How do SGI Buddhists view desires?
Desires are integral to who we are and who we seek to become. Were we to completely rid ourselves of desire, we would undermine our individual and collective will to live. The teachings of Nichiren stress the transformation, rather than the elimination, of desire. Desires and attachments are seen as fueling the quest for enlightenment. For people living in the midst of ever-changing, stressful realities, those challenges are an effective spur to committed Buddhist practice. Through continuing in Buddhist practice, one’s life naturally develops and desires transform from those that only benefit oneself, and which will only bring transient happiness, to desires that benefit both oneself and others and even the world at large.
