The teachings of Ajahn Suchart

The teachings of Ajahn Suchart

Question:  Could Ajahn please explain what are the 3 kinds of taṇhā that give rise to dukkha? Could Ajahn give examples for each one of the 3 taṇhās?

Than Ajahn:  The 3 taṇhās (cravings) are:

kāma-taṇhā, craving for sensual gratification;

the second taṇhā is called, ‘bhava taṇhā,’ craving to be;

and the third one is vibhava taṇhā, the desire or craving not to be.

These are the 3 cravings or taṇhās: kāma-taṇhā, bhava-taṇhā and vibhava-taṇhā.

Examples of kāma-taṇhā (sensual craving) are the desire to see a movie, desire to listen to music, craving for coffee or some favorite dishes. These are all craving for sensual objects. Kāma-taṇhā can also be the sexual desire. When you have sexual desire, this is also kāma-taṇhā – craving for sensual gratification.

Bhava-taṇhā (desire to be) is the desire to be something that you are not, right now. For instance, if you are not rich, you want to be rich. This is bhava-taṇhā. The desire to be somewhere else can be considered as bhava-taṇhā. 

When you are at home and you are bored, then you want to go out – this is considered to be bhava-taṇhā. You want to become handsome, to be rich, for instance - these are bhava taṇhā.

Vibhava-taṇhā is the desire or craving not to be something, like not to get old, get sick or die, not to be poor, not to be handicapped, not to be scolded. 

These are considered to be vibhava-taṇhā. I hope this explanation answer your question.

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Question:  What is the root of human beings to be reborn in this world?

Than Ajahn:  The root cause of human beings to be reborn in this world are the 3 cravings: the craving for sensual gratification (kāma-taṇhā),
the craving for being (bhava-taṇhā), and
the craving for not being (vibhava-taṇhā). If you have these 3 cravings in your mind, then you will always come back to be reborn as a human being, sooner or later.

Dhamma in English, Sep 5, 2020.

By Ajahn Suchart Abhijāto
www.phrasuchart.com

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