Courting the maiden

[YinYang]

Thus, the idea that this is a distinction between immediate gratification and delayed gratification misses the point entirely. The point is that you don't follow the maiden for the purpose of gratification of any kind. Instead, you follow the maiden out of devotion to her, out of admiration, adoration, tenderness, and awe.

This would be consistent with Art of Meditation, which I have mentioned before in this thread:

Let us take a good sharp scalpel and cut out of ourselves all desire for person, place, thing, circumstance, or condition. Every desire must be cut away in order that only one remains: to know Thee, whom to know aright is life eternal. Let us set our whole heart and soul and mind on the realization of God rather than on the attainment of some form of good. As we attain that realization, we enjoy all the good things of life which come forth, without becoming slaves to them or becoming attached to them and without fear of losing them.