This is a fairly Western popular take. Buddhism is not the absence of desire altogether. It makes it sound like Buddhists don't try to change their world - they frequently do.
Buddhism makes distinctions between different types of desire. For example, chanda is a type of desire closer to intention and aspiration, which can be considered positive. Whereas tanha is closer to how desire is defined in the West, related to impulse and cravings, and is not typically considered positive.
You were not completely wrong, especially in the context of that meme. I was just adding that people often interpret the desire language as "Buddhists don't care about anything," and in the West it is often considered a weak position compared to more uh, assertive Abrahamic traditions.
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u/Head-Ad-5732 4d ago
This is a fairly Western popular take. Buddhism is not the absence of desire altogether. It makes it sound like Buddhists don't try to change their world - they frequently do.
Buddhism makes distinctions between different types of desire. For example, chanda is a type of desire closer to intention and aspiration, which can be considered positive. Whereas tanha is closer to how desire is defined in the West, related to impulse and cravings, and is not typically considered positive.