What is the origin of the word tañhā in ancient texts?
The word tañhā appears in the Samhita layer of the Rigveda, dated to the 2nd millennium BCE. It surfaces in hymns such as 1.7.11 and 3.9.3 with meanings like thirsting for or eager greediness.
Questions about Taṇhā
Short answers, pulled from the story.
How does tañhā function within the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism?
In the second of the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha identified tañhā as arising together with dukkha, or unease. Tañhā remains the principal, all-pervading, and most palpable immediate cause of dukkha according to canonical texts.
What are the three specific forms of craving known as tañhā?
The Buddha identified three specific forms of craving known as kāma-tañhā, bhava-tañhā, and vibhava-tañhā. Kāma-tañhā represents craving for sensual pleasures, sense objects, wealth, power, ideas, and beliefs while Bhava-tañhā describes the ego-related desire to be something or unite with an experience eternally.
Where does tañhā appear in the twelve links of dependent origination?
Tañhā functions as the eighth link in the twelve links of dependent origination that drive the cycle of rebirth. In this context, the emphasis falls on types of craving that nourish karmic potency for the next lifetime.
How can one achieve cessation of tañhā according to Buddhist scriptures?
The Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta declares a noble truth about the complete fading away and cessation of this craving. David Webster notes Pali texts repeatedly recommend destroying tañhā completely for nirvāna.