Fed by Everything

The tree keeps growing. Not because you water it — because everything waters it.

Every experience feeds the tree. Every desire sprouts a new branch. Every sensation grows a new leaf. The algorithm feeds you content → you feel something → you want more → another branch. A compliment feeds your ego → you crave validation → another branch. Even suffering feeds it — resentment, grudges, replaying old hurts — more branches.

Krishna says the tree is nourished by the gunas — the three fundamental forces of nature. Sattva (clarity) grows branches toward light. Rajas (restlessness) grows them outward in every direction. Tamas (inertia) drags them downward.

The point isn’t that the tree is evil. It’s that the tree is automatic. You don’t choose to grow it. It grows you. Every input — every scroll, every conversation, every craving — becomes another shoot.

This is why “just stop wanting things” doesn’t work. The tree isn’t powered by one desire. It’s powered by the entire machinery of experience. You’d have to stop experiencing life to stop the tree from growing.

So the question isn’t how to kill the tree. It’s how to see it clearly — and stop mistaking the branches for who you are.

Reflect

What’s one area of your life where you can see the tree growing automatically — desire feeding more desire, input feeding more input — without any conscious choice on your part?