The Second Noble Truth of Buddhism - Samudaya

The Second Noble Truth is Samudaya, which refers to the cause of suffering. It is related to the concept of tanha, which means ‘craving’. When the Buddha was teaching about the Four Noble Truths, he said that there are three different types of craving:

1. Pleasing the senses - this means that people want sense pleasures, for example great views and indulgent meals.
2. Something you are not - this means that people desire and crave to be something they are not, for example famous, wealthy or popular.
3. Not-to-be - this means that people want to stop something from happening or get rid of something, for example to not feel pain after a fall.

The Buddha taught that nothing is permanent and that everything is impermanent. Therefore, people should avoid getting attached to things as eventually everything will change. People suffer when they crave and when they get attached to people and objects.

The Three Poisons only help to deepen people’s desire for craving. The Buddha taught that people don’t understand their cravings. He said that this is why people get stuck in the cycle of samsara and therefore cannot reach nibbana.