To purge themselves of earthly desires was all they were worried about.

Actually, earthly desires can make many kill their brothers.

What he's really after is for people to bypass earthly desires in the hope of rewards in heaven.

If you are interested in psychology, you're probably more likely to conclude that he hasn't really conquered his earthly desires, just rechanneled them in another direction.

The final palinode contrasts the fragility of earthly desire with the eternal love of God.

Nor did he bet, so that he was never deflected in his judgments by earthly desires.

This wisdom is revealed in a person's current lifetime through Buddhist practice, without any specific relinquishment of pleasures or "earthly desires".

I wanted to hear those songs for the first time again and again, which is, perhaps, the condition of all earthly desire.

What's more, I wasn't so sure about losing all of those 88 earthly desires.

So much for casting off earthly desires.