2. Dukkha is Caused by Tanha
Buddhism
The Human Condition
Dukkha is Caused by Tanha

3. Recap The Human Condition Life of the Buddha
3 Marks of Existence (Ch-ch-ch-changes)
Life is Dukkha (suffering)

4. 4 Noble Truths, 3 Marks of existence,
4 Noble Truths, 3 Marks of existence, Noble 8fold Path, Arsenal 2, Chelsea 1
We have recently learnt about Dukkha, which is one of the 3 Marks of Existence. Confusingly, Dukkha is also the 1st of the 4 Noble Truths.
Don’t worry if all these numbers are difficult to remember. All you need to remember now is that the Human Condition is Suffering.

5. Aim for today To know that the cause of suffering is desire.
The word that we use for desire is Tanha

6. Tanha = Thirst
The word Tanha means Thirst. It’s not supposed to mean that you literally are thirsty, but that you want something, very badly.
Think about what it’s like to be thirsty. Are you able to concentrate on other things? Is it a nice feeling?

7. Tanha Task 1 You will now be given two sheets each.
One is Red and say’s ‘Tanha’
The other is Green and says ‘No Tanha’.
You will then see a series of images. When you see each one, you have to hold up the card which expresses whether you desire it or not.

8. Technology

9. Romantic Love

10. Friends

11. Education

12. Power

13. Car

14. Sex

15. Family

16. Good (Bad) Food

17. Nice Clothes

18. Money

19. Intelligence

20. Beauty

21. House

22. Answers

23. Tanha Task 2 Title: Things I have a Tanha For
Make a list of as many of the images you’ve just seen as possible that you did have a Tanha for.
You should have at least 5 of them, but write more if you can remember them.
3 Minutes

24. Tanha Task 3
Describe what your life would be like if you didn’t want (Tanha) those things you wrote down in task 2. This should take half a page and should be as detailed as possible. Include:
What you would do with your time
How you think you would feel
What opportunities you might gain
What opportunities you might lose
What would happen if everyone felt the same as you
15 Minutes

25. Buddhism The Human Condition
The 2nd Noble Truth says that Tanha is the cause of all human Dukkha (suffering).
When we really want things they have a hold on us and getting what we want doesn’t stop us from wanting, we simply want more.
Buddhism
The Human Condition
And we know from the 3 Marks of Existence that everything changes, so any happiness we get from having our desires satisfied won’t last very long.

26. Question
What is meant by the term Tanha?
4 KU Marks

27. Revision