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 existence3. 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 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!

We set in motion the WHEEL OF LIFE so we

never rise above SAMSARA and the evil act

in the first place!