Beyond desire & passion: the Buddha’s training for freedom by Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu (Geoffrey DeGraff) What did the Buddha teach? When asked this question, Ven. Sāriputta—foremost in wisdom among the Buddha’s disciples—answered simply: “Our teacher teaches the subduing of desire and passion.”
In Beyond Desire & Passion, Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu takes this profound starting point and uses it to guide a wide-ranging and practical exploration of the Buddha’s path to liberation. Drawing from the earliest texts of the Pali Canon, he explains how craving and clinging form the root of suffering, and how the Buddha’s training—through virtue, concentration, and discernment—leads toward release.
This book investigates how kamma (intentional action), dependent co-arising, and the Four Noble Truths interweave in the Buddhist path. It highlights how dispassion is not a dry or negative goal, but a radical and compassionate shift in our relationship to experience—one that brings peace and lasting happiness.
With clarity and depth, this book offers both philosophical insight and down-to-earth guidance for anyone seeking to walk the path the Buddha laid out.
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