Last month I wrote about the first of the Four Noble Truths, which states that human suffering is a fact of life. Among its many forms, people can suffer from chronic stress, deep sadness, out-of-control anger, unbridled fear, and/or physical pain. The reality is that our world offers trouble as well as happiness.
The Second Noble Truth says that suffering has a cause; namely, the attachment to desire. As you know, there is no end to the range of things we can desire or crave. Indeed, we can easily become enslaved to craving. However, craving in itself doesn't cause suffering. Rather it is our attachment to craving. All of us need to eat. It's not being able to let go of the desire for food that's the problem.
Through meditation we can learn to let go. It's like opening up a tightly closed fist gently and with respect for our human imperfection. In so doing we don't get rid of the object of our craving; be it food, love or money. Rather, we simply let them be. And slowly we are released from craving. Free at last.
