Introduction epithumia “desire, craving, longing…” (Thayer).
The Second Noble Truth Samudaya. Craving is one of the key causes of tanha (thirst) and there are...
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Transcript of The Second Noble Truth Samudaya. Craving is one of the key causes of tanha (thirst) and there are...
1. Craving for sensual pleasures:- This refers to
being driven and motivated by sense desire
rather than knowledge and understanding of the true nature and purpose
of life
This leads to a life of hedonism or endless pleasure seeking which is never satisfied even though temporary pleasure may be experienced. This
soon gives rise to increased desire which , when it cannot be fulfilled leads to dukkha!
2. Craving for existence:-This is the drive for self
protection and ego enhancement and the
wish to live forever experiencing countless
rebirths.
We assume there is immortality and eternal
life and because this type of tanha refers to a belief in a permanent soul it will lead to dukkha as this is
just not Buddhist!
3. Craving for non - existence:-
This is the drive to get rid of or turn away from
anything we don’t like or find unpleasant! In
extreme cases it could lead to suicide
Sometimes this is seen as an annihilationist outlook, i.e. that death is the end and there is little purpose in life. Clearly this leads to
dukkha!
“ I do not see monks, any other fetter being bound to incessant rebirths than
the fetter of craving”
The Buddha
• ‘In a world where everything is always changing, in a world of shifting and unstable conditions craving of whatever kind will never be able to hold onto the things it craves. This is the origin of suffering’. Guethin
• From a craving for something, grasping arises, then clinging etc. From the Buddhist perspective, this form of craving will lead to suffering as it is rooted in akusala
Ignorance is the first link on the chain of causation but not necessarily the
first causeNo cause exists
independent of another cause
It is difficult to pinpoint the beginning of
ignoranceHowever……according to
Buddhist beliefs expounded in the 2nd
Noble Truth, we can put an end to ignorance and
rebirth
We wrongly identify and categorise things because
of our ignorance e.g. a personal self.
We then demand things that boost this misconception
Ignorance conditions our volitional acts and they
reinforce our ignorance – it’s a vicious circle !!!!
In other words – if an evil act done under the
influence or our desires and false beliefs happens, al, it does is reinforce our false beliefs and makes it even harder to dislodge
them!
So…what do we do?Answer – we try to justify
our evil act, inventing superficial reasons for our conduct and we cling on to the false idea which
caused the evil act in the first place!