Etymology and meaning
''Taṇhā'' is a Pali word, derived from the Vedic Sanskrit word ''tṛ́ṣṇā'' (तृष्णा), which originates from the Proto-Indo-Iranian language, Proto-Indo-Iranian wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-Iranian/tŕ̥šnas, ''*tŕ̥šnas'', which is related to the root ''tarś-'' (thirst, desire, wish), ultimately descending fromRelation to Dukkha
In the second of theTypes
The Buddha identified three types of ''taṇhā'':Leifer (1997), p. 98.Ajahn Sucitto (2010), Kindle Location 943-946 * ''Kāma-taṇhā'' (sensual pleasures craving): craving for sense objects which provide pleasant feeling, or craving for sensory pleasures. Walpola Rahula states that taṇhā includes not only desire for sense-pleasures, wealth and power, but also "desire for, and attachment to, ideas and ideals, views, opinions, theories, conceptions and beliefs (dhamma-taṇhā)." * ''Bhava-taṇhā'' (craving for being): craving to be something, to unite with an experience. This is ego-related, states Harvey, the seeking of certain identity and desire for certain type of rebirth eternally. Other scholars explain that this type of craving is driven by the wrong view of eternalism (eternal life) and about permanence. * ''Vibhava-taṇhā'' (craving for non-existence): craving to not experience unpleasant things in the current or future life, such as unpleasant people or situations. This sort of craving may include attempts at suicide and self-annihilation, and this only results in further rebirth in a worse realm of existence. This type of craving, states Phra Thepyanmongkol, is driven by the wrong view of annihilationism, that there is no rebirth.Cessation of Taṇhā
The third noble truth teaches that the cessation of ' is possible. The ''Tanha versus Chanda
Buddhism categorizes desires as either Tanha or Chanda. Chanda literally means "impulse, excitement, will, desire for". Bahm states that Chanda is "desiring what, and no more than, will be attained", while Tanha is "desiring more than will be attained". However, in early Buddhist texts, adds Bahm, the term Chanda includes anxieties and is ambiguous, wherein five kinds of Chanda are described, namely "to seek, to gain, to hoard, to spend and to enjoy". In these early texts, the sense of the word Chanda is the same as Tanha. Some writers such as Ajahn Sucitto explain Chanda as positive and non-pathological, asserting it to be distinct from negative and pathological Tanha. Sucitto explains it with examples such as the desire to apply oneself to a positive action such as meditation.Ajahn Sucitto (2010), Kindle Locations 933-944, quote= Sometimes taṇhā is translated as “desire,” but that gives rise to some crucial misinterpretations with reference to the way of Liberation. As we shall see, some form of desire is essential in order to aspire to, and persist in, cultivating the path out of dukkha. Desire as an eagerness to offer, to commit, to apply oneself to meditation, is called chanda. It’s a psychological “yes,” a choice, not a pathology. In fact, you could summarize Dhamma training as the transformation of taṇhā into chanda. In contrast, Rhys Davids and Stede state that Chanda, in Buddhist texts, has both positive and negative connotations; as a vice, for example, the Pali text associate ''Chanda'' with "lust, delight in the body" stating it to be a source of misery.Rhys Davids and Stede (1921), pp. 275-6Relation to the three poisons
and avidya (ignorance) can be related to theSee also
*Notes
References
Sources
*Further reading
* ''Philosophy of the Buddha'' by Archie J. Bahm. Asian Humanities Press. Berkeley, CA: 1993. . ** Chapter 5 is about craving, and discusses the difference between ' and ''chanda''. * ''Nietzsche and Buddhism: A Study in Nihilism and Ironic Affinities'' by Robert Morrison. Oxford University Press, 1998. ** Chapter 10 is a comparison between Nietzsche's Will to Power and Tanha, which gives a very nuanced and positive explanation of the central role taṇhā plays in the Buddhist path.External links