[Buddha-l] Desire

[Richard Hayes]

On Tue, 24 Apr 2007 11:19:45 -0700
  Bob Zeuschner <rbzeuschner at adelphia.net> wrote:
> The way I learned it is that the English term "desire" 
>is not quite correct. The preferred reading was 
>"self-centered desires" or "ego-centered possessiveness."

Confusingly, the term often used is 'kaama', which can 
mean either desire in general or vicious desire. The word 
is ambiguous. One way of disambiguating it is to qualify 
it with some phrase that specifies the presence or absence 
of ungrounded thinking (ayoni"so manaskaara). If desire is 
accompanied by groundless thinking, then it tends to be 
vicious. If it is accompanied by grounded thinking, then 
it tends to be healthy, taking the form of friendship, 
compassion and so forth. Even more confusing, the term 
'raaga' can also be used for both virtuous and vicious 
desire. As an unmarked term 'raaga' usually means vicious 
passion, but it can mean wholesome desire if it is 
qualified by a phrase denoting the presence of grounded 
thinking.

-- 
Richard Hayes
Department of Philosophy
University of New Mexico