Simile for craving?

[Stephen K]

Hi!

Does anyone know of a simile that the Buddha (or a disciple of his) gave that shows how tanha leads to dukkha (and non-tanha to non-dukkha)? I want a simile!

[bodom]

“Now suppose that there was a leper covered with sores & infections, devoured by worms, picking the scabs off the openings of his wounds with his nails, cauterizing his body over a pit of glowing embers. The more he cauterized his body over the pit of glowing embers, the more disgusting, foul-smelling, & putrid the openings of his wounds would become, and yet he would feel a modicum of enjoyment & satisfaction because of the itchiness of his wounds. In the same way, beings not free from passion for sensual pleasures — devoured by sensual craving, burning with sensual fever — indulge in sensual pleasures. The more they indulge in sensual pleasures, the more their sensual craving increases and the more they burn with sensual fever, and yet they feel a modicum of enjoyment & satisfaction dependent on the five strings of sensuality.

There are endless similies in the canon.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html

[bodom]

Also see this Index of similies from the Access to Insight website.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/index-similes.html

[Stephen K]

Hi Bodom -- and thanks for the quick reply!

However, I was looking for a simile that illustrates how dukkha arises from tanha. The text you cited was about sensual pleasures.

[bodom]

Hi Bodom -- and thanks for the quick reply!

However, I was looking for a simile that illustrates how dukkha arises from tanha. The text you cited was about sensual pleasures.

My understanding is that it is the tanha or craving for sensual pleasures that leads one to engage in unwholesome actions like those given in the simile above that cause one to fall into suffering. I could be wrong though.

[acinteyyo]

it's this craving for existence, non-existance and sensual pleasure which leads to dukkha.
together with the six sense base and ignorance there can be the three kinds of craving.
when there is craving there is clinging. when there is clinging there is being. with being there is birth and the whole mass of suffering.

maybe you like this simile:

'Craving is said by the Buddha to be an arrow'. The poison of ignorance spreads its toxin through desire, passion, & ill will. [...]

I have given this simile to convey a meaning. The meaning is this: the wound stands for the six internal sense media; the poison, for ignorance; the arrow, for craving...

so like the arrow, poison and wound together compose suffering it is craving, ignorance and the six sense base which lead to suffering.
not exactly what you are searching for but maybe close to it...
best wishes, acinteyyo

[Stephen K]

Found it in the Visuddhimagga:

As to simile: The truth of suffering should be regarded as a burden, the truth of origin as the taking up of the burden, the truth of cessation as the putting down of the burden, the truth of the path as the means to putting down of the burden. The truth of suffering is like a disease, the truth of origin is like the cause of the disease, the truth of cessation as the cure of the disease, and the truth of the path is like the medicine. Or the truth of suffering is like a famine, the truth of origin is like a draught, the truth of cessation is like plenty, and the truth of the path is like timely rain.

Furthermore, these truths can be understood in this way by applying these similes: enmity, the cause of the enmity, the removal of the enmity, and the means to remove the enmity; a poison tree, the tree's root, the cutting of the root, and the means to cut the root; fear the cause of fear, freedom from fear, and the means to attain it; the hither shore, the great flood, the further shore, and the effort to reach it.

Vism. XVI, 87