“At last, at long last, I have understood Buddha’s Second Noble Truth that ‘The cause of suffering is desire’.”–DSR
Buddha’s Second Noble Truth, called Samudaya, states that the cause of suffering (dukkha) is craving, thirst, or attachment (tanha)—a relentless desire for sensory pleasures, existence, or non-existence, fueled by greed, hatred, and ignorance (the Three Poisons). This clinging to impermanent things creates expectations that lead to frustration, disappointment, and the cycle of rebirth and suffering.
Key Aspects of the Second Noble Truth
• Craving (Tanha): The core cause, manifesting as:
• Craving for Sense Pleasures (Kama Tanha): Desire for enjoyable experiences, sights, sounds, tastes, etc.
• Craving for Being/Becoming (Bhava Tanha): Desire to continue existing, to be something, or to achieve future states.
• Craving for Non-Being/Annihilation (Vibhava Tanha): Desire to get rid of or cease to exist.
• The Three Poisons (Roots of Evil): Greed (attachment), hatred (aversion), and ignorance (delusion about reality) are the fundamental drivers of craving.
• Ignorance (Moha): A deep unawareness of the true nature of reality, especially our own impermanence and interdependence, is central to suffering.
In essence: Suffering arises because we constantly seek satisfaction and permanence in a world that is inherently impermanent, driven by our insatiable desires and misunderstandings of how things truly are.
Know Thyself 