Matt, thank you, I think you have just knocked down one of my army of “deep questions I don’t know how to ask”. That there are noble desires and non-noble desires. The difference between my desire and the desire of buddha for example is that the buddha “desires” to end suffering which is a noble desire and one that leads to betterment of others, while my desire only seeks pleasure me or rather my idea of myself.

It confuses me that abandonment of desire is preached because it is still on the basis of the desire to end suffering, but perhaps with the noble desires in the equation it makes a little more sense. Perhaps the desire preached to be abandoned are the non-noble desires.

Thank you John and Matt, I really enjoyed this conversation!

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