Hello, Pali friends,

I would like to clarify the meaning of the term 'vibhava-ta.nhaa'.

Suttas desribe three sorts of craving:

“Katama~nca, bhikkhave, dukkhasamudaya.m ariyasacca.m?
Yaaya.m ta.nhaa ponobbhavikaa nandiiraagasahagataa
tatratatraabhinandinii. Seyyathida.m– kaamata.nhaa bhavata.nhaa
vibhavata.nhaa.

MN 1.62

Vibhanga and commentaries give explanations:

Tattha katamaa tisso ta.nhaa? Kaamata.nhaa, bhavata.nhaa,
vibhavata.nhaa.
Tattha katamaa bhavata.nhaa? Bhavadi.t.thisahagato raago
saaraago cittassa saaraago– aya.m vuccati “bhavata.nhaa”.
Tattha katamaa vibhavata.nhaa? Ucchedadi.t.thisahagato
raago saaraago cittassa saaraago– aya.m vuccati “vibhavata.nhaa”.
Avasesaa ta.nhaa kaamata.nhaa.
Tattha katamaa kaamata.nhaa? Kaamadhaatupa.tisa.myutto
raago saaraago cittassa saaraago– aya.m vuccati “kaamata.nhaa”.
Ruupadhaatu-aruupadhaatupa.tisa.myutto raago saaraago cittassa
saaraago– aya.m vuccati “bhavata.nhaa”.
Ucchedadi.t.thisahagato raago saaraago cittassa saaraago– aya.m vuccati
“vibhavata.nhaa”. Imaa tisso ta.nhaa.

Vibhanga .365

Saa kaamaraagabhaavena ruupa.m assaadentii pavattamaanaa kaamata.nhaa.
Sassatadi.t.thisahagataraagabhaavena ruupa.m nicca.m dhuva.m sassatanti
eva.m assaadentii pavattamaanaa bhavata.nhaa.
Ucchedadi.t.thisahagataraagabhaavena ruupa.m ucchijjati vinassati
pecca na bhavissatiiti eva.m assaadentii pavattamaanaa
vibhavata.nhaati eva.m tividhaa hoti.

Mulapannasa-Atthakatha 1.219

Vibhave ta.nhaa vibhavata.nhaa, ucchedadi.t.thisahagataraagasseta.m
adhivacana.m.

Mahavagga-Atthakatha 3.800

Kaamata.nhaati pa~ncakaamagu.niko raago. ruupaaruupabhavesu pana raago
jhaananikantisassatadi.t.thisahagato raago bhavavasena patthanaa
bhavata.nhaa. ucchedadi.t.thisahagato raago vibhavata.nhaa. apica
.thapetvaa pacchima.m ta.nhaadvaya.m sesata.nhaa kaamata.nhaa
naama. yathaaha “tattha katamaa bhavata.nhaa? bhavadi.t.thisahagato
raago saaraago cittassa saaraago. aya.m vuccati bhavata.nhaa. tattha
katamaa vibhavata.nhaa? ucchedadi.t.thisahagato raago saaraago
cittassa saaraago, aya.m vuccati vibhavata.nhaa. avasesaa ta.nhaa
kaamata.nhaa”ti.

Pathikavagga-Atthakatha 3.988

Thus vibhava-ta.nhaa is a craving associated with a belief in a
cessation of becoming after the death of the body.

Vibhava is defined as:

Vibhavanti bhaavavigama.m.

Silakkhandhavagga-Atthakatha 1.120

Vibhavanti uccheda.m.

Itivuttaka-Atthakatha 1.179

Accordingly 'vibhava-ta.nhaa' can be translated as 'craving for
cessation of becoming with the death of the body'.

However there are alternative translations:

http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Academy/9280/go-a1.htm
http://www.vimokkha.com/luangpoochob.htm
http://www.buddhanet.net/4noble12.htm
http://www.sukhi.com/sukhi%20practice5.htm
http://www.fsnewsletter.net/36/36.htm
http://www.no-fear.org/demons.htm
http://www.chezpaul.org.uk/buddhism/articles/sacca2.htm
http://www.amaravati.org/abm/english/documents/the_way_it_is/21fms.html
http://www.buddhistforbundet.no/bs/fireedlesannheter/part02.htm

which imply the meaning "craving for things to cease to be", "craving to
get rid of", "craving for things not to happen".

So the classification is interpreted as:

* The desire to experience sensory pleasures (kama tanha)
* The desire to become something other than what you are right now
(bhava tanha)
* The desire to get rid of something about yourself (vibhava tanha)

http://www.bodhinyanarama.net.nz/noble4.htm

which fits quite well in the framework of Buddha's teaching.

I would like to ask the opinion of esteemed Pali scholars and students
on this subject.

With metta, Dmytro

http://dhamma.ru/sadhu/