolate as a part of material life, but understand the impermanent nature on the availability of chocolate and the mind that is assessing and experiencing it. Cultivate the wisdom that it is impossible to find lasting happiness through chocolate.”

Now, I have created another few paragraphs, with the word chocolate omitted. By putting your desire in these gaps, you can then explore our attachment with more perspective. Remember, trying to suppress desire or attachments is like holding down a lid on a pot of boiling water. It requires a huge amount of energy, and pressure keeps building up. By gently observing these attachments and desires, we open the lid of the pot and look inside with curious non-engagement, the energy of the boiling water will gradually get less over time.

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I love ( ________ ) so much that on some level, I believe that so long as I have ( ________ ), I will be happy. I then base my whole life around pursuing ( ________ ). But sometimes, I cannot get ( ________ ), or when ( ________ ) disappears I get unhappy. Even if I get ( ________ ), it does not end my desire to get more ( ________ ), or maybe even better ( ________ ). 

Possessing ( ________ ) is not the problem. The problem is my grasping, turning the ( ________ ) from a source of happiness to a source of dissatisfaction. This grasping is the power of attachment at work. ( ________ ), like all pleasures and problems come and go. Attaching our happiness to ( ________ ) misses the reality that both the chance to get ( ________ ), and the mind desiring a certain type or quality of ( ________ ) is constantly changing.  

Enjoy ( ________ ) as a part of material life, but understand the impermanent nature on the availability of ( ________ ) and the mind that is assessing and experiencing it. Cultivate the wisdom that it is impossible to find lasting happiness through ( ________ ). Instead of attaching happiness to external material objects like ( ________ ), I can explore happiness through inner cultivation.

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It is important to emphasise the point that moralistic judgements on attachments (for example what would a saint do?) and desire do not serve long term freedom from them. Expending excess energy in trying to control these and forcefully cutting them away has a distinct probability that it will not last. Instead, focusing on observing habits as opposed to controlling them, can be more effective. With exploring ideas of wisdom, and seeing through them, they gradually fall away over time.

If healthy people do not sneeze, does that mean by forcing yourself to not sneeze, you are curing a cold?

So if an deeply wise person has no desire, does that mean by forcing yourself to get rid of desire for everything on the surface level does that mean you attain wisdom? The presence of the external objects in a person's life is not a reflection of how they relate to them. With consistent conditioning and awareness of each moment, the path reveals itself.