Is Desire the Root of Suffering?

It is sometimes said that desire is the root of suffering, or that the Buddha claimed such a thing. We will look at the ways in which desire can be unskillful, including some that are very close to our hearts, and other ways in which desires can in fact be skillful. We will see that far from being solely the root of suffering, desire can also be the root of the escape from suffering.

Suttas mentioned:

Underlying Tendencies (AN 7.11)
Bhadraka Sutta (SN 42.11)
Bhūmija Sutta (MN 126)
Uṇṇābha the Brahmin (SN 51.15)
The Dart (SN 36.6)

Book:

David Webster, The Philosophy of Desire in the Buddhist Pali Canon

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