The Second Noble Truth : Samudaya : The Arising of Suffering

The Buddha said

"And this, monks is the noble truth of the origination of dukkha: the craving that makes for further becoming — accompanied by passion & delight, relishing now here & now there — i.e., craving for sensual pleasure, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming."

The Buddha found  that suffering is caused by Craving and Ignorance . We crave

pleasant experiences in the hope of lasting happiness. The problem with this is 

most things are conditional and impermanent by and in their very nature.

They exist based on certain conditions. As a result our happiness is only 

fleeting.

CRAVING : tanha

It is this craving (tanha : literal meaning is thirst)  the main cause of suffering.We crave pleasant experiences in the hope of lasting happiness. The problem with this is most things are conditional and impermanent, by and in their very nature. They exist based on certain conditions. As a result our happiness is only fleeting.

For example, we may desire a new car, house, toy of some sort, or even a vacation. We get it, we are happy. This happiness evaporates when we become used with our new car, house or toy and crave for some other new thing etc., It goes on .....

The Buddha described three kinds of tanha -- craving for sensual pleasure, craving for becoming, craving for non-becoming. Let's look at these. Sensual desire (kama tanha) is easy to spot. We all know what it's like to want to eat one of our favourite food, because we crave the taste, not because we are hungry. An example of craving for becoming (bhava tanha) would be a desire to be famous or powerful. Craving for non-becoming (vibhava tanha) is a desire to get rid of something. It might be a craving for annihilation or something more mundane, such as a desire to be rid of balck spot on our face etc.,

Ignorance :

Ignorance is caused by failing to see things as they really are. And the tree of ‘Craving’ has its roots on ‘Ignorance’. It is due to ignorance that craving grows. People suffer with their craving for the pleasures of the senses and become unsatisfied and disappointed until they can replace their cravings with new ones. People suffer too when they are unable to see the world as it really is and live with illusions about life and fears, hopes, facts and behaviours based on ignorance.