Oasis.
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Temptation may be understood as the staunch desire to do something, especially something wrong or unwise. It shows up as a strong and irresistible desire or urge to possess or experience something or someone the world has to offer. It is such a universal and frustrating challenge that everyone confronts it regularly, some meeting with success and most failing to do so.
It can be abstract or tangible, real or imaginary, like fame, name, wealth, person, object, sex, action and so on. Whatever it is, it has some essential features like it arouses expectations of happiness and forces one to put in one’s best efforts to achieve it, tastes good in the beginning but invariably ends in disappointment or a complacency. However, on a proper analysis, it can be found that temptations are invariably deceptive and never fulfill the desired objective of true gain or enjoyment.
Temptations do not come suddenly but have an established process. They have a well structured sequence from beginning to end, via a peak. None can explain it better than what Lord Krishna has done in Bhagavad Gita (2/62 and 2/63). Dhyāyato vihayān puṁsaḥ saṅgas teṣhūpajāyate saṅgāt sañjāyate kāmaḥ kāmāt krodho ’bhijāyate. krodhād bhavati sammohaḥ sammohāt smṛiti-vibhramaḥ smṛiti- bhranśhād buddhi-nāśho buddhi-nāśhāt praṇaśhyati.
A free rendering runs thus. While contemplating on the objects of the senses, one develops attachment to them. Attachment leads to desire, and from desire arises anger. Anger leads to clouding of judgement, which results in bewilderment of memory. When memory is bewildered, the intellect gets destroyed; and when the intellect is destroyed, one is ruined.
Knowing the destructive consequences of temptation, a wise person stays away from it, not necessarily resisting it but by regulating it. Some of the sure ways of escaping from the ill-effects of these all pervading temptations are, fortunately, easy to access and practice. One of the first effective steps to manage temptation is to nib it in the bud - ignore and stop thinking, much less, brooding over the object or person enticing you to indulge in. Turn your mind towards spiritual and divine thoughts. Understand and overcome your weaknesses drawing you towards the attachments. Strengthen your determination with self-confidence and never yield to temptations. Compare the triviality of the momentary joy that you might get by yielding to temptations with those of the permanent peace and tranquility that will be yours by mastering temptations.