Preyaha vs Sreyaha: Short term pleasure or longterm fulfilment

In every moment, two options present themselves. Preya प्रेयः (pleasure) and Sreya श्रेयः (benefit)
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Preya is easy to choose, it feels good, is instantly gratifying to the ego, and provides short-term hedonic pleasure.

Sreya is harder to choose and it doesn’t necessarily feel good in the moment, but it is highly beneficial for the evolution of the soul and offers long-term fulfillment.

One is ignorance, one is knowledge.
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I flew back to the US from Thailand in March 2020 (right at the kick-off of the ‘vid) for my brother’s wedding. Three days after I got back, masks/social distancing became a thing, my brother had to postpone his wedding, & I had a decision to make. Stay or go. I spent a few days in complete overwhelm / confusion, made the choice, packed up my life again & hopped on the next flight right back to Thailand.
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Fast forward to 7/7/21, a date I had in my calendar for months as the day to decide if I was staying in Thailand, or venturing into the outside world. I went into Thai jail at 1:11am on 7/7 (a story for another time 🤓) and it was clear I had to go. For two months I hesitated. Ease. Comfort. Safety. Why would I leave this paradise? I prayed, I listened. I knew it wouldn’t be easy. I threw myself into the gauntlet.
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The integration from Thailand back into the US after almost two years away has been one of the most painful + challenging experiences of my life, which is how I know I made the right choice.
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And today, I did not take my flight to Guatemala, & I won’t make it in before their entry requirements change on January 3. I’m missing a reunion with about 20 of my soul tribe, an opportunity to DJ at a festival, and a deep dive into ceremonial offerings.
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As much as my ego does not want to be here and wishes I got on that flight, my soul has work to do here, and feels relief at not having to pack up my life into a suitcase again so soon. The easy choice would have been to flee, to escape and avoid. The harder option is to stay, to face the shadows of present + befriend the ghosts of my past to clear a path for when a future me can return in more harmony with the place that houses my old skeletons.
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This is integration, the real work.

श्रेयो शुभकरः प्रेयो सुखकरः॥ Qualities of Shreya and Preya

The first adhyaya second valli (6 verses) of Kathopanishad[2] teaches the concept of Shreyaha and Preyaha, where Yama talks about how the discerning power of the mind enables man to take either the path to worldly prosperity or to immortality.

अन्यच्छ्रेयोऽन्यदुतैव प्रेयस्ते उभे नानार्थे पुरुषँ् सिनीतः । तयोः श्रेय आददानस्य साधु भवति हीयतेऽर्थाद्य उ प्रेयो वृणीते ॥ १॥ (Katha. Upan. 1.2.1)[2]

anyacchreyo'nyadutaiva preyaste ubhe nānārthe puruṣam̐ sinītaḥ । tayoḥ śreya ādadānasya sādhu bhavati hīyate'rthādya u preyo vr̥ṇīte ॥ 1॥ (Katha. Upan. 1.2.1)

Meaning : The preferable and pleasurable are indeed different things. Both of these, serving divergent purposes bind men (chosen by will), however, Shreya brings about wellness to him who accepts it among the two. One who chooses Preya (pleasure) falls down from the eternal supreme goal.

It is clear that every being chooses his own path at his own will. Preyas is that which attracts us at the first sight because it can give us immediate pleasure. Shreyas is that which does not attract us but is good for us. These two, though related severally to the human goals (prosperity here in this world and in after-worlds), they are opposed to each other as much as the nature of knowledge and ignorance. Thus, it is a choice of the two, as both cannot be performed together by the same person.

प्रेयो मन्दः वृणीते ॥ Unwise choose Preya

प्रेयो प्रवृत्तिमार्गः ॥ Pravrtti Marga (Samasara sukha)

The path of worldly enjoyment, Preyas is also known as the Pravrtti marga. It is very easy to get drawn into this path for seeking material gains which are no doubt pleasurable. But our sense of discrimination will tell us that these gains are not only transient but also do not help us attain Moksha.

श्रेयो धीरः वृणीते ॥ Wise choose Shreya

श्रेयश्च प्रेयश्च मनुष्यमेतः तौ सम्परीत्य विविनक्ति धीरः । श्रेयो हि धीरोऽभि प्रेयसो वृणीते प्रेयो मन्दो योगक्षेमाद्वृणीते ॥ २॥ (Katha. Upan. 1.2.2)

śreyaśca preyaśca manuṣyametaḥ tau samparītya vivinakti dhīraḥ । śreyo hi dhīro'bhi preyaso vr̥ṇīte preyo mando yogakṣemādvr̥ṇīte ॥ 2॥ (Katha. Upan. 1.2.2)

Meaning: Both wellness and pleasure are approachable to mankind; the wise man examines and distinguishes them. The wise man prefers Shreya (wellness) but men of poor intellect accept Preya (pleasures) for the sake of protection of the body.

धीरः ॥ One with intellect, having surveyed fully, i.e. having fully analyzed discerns between Shreya and Preya, and opts for Shreya (wellness that takes one on the path of Paratattva and Moksha) while मन्दः ॥ one with poor intellect, lacking in discrimination, opts for Preya for he seeks the wellness of his body. The path of preyas is the path of ignorance and that of shreyas is the path of Knowledge.[3][4]

श्रेयः निवृत्तिमार्गः ॥ Nivrtti Marga (Moksha)

The other path is that of Shreyas which leads to Self Realisation (Nivrtti marga). Here the focus is on the welfare of the Atma and not the body. Realisation (Moksha) is reached through renunciation. Nachiketa symbolises discrimination who chooses Shreyas, that which is good and right and rejects Preyas though the latter appears very inviting and appealing.