Why did the Buddha call craving (desire) the "cause of suffering"?The Buddha is sometimes called the "master physician" for prescribing a way to heal suffering. The Four Noble Truths define the problem (suffering), its cause (craving), its cure (nirvana), and the medicine (Noble Eightfold Path).
"Where does craving, when arising, arise? Where, when dwelling, does it dwell? Whatever is delightful and attractive (or endearing and alluring) in the world, that is where craving arises. That is where it dwells.
"What is delightful and attractive in the world? The eye (and ear, nose, tongue, body, mind) is delightful and attractive in the world. That is where craving, when arising, arises. That is where, when dwelling, it dwells.
The same is true of forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas...
- and the consciousness that arises dependent on the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind
- and the contact (between consciousness, object, and) ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind
- and the feeling (sensation, which is either pleasant, neutral, or unpleasant) born of contact (between consciousness, object, and) eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind
- and the perception of forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas
- and the intention (volition, mental formation) regarding forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas
- and the craving for forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas
- and the thought (or the applied and sustained attention) directed at forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas
- and the evaluation (mental proliferation about past, present, and future) of forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas
is delightful and attractive in the world. That is where this craving, when arising, arises. That is where, when dwelling, it dwells. This is called the "Noble Truth of the Cause of Suffering."
The sense base (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind) is not fettered (trapped, attached, bonded) to the object it becomes aware of.
The external object (forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, ideas) is not fettered to the sense base.
If the two (base and object) were attached, we would have no chance of escaping this round of suffering.
Craving is the fetter (Figure 1). This is explained in the Kotthita Sutra (discussed in "Why are these two boots tied together?").
We can now examine craving in a Mind Works model. These steps (called the links of Dependent Origination by the Buddha) happen in the mind in relation to the six senses: Craving is present at every step.
The steps are explained in a flow chart (Figure 2*). It includes the six senses showing how they are connected to Dependent Origination to make the process clearer.
The red box showing "craving" in the original Mind Works model is replaced by a large red star to indicate that craving actually applies to all these steps. Subsequent steps, which show where craving arises and dwells, are marked with small red stars.
A more important consideration is finding where craving can be abandoned. Those places are where craving arises and dwells. Please read the passage below.
Where is craving abandoned?
Where, when being abandoned, is craving abandoned? Where, when ceasing, does it cease? Whatever is delightful and attractive in the world, that is where, when being abandoned, craving is abandoned. That is where, when ceasing, it ceases.
And what is delightful and attractive in the world? The sense base (eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, and mind). That is where, when being abandoned, craving is abandoned. That is where, when ceasing, it ceases.
The same is true of external objects (forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tactile sensations, and ideas)...
- and the consciousness that arises dependent on sense base and external object
- and the "contact" (of the three: sense base, external object, and dependent-consciousness)
- and the feeling born of (sense base) contact
- and the perception born of contact (with external objects)
- and the intention (mental formations) for external objects (forms, sounds...ideas)
- and the craving for external objects
- and the thought (or attention) directed at forms
- and the evaluation (mental proliferation) of external objects
All such evaluations are delightful and attractive in the world. That is where, when being abandoned, craving is abandoned. That is where, when ceasing, it ceases. This is called the Noble Truth of the Cessation of Suffering.
Figure 3 shows the possible points of action that may be applied to the new model. The fourfold setting up of mindfulness (catu-satipatthana) means contemplation of the bodily functions, sensations, mind (citta), and mental phenomena (dhammas). This is shown in yellow bubbles (Figure 2), which illustrates the training that enables seeing things clearly.
With wise attention, it is eventually possible to contemplate the Three Marks of Existence -- impermanence, ill, and insubstantiality -- as they reveal themselves in the four foundations. This is the ultimate pathway. Craving can only be completely uprooted by insight meditation.
Craving can be seen clearly at the points of sensory objects, contacts, and the Five Aggregates. This is why insight meditation works on the initial part of the model to eradicate craving. Wise attention is key.
As craving passes into applied and sustained thought and conceptual proliferation (about past, present, future), it will be hard to recognize and deal with (Figure 1).
*The model uses "object" in place of the discourse's form; "intellect" instead of mind; "mental objects" instead of ideas; "applied and sustained thought" instead of thought directed; "mental proliferation" (past, present, future) instead of evaluation.
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