Buddhists/suffering

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Expert: - 4/21/2009


Question
I cannot reconcile the statement that all suffering is due to desire.  How can the suffering experienced by a cancer victim be due to excessive desire?

Answer
Dear K,
Of course you are right - everything has many causes, and the causes of cancer, for instance, include having an animal body, possible exposure to harmful agents, age and so on.
What "desire" does (but see next paragraph) is create the conditions in which we cannot help but suffer through sickness, injury and so on - after all, every body is likely to get ill or be injured, and is certain to die.
The other thing to say is that the problem is not just any old "desire" - many of our "desires" are only healthy and necessary for life. The problem is a very deep grasping or craving for certain things and an equally excessive aversion to others. This then feeds into ordinary "desire", and can often turn it into a problem.
I hope that helps a bit.
All the best
AW

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Alex Wilding

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I have practiced and studied Tibetan Buddhism in the Kagyu and Nyingma traditions since the early 1970s, and have a good knowledge of theory, history and of the struggles of trying to practice the teachings, including meditation, while leading a normal, modern life. I am also available to provide background information for journalists.

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I have been a practitioner since the early 1970s; have run a small Buddhist centre in the English Midlands and was vice-president of Kagyu Benchen Ling e.V. in Germany, for whom I managed three large Buddhist summer-camps. More importantly, I maintain a habit of personal practice. I am the "owner" of the Kagyu list at Yahoo.

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My first degree was an M.A. from Oxford. I later obtained a Master of Philosophy degree for a research thesis in "Initiation in Tibetan Buddhism" from Leicester University. I also have engineering and educational qualifications.

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