A Buddhist Kāmology

Here I am again. It has been a while since I wrote something on my blog “Philosophia Buddhica.” To remind my (potential) readers, this is a blog for pure speculations. I let my imaginations run wild here. During my high school days, economics was not one of my favorite subjects. Due to my newfound interest in Buddhist philosophy, economics seemed so remote and strange. Nonetheless, one point that is attributed to Adam Smith (1723–1790), “father of economics,” left an indelible print in my mind, namely, to put his ideas in my own words, the infinity of human wants/desire/needs, and the finity/scarcity of resources. This idea, I felt already then, sounds quite Buddhistic or rather compatible with Buddhist ideas.

Desire, according to Buddhist philosophy, is usually a problem. But it can also be an opportunity. A moth’s desire for a flame can be destructive. On the other hand, one’s desire for one’s freedom (e.g. mokṣa/vimokṣa or mukti/vimukti) can be constructive. Several words in Sanskrit and Tibetan would more or less express “desire.” like in English, several synonyms and near synonyms are possible.