Religion

Craving (tanha) is the second noble truth. It causes suffering because we constantly want the things which are impermanent. Many people desire to possess properties such as good house, land, car and various luxuries so as to enjoy their lives with such properties. In order to possess these things, they continually have to work, do business and face many problems in their life. So, they are suffering and this is call dukka.

People misunderstand that those properties are permanent and belong to them. Actually, this is the misunderstanding. According to the view of Buddhism, the things such as jewelries, cars and houses are the temporary things. People want them constantly to satisfy their life but these things canÐ"Ð¥ go along with them when they die.

Because of this misunderstanding, the egoism or false view arises, such as Ð'ЄЎ¦ and Ð'Оy.ÐŽ¦We can hear people saying such as Ð'Ð¥his is my houseÐŽ¦ Ð'Ð¥his is my carÐŽ¦ Ð'Ð¥his is my wifeÐŽ¦etc. According to definition of Buddhism, there is no such concept of egoism such as Ð'ЄЎ¦ Ð'ОineÐŽ¦ Ð'Ð' beingÐŽ¦ Ð'Ð' personÐŽ¦ and so on. These wrong views or concept of Egoism are a basic cause of attachment (Tanha). This Tanha or attachment is the cause of suffering (Dukka).

People may suffer emotionally from the departure of loved ones, separation with love ones or an unfortunate death. Often, there is the suffering when we have to work or stay with someone whom we donÐ"Ð¥ like. These various kinds of suffering is base on craving. The words that I mentioned above such as love or like are the attachments.

When the egoism is destroyed, there craving or attachment (tahna) will not arise. If the craving (Tahna), not arise, the cause of suffering (Dukkha) can be exterminated. When Dukkha is exterminated, people can reach the real happiness and peace of mind. So, if we want to be free from suffering (Dukkha), we have to understand the true nature of life and the teaching of the Buddha, the Ð*§irst Noble TruthÐŽ¦ We have to face various kind of suffering until tanha canÐ"Ð¥ be exterminated until tanha is not exterminated. For example, when we are attached to our mom, dad, or sister, we constantly worry about them. When your love one feel sick, you will be sad. This sadness is suffering and this suffering is caused by the attachment to the properties.

According to Buddha, there are five skandhas or types of grasping that give us trouble. They are: the grasping of the body, or concern over this body that I call mine, Ð*Оy bodyÐŽ¦ the grasping of perception, or concern with my way of seeing things, my perspective, my view; the grasping of feeling, whereby I am concerned with my feelings and subjective states, I call them mine and I am attached to them; the grasping of emotions or impulses, that I am attached to; the grasping of ideas or thoughts, about which I am defensive, which I claim to be my own. According to Buddha, the body, perception, feeling, impulses, and thoughts are indeed real. They are constantly changing conditions of existence. What is unreal is the linking of these conditions to the notion of a "self."

The second noble truth points out the the origin of suffering is attachment. It says that attachment to things do not only include the physical objects but also ideas. It mentions that the reasons for suffering are Ð*Ð*esire, passion, ardor, pursue of wealth and prestige, striving for fame and popularity, which are craving and clinging.ÐŽ¦Because the objects of our attachment are temporary, their loss is inevitable, thus suffering will necessarily follow.

Craving ties us in Samsara, which is the repeated cycle of birth and death. As the third noble truth ex the cessation of suffering, when there is no craving, there is no rebirth. And when there is no rebirth, there is no death. So there is no suffering and it ended up. We will then escape from Samsara and obtained Nirvana, the place freedom from all worries and troubles.

There are various kinds of craving, such as craving for pleasant experiences and craving for material things. Let me give an example of craving for pleasant experiences. We enjoy good food, high standard of living, and good job. When these desires become a passion, we can never be satisfied and we experience suffering. The fat person and the alcoholic person are the ones who have the same desires as the normal people. But, their desires are extremes. For instance, the fat person always wants to eat and it is difficult for him to diet. As for the alcoholic person, it will be hard for him to cut off the alcohol.

Craving for material things is like many people attach things that will provide them a sense of temporary happiness. The child might want a toy that he saw in the store window. The teenager might want a fashionable dress which is the latest one.

It is said that there are two common elements among these material things and both lead to suffering. First, they provide happiness only for a brief moment, and second as one acquires more, one starts to demand more. When the toy is destroyed or lost, the child will want a new one and when the dress is become outdated, he or she will replace that old dress with the new one. All of these cravings for a mental or physical satisfaction cause one to suffer.

In conclusion, people should understand that everything in the world is changing and not stable. The one who is alive today can die the next day. The people or the things you love can be destroyed one day. Indeed, people donÐ"Ð¥ own anything. We are saying the words such as Ð*Оy friend, my son, my daughterÐŽ¦ but actually we donÐ"Ð¥ own them and we canÐ"Ð¥ control them. Everyone will die one day once they are born. You donÐ"Ð¥ even own yourself. You canÐ"Ð¥ make yourself young and you canÐ"Ð¥ against the death. You possess nothing in this world. Everybody should aware of this and try to get out from the cycle of life and death which is full of suffering.

4. Why does Buddhism deny the self?

Unlike other religions, the way Buddhism looks at the world is that all things are impermanent. Our body, the world, and the whole universe are constantly changing and nothing is permanent. Everyone has to die once they are born. So people are born, then they get old and die. As mentioned in the first Noble Truth, there is no Ð'Ð"eingÐŽ¦or Ð'СersonÐŽ¦and each individual is made up of simply five aggregates that are every changing. The Buddha referred to these as the five Ð'ЙeapsÐŽ¦(or khandhas). They are:

Form (Rupa) - Materiality; physical form, the body. The body