From "What the Buddha Taught" by Walpola Rahula
It is this 'thirst', desire, greed, craving, manifesting itself in various ways, that gives rise to all forms of suffering and the continuity of beings. But it should not be taken as the first cause, for there is no first cause possible as, according to Buddhism, everything is relative and inter-dependent. Even this 'thirst', which is considered as the cause or origin of [suffering], depends for its arising on something else, which is sensation, and sensation arises depending on contact, and so on and so forth goes on the circle which is known as Conditioned Genesis...
So 'thirst' is not the first or the only cause of the arising of [suffering]. But it is the most palpable and immediate cause, the 'principal thing' and the 'all-pervading thing'. Hence in certain places of the original Pali texts themselves the definition of...the origin of [suffering] includes other defilements and impurities, in addition to 'thirst' which is always given the first place. Within the necessarily limited space of our discussion, it will be sufficient if we remember that this 'thirst' has as its centre the false idea of self arising out of ignorance.
Here the term 'thirst' includes not only desire for, and attachment to, sense-pleasures, wealth and power, but also desire for, and attachment to, ideas and ideals, views, opinions, theories, conceptions and beliefs. According to the Buddha's analysis, all the troubles and strife in the world, from little personal quarrels in families to great wars between nations and countries, arise out of this selfish 'thirst'. From this point of view, all economic, political and social problems are rooted in this selfish 'thirst'. Great statesmen who try to settle international disputes and talk of war and peace only in economic and political terms touch the superficialities, and never go deep into the real root of the problem. As the Buddha told Rattapala: 'The world lacks and hankers, and is enslaved to "
thirst".
So 'thirst' is not the first or the only cause of the arising of [suffering]. But it is the most palpable and immediate cause, the 'principal thing' and the 'all-pervading thing'. Hence in certain places of the original Pali texts themselves the definition of...the origin of [suffering] includes other defilements and impurities, in addition to 'thirst' which is always given the first place. Within the necessarily limited space of our discussion, it will be sufficient if we remember that this 'thirst' has as its centre the false idea of self arising out of ignorance.
Here the term 'thirst' includes not only desire for, and attachment to, sense-pleasures, wealth and power, but also desire for, and attachment to, ideas and ideals, views, opinions, theories, conceptions and beliefs. According to the Buddha's analysis, all the troubles and strife in the world, from little personal quarrels in families to great wars between nations and countries, arise out of this selfish 'thirst'. From this point of view, all economic, political and social problems are rooted in this selfish 'thirst'. Great statesmen who try to settle international disputes and talk of war and peace only in economic and political terms touch the superficialities, and never go deep into the real root of the problem. As the Buddha told Rattapala: 'The world lacks and hankers, and is enslaved to "
thirst".
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