Revised November 9, 2019; July 3, 2022
Kāma taṇhā, bhava taṇhā, vibhava taṇhā are three incorrectly translated key Pāli words.
Tanhā is Not Craving
1. Tanhā means “getting attached to things in this world” through greed, hate, and ignorance. It is usually incorrectly translated as “craving.”
- The word taṇhā comes from “thán” + “hā,” where “thán” rhymes like in “thatch” and means “a place; “hā” means getting attached or fused; see, “Tanhā – How we Attach via Greed, Hate, and Ignorance.” Note that “tan” in taṇhā pronounced like in “thunder.”
2. We attach to things because we wrongly believe they can provide lasting happiness; this attachment first manifests in greed. But when someone or something gets in the way, we generate hate, and then we attach it via hatred.
- For example, a teenager wants a car, and his desire builds up with time. He is firmly attached to the idea of getting a car. If a parent refuses, he may generate anger and even hate toward the parent. Now, he is attached to two places (to the vehicle via desire and to the parent via anger).
Kāma Tanhā
3. In kāma lōka, all five physical sense faculties are present. Getting attached to anything via the five sense faculties is kāma taṇhā.
- Furthermore, attachment arising from the desire to enjoy taste, smell, and body touch is exclusively restricted to the kāma lōka. Those three require a “solid body” as we can imagine.
- In the rūpa lōkas, living beings do not have “solid bodies.” Yet, they can see and hear without having physical eyes or ears.
- Therefore, in rūpa lōkas, taṇhā arise only due to sights and sounds. Thus, an Anāgami, who will be born in a rūpa lōka has some rūpa taṇhā and sadda taṇhā because he/she may like to see a Buddha statue or listen to a discourse.
Bhava Tanhā
4. Bhava taṇhā arises from attachment to “any existence.” Thus bhava taṇhā is present in kāma lōka, rūpa lōka, and arūpa lōka, i.e., all 31 realms.
- Even in the kāma lōka, some people may not enjoy the “kāma” or sensory pleasures, but they still want to live a quiet, peaceful life. They mostly have bhava taṇhā. They may like to be in a secluded place, cultivating jhāna; that is their desired “bhava.” If they develop jhānā, they will be born in rūpa lōka or arūpa lōka due to their new “gati.”
- There are other subtle forms of “bhava” too. Some like to become famous, earn a title, get a high-profile job or a responsibility, etc. These are not associated with sensual pleasures and are also due to bhava taṇhā.
Vibhava Tanhā
5. Vibhava taṇhā arises from the wrong view of materialism (uccēda diṭṭhi in the time of the Buddha; uccēda pronounced “uchchēda”). One believes that one ceases to exist at death. One believes that the mind is a byproduct of the body (brain). And thus, when the body dies, that is the end of the story.
- Therefore one believes that one needs to enjoy the pleasures of this life before dying. Such a person would have kāma taṇhā as well.
- It is easy to have vibhava taṇhā in modern society. That is especially true if one has not heard the Buddha’s message about a more complex world with 31 realms and a rebirth process. Our human sensory faculties cannot access such “hidden” aspects of this world. One believes only what one can see.
- It takes an effort to verify that broader worldview, which is needed to EXPLAIN all that we can experience; see “Vagaries of Life and the Way to Seek “Good Rebirths.”
- Many immoral acts are done with uccēda diṭṭhi (or materialism or nihilism) because one believes that everything in this world is for one’s enjoyment.
- Even though it is evident that animals cry with pain when being killed, that is not of any consequence in their minds. The logic is that If this birth is the one and the last, there is no possibility that one could face the same fate in the future.
6. The connection of uccēda (or uccheda) diṭṭhi to vibhava taṇhā is made in Section 3.2.4 Ucchēdavāda in the “Brahmajāla Sutta (DN 1).”
- It is an excellent idea to contemplate the difference between cutting vegetables and killing animals for food. An animal is a living being and feels pain.
- Then how is an animal different from us? The difference is only at the intellectual level. We have higher intelligence only because we have been fortunate to get this temporary human life because of a previous good deed.
- We could be born an animal in our next birth; it depends on the types of kamma that we have accumulated. It takes time to go through such an analysis and to convince oneself of the Buddha Dhamma’s ability to provide “good explanations.” Many people do not take the time to do such an investigation.
Connection to Magga Phala
7. Let us see how each type of taṇhā decreases as one progresses on the Path.
- When one starts on the Path and makes an effort to understand the message of the Buddha, one starts losing all three types of taṇhā gradually. With time, one can feel that change and the resulting nirāmisa sukha that comes from it. Depending on the individual, it may take a few days, months, or even a year to see a significant difference.
- Vibhava taṇhā is removed at the Sōtapanna stage. It is essential to realize that one is bound to have vibhava taṇhā if one does not believe in the rebirth process.
- kāma taṇhā leads to various levels of attachment that are removed step-by-step in the four stages of Nibbāna: Kāmaccanda is removed at the Sōtapanna stage. Kāma rāga is reduced at the Sakadāgami stage and removed at the Anāgami stage. See the next post, “Lobha, Raga and kāmacchanda, kāmarāga.”
- If one is reborn anywhere in the 31 realms, one has bhava taṇhā. Thus, bhava taṇhā is eliminated only at the Arahant stage.
Connection to Āsava/Anusaya
8. Finally, two relevant points:
- It is important to note that these three “tendencies to bind” (kāma taṇhā, bhava taṇhā, vibhava taṇhā) arise due to kāmasava (kāma āsava,) bhavāsava (vibhava āsava,) and vibhavāsava (vibhava āsava.) Tanhā (attachment) arises due to asāva: One gets “attached” because one has deeply- embedded cravings for worldly things.
- Sometimes vibhavāsava is split into two: ditthāsava (diṭṭhi asāva) and avijjāsava (avijjā āsava). That is because vibhavāsava arises due to wrong views and ignorance.
- Āsava/Anusaya is discussed in detail in “Āsava, Anusaya, and Gati (Gati).”
Next, “Lobha, Raga and kāmachanda, kāmarāga“, …….
