This is a profound and important question that gets to the very heart of the human condition and the promise of Advaita Vedanta.
From an Advaita perspective, the goal is not to "resolve" or "fulfill" your repressed desires. This is a crucial point. Trying to fix them one by one is an endless battle, like trying to empty the ocean with a bucket. Instead, the goal is to discover who you truly are, and in that light of Self-Knowledge, you realize that the desires were never about the real "You" to begin with.
This realization, when it dawns, is instantaneous and liberating. It cuts the root of all desires and all future births. This is the "quick" resolution you seek.
Here is a breakdown of the Advaita approach, moving from understanding to practice.
1. The Radical Reframe: Who is the "Me"?
In Advaita, the fundamental problem is Avidya—ignorance of your true nature. You believe you are the body-mind complex, the "me" with a history, a personality, and a bundle of repressed desires.
The Truth of Advaita: You are not the body-mind. You are the Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman—Existence-Consciousness-Bliss.
You are the silent, unwitnessed Witness in which all thoughts, feelings, and desires (including repressed ones) arise and subside. You are the screen, not the movie. The clouds of desire pass through your sky, but they are not the sky.
The immediate practice: When a desire, especially a repressed one, surfaces, do not fight it, do not indulge it, and do not judge it. Instead, ask the question:
"To whom has this desire appeared? Who is aware of this desire?"
The answer will be, "To me." Then ask the ultimate question, taught by sages like Ramana Maharshi:
"Who am I?"
This is not an intellectual query. It is a direct pointer to turn your attention away from the object (the desire) and back to the Subject (the Consciousness that is aware of it). In the gap between thoughts of desire, you will find a stillness. Rest in that stillness. That is You.
2. Understanding Desires: Vasanas and Vrittis
In Advaita, what you call "repressed desires" are called Vasanas (latent tendencies or impressions).
- They are seeds in your subconscious (the Causal Body) left by past actions and experiences.
- When conditions are right, they sprout as Vrittis (mental modifications, thought-waves) in your mind (the Subtle Body).
- Your identification with these Vrittis is what creates the suffering. You think, "I am this angry person," or "I am this lustful person," when in fact, you are the witness of anger and lust.
The Resolution: The desires lose their power when you stop feeding them with your identity. A thought or desire is just a ripple in the lake of Consciousness. By recognizing yourself as the lake, not the ripple, the ripple's power to disturb you dissolves. It may still arise out of habit, but it no longer has a "hook" in you. It becomes, "Ah, a desire is arising," rather than "I want that desperately and I feel guilty for it."
3. The "Quick" Path: The Three-Fold Practice of Jnana Yoga
Advaita prescribes a direct path to Self-Realization (Jnana Yoga), which is the fastest way to uproot the entire structure of desire-based suffering. It has three stages:
a. Sravanam (Hearing)
This isn't just listening to words. It is the deep and consistent exposure to the core teachings of Advaita from a qualified teacher and authentic scriptures (like the Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita, and works of Adi Shankaracharya).
Core teaching to absorb:
- Brahma Satyam Jagan Mithya (Brahman is the only reality; the world is an appearance/illusion).
- Jivo Brahmaiva Na Parah (The individual soul is none other than Brahman).
- Ayam Atma Brahman (This Self is Brahman).
You must intellectually understand that you are already whole, complete, and free. The desire and the feeling of lack are based on a fundamental misidentification.
b. Mananam (Reflection)
Once you have heard the teachings, you must reflect on them constantly. You must use your own intellect to scrutinize this knowledge and remove all doubts.
- Reflect on the nature of the witness. Is the witness affected by what it witnesses? Does the screen get burned by the movie?
- Reflect on the transience of the body, mind, and desires. Have they not been constantly changing? Who is the unchanging "I" that has been aware of all these changes?
- Reflect on the source of happiness. Is it in objects, or is it the cessation of desire for the object that reveals the inner peace, which is your true nature?
c. Nididhyasana (Meditative Assimilation)
This is the final and most crucial step. It is the practice of abiding in the Truth you have heard and reflected upon. It is not a meditation to get something; it is a meditation of being what you already are.
- Sit quietly. Notice thoughts, sensations, and desires arising and falling.
- Do not engage. Like a detached observer, just watch.
- The more you rest in this Witnessing Consciousness, the more the identification with the "me" who desires dissolves. The vasanas are starved of the energy they need: your identification.
When this state is stable, it is called Self-Realization. In that moment, the root Avidya is destroyed.
Why This Prevents Rebirth
Rebirth (samsara) is fueled by Karma (action), which in turn is fueled by Vasanas (desires). If you are hungry, you act (go find food), creating new karma and impressions. This web binds you to the cycle of birth and death.
When Avidya is destroyed through Self-Realization:
- You realize you are the actionless Witness.
- You see that the body-mind is performing actions, but "You" are not the doer. This is Jnana in action.
- Because all actions are offered up with the understanding "I am not the doer," they create no new binding karma.
- By realizing you are whole and complete, the fuel of Vasana (the feeling of lack) is extinguished. All remaining desires are burned away in the fire of Knowledge.
The entire mechanism for rebirth collapses. This is Moksha—liberation, attained in this very lifetime as a Jivanmukta (one who is liberated while living).
Summary: The Practical Answer
To resolve repressed desires quickly without rebirth, stop trying to resolve the desires. Instead:
- Shift Your Identity: Focus relentlessly on the "I" that is aware of the desires. Rest as the silent witness. This is the most direct and "quick" action you can take.
- Don't Fight, Witness: When a desire arises, see it as a cloud passing in the sky of your Awareness. Don't identify with it, don't push it away, don't grab it. Just let it pass. This starves it of power.
- Immerse in Teachings: Consistently study and reflect on non-dual teachings. This will fortify your intellect and help you de-identify.
- Let Go of the "Why": Don't waste time analyzing why you have a particular repressed desire. From an Advaita view, that's just the mind's game. The only relevant question is "Who is aware?" The "who" is the key, not the "what."
This path is not a psychological technique; it is a radical and total transformation of self-perception. It can indeed be "quick" because the moment you truly see you are the boundless sky, the freedom of the sky is immediate. The game of chasing clouds is over forever.