What is the buddhist term equivalent of "Will-to-live"?

[captainamerica]

The Buddhists go so far as to assert that “The Will to Live” is the real Creative Power of and in Nature—and which is the “cause” of the continuous process of Creative Evolution. The following quotation from Subhadra Bhikshu, a Buddhist writer, gives a general idea of the Buddhistic conception of the power and offices of Desire as the Creative Principle of Nature. This writer says: “The Will‑to‑Live inherent in all of us, and the essential factor in our being, is the true creative power; it is the cause of our existence, and is, in fact, the Creator, Preserver, and Destroyer of all things. The term ‘the Will‑to‑Live,’ in the Buddhist sense of the word, does not merely imply what the Western world understands by ‘conscious will,’ but rather that instinctive life‑love which, partly consciously, partly unconsciously to themselves, is inherent in all living beings, animals and plants, as well as man. In this term, ‘the Will‑to‑Live,’ or craving for existence, are summed up all those functions, powers, desires, inclinations and disinclinations, which tend to the preservation of life, and the acquisition of comfort and enjoyment. “The Western student of Buddhism must be repeatedly reminded not to confound ‘the Will‑to‑Live’—that is, the desire for life, cleaving to existence—with the ‘conscious will’ or the so‑called ‘free will.’ Conscious will is but a fraction of the whole ‘Will‑to‑Live’—namely, such portion as passes through the organ of the brain, which is the vehicle of consciousness. But the greater portion of ‘the Will‑to‑Live’ never reaches consciousness in plants and animals, and but imperfectly in men. It shows itself as a mere blind instinct, an inveterate cleaving to existence, an effort to grasp at everything that makes life pleasant, and to avoid whatever hurts or endangers it.”

If anyone knows then please tell me as well :-)

Thanks for reading

[Preetom]

@captainamerica

I don't know about the Buddhist term but Nisargadatta Maharaj called it Moolmaya(mother of all maya/illusion).

He said things like, upon your Absolute 'unknowable' nature, this consciousness/being spontaneously appeared without anyone's permission or previous notice. This is just pure love for oneself, the unending love to be, to exist.

All of his teaching is about inquiring into the root of this primal consciousness(which starts at waking/dreaming state), thus making it dissolve; leaving the absolute, natural state as it truly is. 

 

Edited January 19, 2019 by Preetom

[Nahm]

That which has a will to live, couldn’t be alive, and must be conscious.  How could what is everything always, be spotted? Consider maybe, you have lifted things that weight at least 50-100 pounds, and it’s not so easy to move. 200 - 300 pounds, even more so. 

Then consider you weigh likely somewhere between 100 - 300 pounds. Notice, how are you moving all that weight, your body, without even noticing, and without even the possibility of an explanation as to, how you’re doing this. The will for life is in an ant, a raindrop, the wind; in you. 

How did you arrive in this Goldilocks situation, you, being so perfectly between the atom & the earth? The odds of this must be well outside of odds.