Transcript The Second Noble Truth

The Second Noble Truth
Samudaya
Craving is one of the key
causes of tanha (thirst)
and there are various
types of tanha
Tanha (thirst) as the
cause of suffering is
taught in the Second
Noble Truth
• Tanha is the
critical link on the
chain of
conditioned
origination or
paticcasamuppada
1. Craving for sensual
pleasures
2. Craving for existence
3. Craving for non existence
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 cause
No cause exists
independent of another
cause
 It is difficult to pinpoint
the beginning of
ignorance
However……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!
 We set in motion the
WHEEL OF LIFE so we
never rise above
SAMSARA and the evil
act in the first place!