Desire in Buddhism, Taoism, and Stoicism

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Desire in Buddhism, Taoism, and Stoicism

00:05 What is Desire?

Desire is a strong feeling of wanting to have something or wishing for something to happen. Desire is similar to aspiration, longing, yearning, preference, hunger for something like many words in normal life. Many religious systems like Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism explained about desire.

00:28 Buddhism

Buddhism is a great faith that was founded by Lord Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama). "The Buddha" word means "enlightened." Buddhists often meditate because they believe it awakens the truth. Buddhists embrace the concepts of karma and reincarnation.

00:46 Desire in Buddhism

There are four noble truths explains in Buddhism and they are the essence of Buddha's teaching. The first noble truth is the life is full of pain and suffering. So, the first noble truth identifies in Buddhism as "Dukkha" means "suffering exists." Birth and rebirth only give the suffering at every step. Suffering is real and almost universal. Craving or "Tanha" in the Pali language is an important concept in Buddhism. The root meaning of ‘Tanha’ is “thirst.” It refers to either the mental or physical 'thirsty, desire, longing, or greedy.' Failure, loss, pain, separation, sickness, impermanence of pleasure, heartbroken, and many things caused 'Dukkha' or suffering.
The second noble truth of Buddhism is the human desire causes this suffering. It identifies as “Samudaya.” Suffering causes due to the attachment. It is the desire to have and control things as we want. Samudaya can take many forms like craving of sensual pleasures, the desire for fame, the desire to avoid unpleasant sensations such as fear, anger, or jealousy. Lord Buddha taught three kinds of desires; Kama tanha, Bhava tanha, and Vibhava tanha. Kama tanha means wanting sense pleasures through the body or the senses and always seeking things to excite or please our senses.

“A man asked Gautama Buddha, “I want happiness.” Buddha said, “First remove “I,” that’s Ego, then remove “want” that’s Desire. See now you are left with only “Happiness.”
Gautama Buddha

Buddhism always said when remove Ego and Desire, humans can live with happiness, peace and can reach enlightenment. Lord Buddha said, “There is no fear for one whose mind is not filled with desires.” Because a person whose mind is always filled with desires, is in fear about will he can fulfill it, or will his wealth lose? We were reborn into this life because of our desire to be.

06:11 Taoism

Taoism (Daoism) is a Chinese philosophy attribute Lao Tzu which contributed to the folk religion of the people in the rural areas of China and then became the official religion of china under the Tang Dynasty. So, we can identify Taoism both as religion and a philosophy. As the core value, it emphasizes doing what is natural and going with the flow.

06:39 Desire in Taoism

Like Buddhism, Taoism also emphasizes desire complicates people’s daily lives. Taoism also explained the most same idea about desire. Tao is about the universe. Taoism doesn't suggest discarding all desires. It consistently warns us against harboring endless desires. But it doesn’t mean that desires are undesirable. We can’t live without eating or drinking. But overly eat or drink don’t suitable. Making money is necessary, but overly preoccupied with making money is against with Taoism.

“There is no greater sin than desire”
~ Lao Tzu~

08:50 Stoicism

Stoicism is a philosophy designed to make us more resilient, happier, more virtuous, and wiser. Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus were the stoic philosophers. Stoicism was one of the new philosophical movements of the Hellenistic period. This was founded by Zeno of Citium (modern-day Cyprus) and was influenced by Socrates and the Cynics.

09:19 Desire in Stoicism

“The faculty of desire purports to aim at securing what you want…If you fail in your desire, you are unfortunate, if you experience what you would rather avoid you are unhappy…For desire, suspend it completely for now. Because if you desire something outside your control, you are bound to be disappointed; and even things we do control, which under other circumstances would be deserving of our desire, are not yet within our power to attain. Restrict yourself to choose and refusal; and exercise them carefully, within discipline and detachment.”
~Epictetus, Enchiridion, 2.1-2~

“Very little is needed to make a happy life.”
~ Marcus Aurelius~

Stoicism says the desire of opinion brings disturbances, calamities, misfortunes, confusion, cause sorrows and make people envious and jealous.

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