Reply To: Anicca Sanna is enough to attain Nibbana (AN 7.66)

#23267
sybe07
Spectator

I have a friend who has MS. If you have that illness and you still are very passionate, still wanting/demanding that you can walk, eat everything, urinate, drink, etc. you live a nightmare. Strong Tanha makes us demanding. Becoming demanding life becomes a nightmare because reality does not listen to our demands.

Somehow she manages it to deal with the fact she cannot walk anymore, not use her right arm, not urinate (she has a catheter) etc. Recently she is only allowed to swallow drinks which are thickened, like cream-structure. Even coffee she eats with a spoon. She keeps surprising me, because she does not feel aversion to all this. She enjoys the coffee eating with a spoon. I am very glad about this. Being sick is one thing, but being in constant conflict with reality is even worse to see.

It is amasing how she deals with all this. Now for more then 20 years. I think i would have become mad or very depressed. Ofcourse that worries me, because i am of the nature of decay and loss too.

It also shows how tanha starts working against you. The stronger tanha is, the more you suffer. Tanha in essence comes down to conflict with reality.

We are happy when things are under controll and go according wish and plans. I think this is 90% of our happiness. And almost all of us become frustated when it does not.

One day one sees the danger in this demanding mentallity. One sees the danger of tanha.
Even when one does not belief in rebirth one can see how tanha is cause of suffering.

Siebe