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Thank you for your thoughtful attention to detail!

Ohhh okay, I think I get it now. So it’s intense desire (craving) that leads to suffering, so desire itself doesn’t necessarily cause suffering, hence we can meditate for a purpose, as long as we don’t let that purpose dominate us and become a craving.

Love this series, Doug! And that your videos are long takes, where you just talk, and more or less only cut to a different view. Keep it up :)

As always some great insights and thoughts Doug, much love! 🌹

Thank you for all these great videos

Hello, I'm Maria, 20 y.o. . Thank you very much for your videos. You look and sound great! These works help me to understand Buddhism deeply

You are my favorite Buddhist KZfaqr. Thank you for your videos brother!!!

"Perhaps you prefer a more active life, the beauty of running in the fields ... or whatever" I love this

Great video, thanks

Hello Doug, I just wanted to say thank you for all of the videos. I am still very new to Dharma practice, and these videos really help clarify many things from a great perspective. May you be well sir. Jason C.

Love the channel

Very good thank you

So deep !

When the sutta says we should abandon the sacca of the origin of dukkha, sacca means the reality that is this origin, the reality that is craving. Sacca means both truth and reality. I see the 4 ariya-saccas not as 'noble truths' but as 'realities for the noble ones', that is, key aspects of life that stream-enterers and other noble ones are attuned to ...

Thanks for these recent uploads! this is the first time I've heard the term samudaya, I always associated Tanhā as the 2nd noble truth, but I suppose that's a more specific term for desires generally rather than the noble truth itself

Yes Doug very nice video! 👍 Even in this life we can see the workings of craving, not many people have the wisdom to see how the mind is constantly grasping on one thing and moving to the next. Like a never ending monkey moving from tree branch to another branch. And with meditation it only becomes much more clearer, understanding the way the mind operates and how craving/5 hindrances can disrupt the mind from concentration. Even though we understand that through words and Buddha’s words. It doesn’t mean we fully understand craving. To fully understand craving, cannot be done in an instant. It’s a gradual process of practice, that could carry on to many lifetimes. Think about how one doesn’t become a grandmaster in an instant. It’s a gradual process of learning and understanding the game of chess. Craving is an issue, as it carries forwards from each of our future lifetimes. Just like how the first noble truth can be fully realised by Developing wisdom. It’s the same with the second noble truth. And yes, we have to uproot/abandon all groups of craving to be completely devoid of Dukkha. Listening to scholars talking about translating issues will not help us understanding the truths of suffering. I don’t believe anything was lost from the Buddhist scriptures, the Dhamma was kept and secured well all these times due to the previous enlightened monks that lived and their disciples that came after them. The pure words of Gautama Buddha still exists, for now. It won’t be very long till the four noble truths vanishes completely, as the Buddha said it is something bound to happen. So we are very very fortunate to be able to learn the 4 noble truths and practise Buddha’s teachings 🙏🏽 Looking forward to the next video Doug!

Have you studied Taoism as well? I find myself more attracted to Buddhism but I have noticed they make a decent point of Taoism being a bit more positive. A video on some of the differences in outlook and approach would be awesome if you feel up to it! Just a suggestion. Really glad you’re doing this series to btw

There is a great benefit of great age; the abandonment of craving for stuff, for things to change; for people to be different than they are. But, if not a craving, at least a desire for a 'good' death. Thank you, Doug

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Doug, thank you for your always great and interesting explanations. KZfaq has the big advantage that you talk to everybody without distinction and without restriction... also to me. Which you might give up after a short time if you had me sitting in a class somewhere. Now, considering the first 2 noble truths I have big doubts. I compare my life to a river. It goes through beautiful and ugly landscapes. In the end it's not concerned with what these landscapes are or whether it goes fast or slow or in which direction it flows. And also not that eventually it will spill into the ocean or dry up or soak the earth and disappear. It's just a river. It's glorious as long as it lasts and then it will be gone. Why should I be concerned about things that are not happening (yet)? Why should I not be concerned about things that are happening (now)? Why is the general assumption that I do not accept my life the way it is?

Hi Doug,. Long time since my last comment to your videos. Right now we are teaching the four noble truths. I understand that we have three cravings or tanhās (crave to have, crave to be and crave not to be), and as these cravings are not fully satisfied, we suffer. But I have read some teachings talking about how we suffer because of four Upadana. What is the difference between Tanhā and Upadana? How do they relate to Dukkha?

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Iin this video, you explain bhava-tanhā and vibhava-tanhā as desire for immortality and desire for anihilation. Recently I came across another translation for bhava-tanhā and vibhava-tanhā, the desire to become and the desire to get rid of. Ajahn Amaro referred to them as reasons why the Buddha was so hesitant to teach what he had learned. People would not be able to understand it because they were addicted to becoming: a belief in an ego-self that is permanent, etc. In your studies, have you found anything like this in the early texts?

What the 2nd Noble Truth is saying is that everything that we have been taught to love and cherish is the cause of our Dukkha. It is a very challenging concept to accept!

So well explained. I've only just started watching the videos on your channel and I'm curious, in which field of study is your PhD on? Buddhist Studies? ( Apologies if you have already mentioned this information in a previous video).

Thank you, Doug! How does one abandon craving when it is a natural tendency?

Thank you very much for your video! But I have a question as a beginner buddhist - I don't really get how should we treat our goals/dreams. For example, I had a goal to move in Austria since I was a teen, and I work hard for my dream. But I know that even if I won't make it, it's ok and I still can be happy. Is it an appropriate, since I'm not attached to this dream, or should I abandon all of my goals because they're all cravings in the end? Thank you 😊

Doug, thank you again for an insightful video. I have heard you address this topic of vibhava-tanha before and I disagree with you about its meaning (though I have no sources to offer). My opinion is that an example of craving for annihilation is the business person coming home after a long week and reaching for scotch and a remote control. Or the various things people do to deal with stress that aren't particularly skillful. I also believe this is at play in the kinds of actions we see around vulnerability -- the actions that seem rigid or angry and seek to deny that shame or vulnerability even exist. That is, I see the annihilation as a strong desire to be another person in another situation, disgust with current circumstances or our own actions. To my mind vibhava-tanha is an aspect of aversion spoken of in the three kleshas. Do you believe this is a fair assessment? I wonder if the early texts offer more clarity around this aspect of craving?

Hi may I ask the sources or reference you used? Thank you so much

I think buddha meant to say: “Abandon the TRUE origin of suffering”. He just wanted to add truth as a description.

I am budddist.... Proud to be a buddhist I from Bangladesh in Chittagong hill tracks. I hope one day you will be visit in Bangladesh.. Most of the people in Chittagong hill tracks they are also bhuddism 🥰 But day by day Buddhism people decrease in here 😪because in here don’t have any Buddist temple Before fewdays some Muslim people broke the monastery😭😭😭 Currently, a Buddhist center is being set up in kagrachari🥰🙏🙏🙏

Its not that there is sufferenig in life but on lifes SITUATIONS. I dont accept that " Life is suffering"

Can you please quote the Pali statement you think is not correct? Listen from 12:55

Wouldn't the desire to abandon craving be a form of craving?

Hey doug, is there anywhere I can send you a private message or email perhaps? I wanted to ask a question but I dont know if it would be right to ask here in comments. I wanted to talk about r/buddhism

Yes Chakma, marma and bengali that means (barua) they are also Buddhist also mro,tanchangya, chak.. Unfortunately some indigenous people they are convert to other religion (islam,christian) only for money because the indigenous people they are very poor😥😥

I must say I am a bit cynical, that is not pretty I know. So some time I think that the time of the Buddha had to come with a theory that makes people that need the stick to act good and they came with the transmigration thing so that they have to act good or be kind with other being because they might end as a dog or that their grand grand dad is now a dog so they nedd to be nice with it. It is more social thing and it is not pretty I know. But really, thank you for the real teachings.

I'll make a random comment as the last one is basically the same ^-^

Craving to not exist......oops............