Researchers recently wanted to find out what motivates Buddhists (or mindfulness students). What is their goal? What do they hope to achieve? What do they run from and what do they hurry toward? What drives them on various levels: psychological, social, practical, in relationships, in developing character, in seeking some personalized idea of enlightenment? And what hells are they escaping from? Unsurprisingly, the answers to their research fit neatly into the already well-worn notions that populate modern psychology libraries, and sell boatloads of popular books. Let’s see if we can look further.
When we buy something at the shop, we may just like it, or even need it, and it might be with mild interest or agonizing intensity. And of course, they are many times, in more weighty situations, when we are pulled in two or more directions, some warring factions fighting it out in our mind and heart. Clearly decisions and desires fill our days—and keep us up at night.
No wonder then, that this everyday experience has provided unending fuel for religious figures, philosophers, and an endless parade of psychologists, trying to find out why we do what we do, and why we want what we want. You would think that someone, somewhere, had figured this out, carving their findings into ancient stones or creating a silicon chip that lays bare the ancient secrets of human passion. But, ironically, it is one of the most tangled, convoluted, and obtuse arenas of modern psychology.
If you do even a little research, you will be confronted with a mountain of jargon and a chaotic jumble of ideas, models, and theories. You could opt for a belief in operant conditioning, arousal, instinct, incentive, drive reduction theory, or push-pull. Or you might focus on Maslow’s hierarchy, Herzberg’s two-factor theory, or Alderfers ERG. Then there is temporal motivation theory, 16 basic drives theory, the work of McLelland, and Glasser’s choice theory. You could also go modern with Daniel Pink’s drive theory, or scores of pop-psychology experts, motivational gurus, and self-help influencers.
While many of these concepts are borne of observations of people and scientific surveys and statistical studies, the “old school” of sacred science puts a high value on direct experience as the litmus test for what is true and what is merely “sophistry.” And so, in the end, the ancient truth of the Five Elements, which has been verified by thousands of meditators, can be similarly confirmed by any “motivated” student of motivation. And according to this approach, we move toward or away from things (desire and aversion) in five ways. For simplicity’s sake, the list that follows excludes the profusion of negative motivations, such as the desire to manipulate, bully, have domain over others, to deceive and so on. That is a story for another day.
- Earth Element Motivation
Desires: peace, stability, security, a structure that works.
Avoids: chaos, the unknown, the unexpected, too much freedom
- Water Element Motivation
Desires: connection (people, things, beauty, etc.), nourishment, healin
Avoids: negativity, being disliked, isolation, disruption
- Fire Element Motivation
Desires: success, achievement, overcoming challenges, justice, strength
Avoids: compromise, dishonesty, weakness, lack of commitment
- Air Element Motivation
Desires: freedom, creating opportunity, innovation, new frontiers
Avoids: entrapment, limitation, conformity
- Space Element Motivation
Desires: deep understanding, balance, harmony, wisdom
Avoids: confinement, deception, fakery, false ideologies
This simple outline is not designed to take away from the labors and lifelong research of any of the above-mentioned psychologists, or any other contemporary source. However, on examination, every one of them misses the mark. They each have one piece or another of the puzzle, but none covers all the bases as well as the simple, ancient truth of the five intelligent, primary formative forces recognized by the great sages of the past more than 5,000 years.
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