When I see a beautiful guitar, I WANT it. Unlike many players, who see them as tools, I want to posses the aesthetic beauty even though I have that "tool" covered. This can also be true of any subject of art. Judging by the memes and t-shirts about guitarists and their guitars, I am not alone in this feeling.
I have trouble reconciling myself with this, and it is worthy of consideration because it never ends.
I know "how many is enough" has often been discussed, but I would rather discuss why there is never enough for those of us who suffer from this affliction.
So, please take a seat, or lay down on the couch if you like, and lay it bare so we may discover the mystery of G.A.S!
"why-must-we-have?"
Although many people perceive Buddhism as a religion, it's not.
Buddhism is a philosophy.
See? I just showed you something new today.
Buddha is not a God, the son of God, or a deity. He is a teacher.
And with that in mind, I will try to explain this to you.
Taṇhā, states Peter Harvey, is the key origin of
dukkha in Buddhism.
[5] It reflects a mental state of craving. Greater the craving, more is the frustration because the world is always changing and innately unsatisfactory; craving also brings about pain through conflict and quarrels between individuals, which are all a state of Dukkha.
[5] It is such
taṇhā that leads to rebirth and endless
Samsara, stated Buddha as the second reality, and it is marked by three types of craving: sensory, being or non-existence.
[9] In Buddhist philosophy, there are right view and wrong view. The wrong views, it ultimately traces to
Taṇhā, but it also asserts that "ordinary right view" such as giving and donations to monks, is also a form of clinging.
[10] The end of
Taṇhā occurs when the person has accepted the "transcendent right view" through the insight into
impermanence and
non-self.
[10]
The
taṇhā, states
Walpola Rahula, or "thirst, desire, greed, craving" is what manifests as suffering and rebirths.
[7] However, adds Rahula, it is not the first cause nor the only cause of
dukkha or
samsara, because the origination of everything is relative and dependent on something else.
[7] The Pali canons of Buddhism assert other defilements and impurities (
kilesā, sāsavā dhammā), in addition to taṇhā, as the cause of Dukkha.
Taṇhā nevertheless, is always listed first, and considered the principal, all-pervading and "the most palpable and immediate cause" of
dukkha, states Rahula.
[7]
The
third noble truth teaches that the cessation of
taṇhā is possible. The
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta states:
[17]
Bhikkhus, there is a noble truth about the cessation of suffering. It is the complete fading away and cessation of this craving [
taṇhā]; its abandonment and relinquishment; getting free from and being independent of it.
Cessation of
taṇhā can be obtained by following the
Noble Eightfold Path. In Theravada Buddhism, the cessation results from the gaining of true insight into
impermanence and
non-self.
[18][19][20] The 'insight meditation' practice of Buddhism, states Kevin Trainor, focuses on gaining "right mindfulness" which entails understanding three marks of existence -
dukkha (suffering),
anicca (impermanence) and
anatta (non-self).
[21] The understanding of the reality of non-self, adds Trainor, promotes non-attachment because "if there is no soul, then there is no locus for clinging".
[21] Once one comprehends and accepts the non-self doctrine, there are no more desires, i.e. taṇhā ceases.
[21]
Taṇhā is an important Buddhist concept, and found in its early texts. It literally means "thirst, longing, greed", either physical or mental.
Samsara is the cycle of death and rebirth to which life in the material world is bound.
Duḥkha is an important concept in Buddhism , commonly translated as "suffering", "unhappiness", "pain", "un-satisfactoriness" or "stress". It refers to the fundamental un-satisfactoriness and painfulness of mundane life.
Bhikkhu literally means "beggar" or "one who lives by alms".
Noble Eightfold Path is described in the fourth Noble Truth as "the path to the end of suffering". The eight steps are: Right View, Right Intention, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration.
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta ( The Setting in Motion of the Wheel of the Dharma
Sutta or Promulgation of the Law
Sutta) is a Buddhist text that is considered by Buddhists to be a record of the first sermon given by Gautama Buddha.