People of any and all beliefs ....?

Question

"The cause of suffering is desire."

This is one of the four noble truths of Buddhism. What are your opinions on this statement (not on Buddhism itself)?

Answer 1

The Buddhists are clever, and certainly more palatable than the Christians, but they haven't figured it out any more than any other religion or culture.

Suffering is a human term, evoked by our human capacity for emotion. Nature is impartial to our so called plight. People are just another process on this planet. We are animals in suits and ties. We're shaved apes. All it takes is a split second for humans to devolve, and all our high-morals, ethics and principles vanish like farts on the breeze. You see it EVERY DAY, on television, in the newspaper, and right in front of you. People murder for passion. We are indiscriminately violent. We reward the evil, punish the just, and persecute the innocent, and we do it for one overwhelming reason - TO SURVIVE.

The cause of desire is SURVIVAL. In order for some things to survive and thrive, other things must suffer and die. Suffering is the byproduct of the natural survival mechanism on our planet, hence suffering can NEVER be eliminated.

Answer 2

The purpose of that particular passage was to emphasize the importance of contentment. We should be happy with the things we have rather than desiring for the things we don't. I believe it applies to modern day life and people's tendencies to live by their credit scores. If people with credit problems would somehow find Buddhism, they wouldn't need to charge those things that they don't have money for.

Answer 3

You could also say: "The cause of happiness is desire" I would hate to think what it would be like if no one had desires.The cause of suffering or happiness comes with what we desire,not because we desire.Things that sound good and tickle the ear are not always as good as they appear.The devil would love for us all to have no desire at all 2 Cor. 11:14.

" Delight thyself also in the Lord ; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart" Psalms 37:4

Answer 4

This is a partial answer.

Suffering comes about in different ways. Some other ways suffering can occur is:

1. Mistakes/Accidents (EX: Making an unwise decision)
2. Mistakes/Accidents on the part of others (EX: Making an unwise decision)
3. Indirectly because of sin of others (EX: Getting drunk and injuring another)
4. Indirectly because of ones own sin (EX: Getting drunk and injuring self)
5. The direct result of others sin (EX: Pointing a loaded gun to injure others)
6. The direct result of ones own sin (EX: Pointing loaded gun on ones self to do injury)
7. Mechanical failure, not due to human error

Answer 5

It can be interpreted in any way I suppose. My first thought was lying in a hospital bed; saying to myself, the cause of suffering is car accident. If you interpreted that statement to say; the cause of suffering is desire to not have throbbing pain, it could work.

Answer 6

That's right. Desire for sex leads to pornography addictions, aids, premarital sex, desire for money leads to everything that is wrong with this world, desire for power leads to death, ect. This particular noble truth applies to the teachings of my religion Christianity, and to the world in general.

(I like the teachings of Buddhism myself, though I wouldn't convert for the world.)

Answer 7

I think simply that it is true. We are in a consumer driven, desire filled world. We are suffering greatly. We are suffering by our own hand. Yet, life can be good at times. Ying and yang I guess. I'm sure you can find similar statements in the bible, Koran,Torah, etc.

Answer 8

Buddhism is undoubtedly the most rational of any of the religious traditions in the world today. The statement is essentially correct. Were we peaceful and content with what we have, then we would be happy. It is the constant, "I want this, I want that...," that fuels our frustration and our sorrow.

Answer 9

The Word of God indicates that sin is at the root of all suffering. Sin is more than just "desire" - it is a "nature." Paul wrote that sin is "missing the mark" of Christ Jesus. We "miss the mark" in two ways 1) our blood was born in sin - thus the nature of sin (Jesus had God-blood and was not subject to the Law of sin) and 2) because we were born in sin we commit sins (Jesus never committed a sin, nor did He have sins of omission - no other human being can say that). That is why to end suffering we must eradicate sin in us through the sacrificial blood of Christ.

Answer 10

The thing I like about Buddhism is that you actually have to think about its propositions. By contrast, a logical person can dismiss 95% of the Christian fairy tales out of hand.