I Desire Not To Desire

The police are always in search of thieves to capture, and thieves are always running away. It is rare indeed to find a thief that searches for the police to be captured and thrown in jail. That’s not a natural desire for thieves. 

God said to Bayazid Bistami, “What do you desire, Bayazid?” He answered, “I desire not to desire.”
To be wholly without desire—that is not a natural desire, since a person must empty themself and cease to be.
But God wanted to perfect Bayazid and to make him a complete Sheikh, so that within him there would be no room for duality or separation, and only complete union and unity would prevail.
There are various classes and different ranks on the spiritual path. Through effort and struggle, some have attained the station that can refuse every desire. That is within the scope of some. But to allow not even an itch of desire to enter the heart—that is not within the scope of anyone. Only God’s love can take that out.