THE SECOND NOBLE TRUTH

　　What is the Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering

　　It is craving which renews being and is accompanied by relish and lust,

　　relishing this and that: in other words, craving for sensual desires,

　　craving for being, craving for non-being.

　　But whereon does this craving arise and flourish

　　Wherever there is what seems lovable and gratifying, thereon it arises and flourishes.

　　There is this Noble Truth of the Origin of Suffering:

　　such was the vision, insight, wisdom, knowing

　　and light that arose in me about things not heard before.

　　This Noble Truth must be penetrated to by abandoning the origin of suffering....

　　This Noble Truth has been penetrated to by abandoning the origin of suffering:

　　such was the vision, insight, wisdom,

　　knowing and light that arose in me about things not heard before.

　　[Samyutta Nikaya LVI, 11]

　　The Second Noble Truth with its three aspects is: ”There is the origin of suffering, which is the attachment to desire. Desire should be let go of. Desire has been let go of.”

　　The Second Noble Truth states that there is an origin of suffering and that the origin of suffering is attachment to the three kinds of desire: desire for sense pleasure (kama tanha), desire to become (bhava tanha) and desire to get rid of (vibhava tanha). This is the statement of the Second Noble Truth, the thesis, the pariyatti. This is what you contemplate: the origin of suffering is attachment to desire.

　　THREE KINDS OF DESIRE

　　Desire or tanha in Pali is an important thing to understand. What is desire

　　 Kama tanha is very easy to understand. This kind of desire is wanting sense pleasures through the body or the other senses and always seeking things to excite or please your senses — that is kama tanha. You can really contemplate: what is it like when you have desire for pleasure

　　 For example, when you are eating, if you are hungry and the food tastes delicious, you can be aware of wanting to take another bite. Notice that feeling when you are tasting something pleasant; and notice how you want more of it. Don”t just believe this; try it out. Don”t think you know it because it has been that way in the past. Try it out when you eat. Taste something delicious and see what happens: a desire arises for more. That is kama tanha.

　　We also contemplate the feeling of wanting to become something. But if there is ignorance, then when we are not seeking something delicious to eat or some beautiful music to listen to, we can be caught in a realm of ambition and attainment — the desire to become. We get caught in that movement of striving to become happy, seeking to become wealthy; or we might attempt to make our life feel important by endeavouring to make the world right. So note this sense of wanting to become something other than what you are right now.

　　Listen to the bhava tanha of your life: ”I want to practise meditation so I can become free from my pain. I want to become enlightened. I want to become a monk or a nun. I want to become enlightened as a lay person. I want to have a wife and children and a profession. I want to enjoy the sense world without having to give up anything and become an enlightened arahant too.”

　　When we get disillusioned with trying to become something, then there is the desire to get rid of things. So we contemplate vibhava tanha, the desire to get rid of: ”I want to get rid of my suffering. I want to get rid of my anger. I”ve got this anger and I want to get rid of it. I want to get rid of jealousy, fear and anxiety.” Notice this as a reflection on vibhava tanha. We are actually contemplating that within ourselves which wants to get rid of things; we are not trying to get rid of vibhava tanha. We are not taking a stand against the desire to get rid of things nor are we encouraging that desir…

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