The first and the most important step in transcending desires
is to become aware of one’s true nature, which is beyond the body and the mind.
However, one might argue that the desire to know God or Brahman is also a
desire.
However, such a desire is not really a desire, because such a
desire becomes the nemesis of all desires. It is a desire to kill the mind,
which is the source of all desires.
This desire to realize one’s true nature is the beginning of
the path to attain a never-ending bliss and the only way to get liberation.
Transcending desires is possible only by abstention from
fresh desires and the eradication of old desires. This can be achieved only by
a process of continuous introspection and discernment.
Dispassion towards sense-objects and the withdrawal of the
senses from such sense-objects would result in a detached attitude in all
day-today dealings and this practice would eventually lead to desirelessness.
Source – Prabuddha Bharata magazine July 2017 page 14