Desire does not cause suffering

[Aloka]

Desire does not cause Suffering – Ajahn Sumedho:


“Desire does not cause suffering; the cause of suffering is the grasping of desire…the problem is the grasping of desire not the desire itself. Grasping means being deluded by it, thinking it’s really ‘me’ and ‘mine’: ‘These desires are me’…with personal problems and obsessions, to let go of them is just that much. It is not a matter of analysing and endlessly making more of a problem about them, but of practising that state of leaving things alone, letting go of them. At first, you let go but then you pick them up again because the habit of grasping is so strong. But at least you have the idea. Even when I had that insight into letting go, I let go for a moment but then I started grasping by thinking: ‘I can’t do it, I have so many bad habits!’ But don’t trust that kind of nagging, disparaging thing in yourself. It is totally untrustworthy. It is just a matter of practising letting go. The more you begin to see how to do it, then the more you are able to sustain the state of non-attachment.”

Source- "The Four Noble Truths", Chapter: - "The Second Noble Truth." By Venerable AJAHN SUMEDHO

https://realityisdharma.com/2019/04/...ajahn-sumedho/

Any thoughts?

[mjaviem]

To me, if there is desire it means something is missing and it isn't supposed to be missing. If you see things in this way it means you are involved as someone who lacks something or someone who is not something, hence, you've become someone and you are suffering or will suffer accordingly. I don't see how there can be desire without a sense of self. To let go seems a good practice but this doesn't mean there's no problem. The very desire to change things is part of the problem. I believe the more discontent the more suffering. A good life is a life of generosity and loving kindness for one and others. Not being content only harms us.

[Aloka]

Ajahn Sumedho's little book about The Four Noble Truths can be found here:

https://amaravati.org/dhamma-books/t...-noble-truths/


He also talks about them here:

[Element]

I don't see how there can be desire without a sense of self.

I think some desires may be biologically based, such as reproductive or sexual desires (and thus are unrelated to 'self').

[mjaviem]

I'm not sure they are unrelated. I believe sexual desire is fed by us, be it by watching our date's body and gestures or by watching sensual imagery or by holding sensual images in the mind.

But someone wise enough not only can let go desire, I think desire don't even arise in them. They see bodies as decaying and sensual pleasures as not worthy, there's no stimulus on them that can trigger desire because no one is there to gain anything. Don't know if you and others agree.

[KathyLauren]

I think some desires may be biologically based, such as reproductive or sexual desires (and thus are unrelated to 'self').

That doesn't sound right. "Self" is an illusion, but it is firmly rooted in biology. It is the biological organism that imagines it has a self. I don't see how it is possible to separate them.

Om mani padme hum
Kathy

[Esho]

A careful and sustained watch of desire leads to understand that desire and in this case 'grasping' are one and the same thing. Desire has grasping in itself. Desire has craving in itself and leads to clinging. Clinging and craving are the source of suffering and are part of the desire phenomenon. I can tell that when in the mind there is no desire its because that same mind is at ease, still, empty and peaceful; thus, there is no suffering. When there is desire there is suffering, there is clinging, there is craving, there is grasping.

[Traveller]

I was struggling a bit last week with a bit of depression brought on by loneliness and isolation and it was starting to get quite severe when the words nothing should be clung to as I, me or mine echoed through my head, I let go of grasping at the depression as belonging to me and it completely fell away after a couple of minutes, I have been calm and happy for most of the past ten days or so since.