Craving

Craving (Skt. tṛṣṇā; Pal. taṇhā; Tib. སྲེད་པ་, sepa, Wyl. sred pa) is identified by the Buddha as the origin of suffering in his first teaching on the Four Truths of the Noble Ones:

What is the origin of suffering? It is the craving that perpetuates existence, which is attended upon by the passion for enjoyment, and which finds pleasures here and there. That is the origin of suffering.

—Lalitavistara Sutra

The Noble Truth of the origin of suffering is this: It is this thirst (craving) which produces re-existence and re-becoming, bound up with passionate greed. It finds fresh delight now here and now there, namely, thirst for sense-pleasures; thirst for existence and becoming; and thirst for non-existence (self-annihilation).

—Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta (Saṃyutta Nikāya)

Subdivisions

The Dhammacakkappavattana-sutta quote above distinguishes three main cravings:

• thirst for sense-pleasures (Skt. kāmatṛṣṇā);
• thirst for existence and becoming (Skt. bhāvatṛṣṇā); and
• thirst for non-existence or self-annihilation (Skt. vibhāvatṛṣṇā)

Craving can also be divided into the three cravings of: the realms of desire, form and formlessness.

Alternative Translations

• thirst

Internal Links

• twelve links of dependent origination