[Buddha-l] Chanda

[David Kotschessa]

--- Ngawang Dorje <rahula_80 at yahoo.com> wrote:

> Hi,
>    
>   I am Pali illiterate. I hope someone can help me.
>    
>   Did the Buddha really said desire (chanda) have to
> be eliminated?
<snip>
>   On the other hand, I was told that chanda means 
> esire, a neutral term, not necessarily bad.

There is definately a very specific desire being
referred to in the first noble truth, because chanda
is actually one of the four Bases of power
"iddhipadas."  

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn51/sn51.020.than.html

This kind of desire is not even neutral in fact, it is
essential.  One only needs to consider the kind of
commitment the Buddha had to attain enlightnment.

There is a talk on the Iddhipadas here by Thanissaro
Bhikkhu himself.  Quite long and quite good, though my
cynical nature takes over when he talks about psychic
powers:

http://www.audiodharma.org/talks/ThanissaroBhikkhu.html

-DaveK


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