Dharma and Desire
Channel: SF Dharma Collective
Date: 01/11/2023

Mindful Mondays with Melina Bondy

Dharma and Desire

As lay practitioners, how do we all navigate pleasure, sensuality and desire in a tradition that focuses on monasticism and names all of these things as a source of suffering? What is the difference between clinging and motivation? And how does the desire for pleasure connect to the desire for justice and liberation? This session explores all these questions and more through somatic awareness, Buddhist teachings and real life experience.

🌺 References, from wisdomlib.org:
Tanha - usually translated as craving, literally 'thirst'. 
'Craving', is the chief root of suffering, and of the ever-continuing cycle of rebirths. "What, o monks, is the origin of suffering? It is that craving which gives rise to ever-fresh rebirth and, bound up with pleasure and lust, now here, now there, finds ever fresh delight. It is the 
 - sensual craving (kāma-tanhā), 
 - the craving for existence (bhava-tanhā), 
 - the craving for non-existence (vibhava-tanhā)'' (D.22).

Within Buddhism, taṇhā is defined as the craving to hold onto pleasurable experiences, to be separated from painful or unpleasant experiences, and for neutral experiences or feelings not to decline. The Buddhist tradition identifies taṇhā as a self-centered type of desire that is based in ignorance.

Chanda - intention, desire, will.

1. As an ethically neutral psychological term, in the sense of 'intention', it is one of those general mental factors (cetasika, q.v. Tab. II) taught in the Abhidhamma, the moral quality of which is determined by the character of the volition (cetanā, q.v.) associated therewith. 

2. As an evil quality it has the meaning of 'desire', and is frequently coupled with terms for 'sensuality', 'greed', etc., for instance: kāma-cchanda, 'sensuous desire', one of the 5 hindrances (s. nīvarana); chanda-rāga, 'lustful desire' (s. kāma). 

3. As a good quality it is a righteous will or zeal (dhamma-chanda) and occurs, e.g. in the formula of the 4 right efforts (s. padhāna): "The monk rouses his will (chandam janeti)...." If intensified, it is one of the 4 roads to power (s. iddhipāda).

🌺 For more from Melina Bondy, go to https://www.melinabondy.com

🌺 Join Spiritual Friends Sangha every Monday at 5:30 at the SF Dharma Collective, 2929 24th Street, or online via Zoom: https://sfdharmacollective.org/events/r/hybrid-mindful-mondays-with-augusta-hopkins

🌺 Support Melina's teaching by donating here: https://sfdharmacollective.org/donate - with a note that the donation is for Melina.

#ThichNhatHanh #buddhism #engaged #plumvillage #mindfulness #Sangha #dukkha #fournobletruths  #dailylife  #dukkha #suffering #resistance  #melinabondy #SpiritualFriendsSangha #SFSangha

Join us next time in real time at the SFDC, 2929 24th Street @ Alabama in the Mission of San Francisco, or online. SFDharmaCollective.org