In Buddhism, what is identified as the cause of suffering?

• A. Desire is the cause of all suffering.
• B. Karma determines fate.
• C. Ignorance leads to the afterlife.
• D. Ritual prayer leads to enlightenment.

Answer: (A)

Desire, or craving, is identified as the cause of suffering because it drives attachment and clinging, which keep beings trapped in the cycle of birth and rebirth. This is the second noble truth: suffering arises from craving for sense pleasures, for existence, or for non-existence. When we cling to things as permanent and chase what we want, everything changes and we experience dissatisfaction. By recognizing and relinquishing craving through right understanding, ethical conduct, and the Eightfold Path, suffering can end.

Karma concerns the moral law of cause and effect that shapes future experiences, but it isn’t the direct, immediate source of suffering itself. Ignorance plays a role in giving rise to craving, yet the traditional emphasis for the cause of suffering is craving. Ritual practices can aid progress, but they don’t by themselves guarantee enlightenment.