The Journey from Fleeting Pleasure to Enduring Inner Peace

In the modern world, we have become accustomed to instant pleasures that seem to bring us happiness but, in reality, turn out to be fleeting and quickly exhausted. When the usual state of sensory satisfaction disappears, we feel as if we are losing an immediate yet transient surge of pleasure that only temporarily masks our inner needs. This state of ephemeral fulfillment is born not from external factors, but from the very nature of pleasure itself, which is tied to desire and the alleviation of suffering caused by the lack of something.

Yet, it is precisely in this deprivation that the opportunity for profound transformation lies. The renunciation of constant emotional spikes gives us a chance to discover a more sustainable and pure form of joy that does not depend on external changes. This is the process of moving from illusory satisfaction to inner tranquility, where sharp emotional fluctuations and short-lived euphoria vanish. This joy is not lost at the slightest external disturbance; it becomes a constant foundation that can sustain us in any life circumstance.

Thus, abandoning familiar sensory pleasures is not a loss but rather opens the way to true self-awareness and inner harmony. We learn to seek pleasure not in transient impulses, but in a deep, steady joy that brings genuine peace and freedom—free from external conditions and superficial delights.

What happens to a person's sense of pleasure when it is deprived of this state?

When a person is deprived of the usual state of fleeting, sensory pleasure, two main processes occur. First, there is the disappearance of that ephemeral satisfaction which, derived from external stimuli, causes immediate satiation. As noted in one source:
"Any pleasure, no matter how refined, gives rise to a sense of oversaturation if we receive it in large quantities. The feeling of satisfaction lasts only a few seconds—we are unable to hold onto it. And the reason for this transience of pleasure lies not in the surrounding world but, on the contrary, in the pleasure itself, in its profound essence. If we analyze what brings us pleasure, it is solely the fulfillment of desire, the relief from suffering due to a lack of something in our lives. Food, for example, brings pleasure only to the hungry; a satiated person feels sick from a single type of food. In other words, the pleasure derived from eating is merely the cessation of the hunger-induced suffering."
(source: 10_49.txt)

Secondly, by losing the familiar state of constant and unstable satisfaction, a person can begin to experience a different, more stable and intrinsically pure kind of joy that is not subject to sudden fluctuations. In this case, those passionate swings and the temporary euphoria that vanishes as soon as it is satisfied disappear. As another source draws a subtle distinction between illusory satisfaction and true joy:
"And this joy cannot be taken away in any way. Consider this: even when joy fills our hearts, how easily it is lost. A mere delay of five minutes in the arrival of the bus—and it evaporates; there it is, our happiness—so fleeting! ... This is because we do not know true joy. Genuine joy in the Lord is never shaken by anything..."
(source: 9_44.txt)

Thus, when a person is deprived of the habitual state of sensory pleasure, they lose the temporary satisfaction that acts as a sort of compensation for suffering or deprivation. Yet, this very deprivation can initiate a process of purging us from constant passions, giving us the opportunity to experience a deeper and more enduring sense of inner calm and freedom. It is not simply a renunciation of pleasure; it is rather a transition to a state of life in which there are no sharp emotional surges, and where a stable, imperturbable joy prevails—one that does not depend on external conditions.