Is curiosity a desire?

[StarStruck]

In my opinion curiosity is a desire for knowledge. And in the Buddhist, Christian and other religions, desire is seen as a sin and the root of all suffering. 

So it is kind of weird. If you are in ignorance, you have to desire something (desire knowledge) to get out of desiring it and finding it in yourself.

Even desiring knowledge can be an addiction. Trying to cross new boundaries to find new enlightenment just to find out there is another boundary. It kind of reminds me of Alexander the Great who crossed boundaries, to conquer new areas only to find a new boundaries. Being overly curious is the same thing, you are trying to find the bottom but there is no bottom. This is why there is no ultimate enlightenment in my opinion. 

Personally I’m a very curious person and it brought me good things but in an equal amount it brought me bad things. Curiosity should only be allowed in moderation just like any other desire. 

[Moksha]

Curiosity is powerful when pointed inward. The mind can't realize what absolute reality is, but it has the capacity to realize what it is not. It's not about accumulating knowledge, but about discarding untruths until only reality remains.

Like Michelangelo saw, the task of the artist isn't to create art, but to remove everything from the block of marble that the art is not.

[r0ckyreed]

Of course curiosity is the desire for understanding. Buddhism is dumb on this part. The cause of suffering isn’t desire but the lack of it. A person who is depressed has less desires than a happy person. They have it backwards. It is rather about the quality of desires. I have made a post on desire already.

Moderation means mediocrity. Don’t be silly. You want to be as curious as you can. The real Buddhas are the most curious people ever. All the geniuses you can think of are deeply curious folks.

Edited April 29, 2023 by r0ckyreed

[Yimpa]

43 minutes ago, r0ckyreed said:

A person who is depressed has less desires than a happy person. 

Not necessarily true. I am depressed and have so much hurt in me, yet I desire to understand what freedom is. And that’s why I keep working on facing all my trauma. 

[r0ckyreed]

2 hours ago, Yimpa said:

Not necessarily true. I am depressed and have so much hurt in me, yet I desire to understand what freedom is. And that’s why I keep working on facing all my trauma. 

Depression consists of a minimum of a loss of interest and hopelessness. A person who is hopeless typically has low desire, low motivation, low meaning, low interest/boredom.

A happy person has the opposite and has ambitions/desires. 

I get what you mean, but part of what makes someone depressed and diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, severe is not having anything to look forward to.

I mean suicide to its extent is the loss of desire to live. The fact that you desire to work through your traumas and overcome depression are aspects of positivity/happiness.

Happiness isn’t just feeling joy, but it is a mindset I carry through every emotion. I can be sad and still be happy because the mindset of a happy person in a sad state is self-reassurance and self-empowerment. That’s how I like to think of happiness. Not as some dopamine high of bliss, but a state of mind of acceptance, nurturance, cultivation, discipline, curiosity, and desire/ambition. Optimism through the hard times, being able to continue to focus on my strengths and growth is how I am always able to happy or in a happy-growth mindset.

[Jodistrict]

The Buddha made the distinction between wholesome desires an unwholesome desires.   Curiosity is a wholesome desire.  It is unwholesome desires, such as greed, hatred, and delusion that cause suffering.  These are desires because they are rooted in craving and attachment.  Greed is the desire to acquire more, while hatred is the desire to push away or destroy.  Delusion is a strong attachment to our opinions and views.  Unwholesome desires lead to attachment and ultimately suffering. 

 

 

Edited April 29, 2023 by Jodistrict

[Yimpa]

27 minutes ago, r0ckyreed said:

I get what you mean, but part of what makes someone depressed and diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder, severe is not having anything to look forward to.

Ah, I should clarify then. Mine is dysthymia/persistent depressive disorder which is mild, but long lasting.

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/dysthymia#:~:text=Dysthymia is a milder%2C but,body%2C mood%2C and thoughts.

[r0ckyreed]

57 minutes ago, Jodistrict said:

The Buddha made the distinction between wholesome desires an unwholesome desires.   Curiosity is a wholesome desire.  It is unwholesome desires, such as greed, hatred, and delusion that cause suffering.  These are desires because they are rooted in craving and attachment.  Greed is the desire to acquire more, while hatred is the desire to push away or destroy.  Delusion is a strong attachment to our opinions and views.  Unwholesome desires lead to attachment and ultimately suffering. 

 

 

Well said. I like this. These are my thoughts exactly.

[StarStruck]

2 hours ago, Jodistrict said:

The Buddha made the distinction between wholesome desires an unwholesome desires.   Curiosity is a wholesome desire.  It is unwholesome desires, such as greed, hatred, and delusion that cause suffering.  These are desires because they are rooted in craving and attachment.  Greed is the desire to acquire more, while hatred is the desire to push away or destroy.  Delusion is a strong attachment to our opinions and views.  Unwholesome desires lead to attachment and ultimately suffering. 

 

 

I agree the desire for the Self is different than ego desires but it is a paradox. They say desire is the ultimate sin and at the same time they say we should desire the Self.

[Breakingthewall]

existence is desire. without desire there is nothing. reality is the infinite dancing with itself a dance of love in which it desire to love itself and deepen itself. Desire is positive when it is oriented towards love, and it is negative when it is oriented to avoid the lack of love.

Edited April 29, 2023 by Breakingthewall

[Jodistrict]

17 hours ago, Breakingthewall said:

existence is desire. without desire there is nothing. reality is the infinite dancing with itself a dance of love in which it desire to love itself and deepen itself. Desire is positive when it is oriented towards love, and it is negative when it is oriented to avoid the lack of love.

Correct.   The desire for liberation is what keeps us on the spiritual path.   This is a wholesome desire.  

[StarStruck]

Desire is something that is outside of yourself, so you can't reach enlightenment by desiring it because enlightenment is not outside of yourself but inside of yourself. The parable of the Ten Ox-herding Pictures explain this very well.

Source:

https://www.sloww.co/zen-ten-bulls-oxherding-pictures/

 

Desire should only by used as a vehicle for progress.

In the same way curiosity should be used as a vehicle.

Just being curious for curiosity sake is not that smart because there is no bottom to the barrel.

 

Edited May 1, 2023 by StarStruck

[r0ckyreed]

There is nothing outside yourself. Desire is a feeling of wanting something that comes from within. I can see rich people but have no desire to have their life. 

Desire is the foundation for everything. It isn’t a vehicle, it is the road!! When your vehicle breaks down, desire is what gets you to fix your car or keep walking. 

If you’re treating desire/curiosity as long as a means, then what happens when you get to your end or your means falls apart? Do you stop being curious? 

Being curious for curiosity sake is identical for valuing truth for its own sake. There is no bottom of the barrel and that is what is so amazing and that’s what keeps curiosity alive! If you can’t see that or just aren’t interested in that, then philosophy is not right for you. Serious philosophers and geniuses are deeply curious people. Curiosity/ambition and intelligence are linked. Research studies support that correlation. I rest my case. Good luck.

[Moksha]

7 hours ago, StarStruck said:

Desire is something that is outside of yourself, so you can't reach enlightenment by desiring it because enlightenment is not outside of yourself but inside of yourself.

Awareness turned outward is imagination. Awareness turned inward is enlightenment. Desire determines the direction.

[UnbornTao]

Yes, wanting to know.