Today during meditation, I had a realization — not just a thought, but something that settled deep in my heart. It used to be a theory, now it’s an experience. I’m not here to share a philosophy. I’m just telling you what I’ve seen — whether it resonates with you or not is none of my concern. But if you’re walking the path of gyaan (not just knowledge, but truth), one day, you’ll come to this on your own.

What is imagination?

The mind is a beautiful piece of software. When you become aware of how it functions, you begin to see its elegance.

One of its core functions is imagination — literally, the creation of images. The mind doesn’t think in words, it thinks in symbols, in scenes, in possibilities.

But not all imagination is the same. Broadly, I see it in two parts:

  1. Creative imagination — where it solves problems, builds, creates. A tool.
  2. Projective imagination — where it plays out your conscious and subconscious desires, your expectations, your attachments.

My concern is with the second one.

But is it good or bad? Neither. Those are labels for the naive.

Why is projecting expectations a problem?

Because it takes you out of the present. You become anxious. You work in the present, but your mind lies in the future — entangled in outcomes, rewards, or fear of loss.

And the moment you disconnect from the present, you lose the juice of life. You move one step away from becoming a Buddha.

Sit for a moment and reflect — what real change can you bring by expecting? None.

You are like a straw trying to resist the current of a river — trying to bend it your way. It’s impossible. A straw can’t change a river’s flow.

But if it aligns with the current, then it might reach the ocean.

Expectations bring only anxiety, misery, and suffering.

The Buddhas have always said this

And by Buddha, I don’t just mean Gautam. I mean anyone who has awakened — Krishna, Mahavir, Christ, anyone who has seen.

Their message has always been simple:

Be present. Live moment to moment in total awareness. Let go of the mind.

And I’ve seen the same thing now. You cannot live in the present if you’re caught in imagination — especially the kind fed by desire and fear.

So how do you transcend the imaginative mind?

There are only two ways:

  1. Fulfill every desire — every single expectation, no matter how subtle.
  2. Drop every desire — throw them into the fire.

There’s no third path.

And if you’re honest, you already know which one makes sense.

The first is absurd. Desire has no end. The mind is a bottomless pit — you feed it once, it demands tenfold more.

So what’s left?

Throw all your expectations into the fire. Watch them burn. And in that light, realise your Buddha nature.