Should one have desire for nibbana?

1

If nothing, including nibbana, is in one’s consummate control then doesn’t that mean that one should give up nibbana too? In order to be non-attached to anything so as to attain nibbana?

Or, is it that one should have desire for nibbana in order to reach it and when one has ‘reached’ nibbana, one will have no desire for it any longer? Is this understanding correct?

Wise men give up everything that is not theirs. And, when one analyzes, one knows that nothing is in one’s consummate control, therefore, everything is not theirs. Which means that one must give up everything. Is this understanding correct?

2

The path, right from the beginning, is about non-attachment.
However, of course we are all full of attachment for sure, for almost every object, conceptual or real. It is the way things are.
What is important to understand is when there is attachment - it too can be an object for insight.

Which means that one must give up everything.

Yes, eventually, but we need to be realistic.The first type of clinging to be given up is wrong view.

vism. xvii 245. And here [false-] view clinging, etc., are abandoned first because they
are eliminated by the path of stream-entry. Sense-desire clinging is abandoned
later because it is eliminated by the path of Arahantship. This is the order of
their abandoning.
Diṭṭhupādānādīni cettha paṭhamaṃ pahīyanti sotāpattimaggavajjhattā.
Kāmupādānaṃ pacchā, arahattamaggavajjhattāti ayametesaṃ pahānakkamo

Here I would like to add a point about sense desire clinging.
It is obvious even to the non-buddhist that sense desires rule our lives.

xvii 246. Sense-desire clinging, however, is taught first among them because of
the breadth of its objective field and because of its obviousness. For it has a
broad objective field because it is associated with eight kinds of consciousness
((22)–(29)). The others have a narrow objective field because they are associated
with four kinds of consciousness ((22), (23), (26) and (27)).

Wrong views, especially self view, are not so obvious at all.

sense-desire clinging that is obvious because of this generation’s love of
attachment (see M I 167), not so the other kinds.

Hence we read many suttas rightly extolling the dangers of sense desire. And the new Buddhist quickly sees the truth in that. They may then feel they should first stamp down on sense desire.
This can lead to problems. If they have some apparent success then they feel they can control the mind by dint of will. Or if they don`t succeed they feel they are failing. Or they go through a cycle of winning and losing in this regard.

But I think what is more important to focus on is eliminating wrong view.

SN 2.16 Vasudatta Sutta: Vasudatta

Standing to one side, the young deva Vasudatta recited this verse in the presence of the Blessed One:
Deva:" As if smitten by a sword, As if his head were on fire,
A bhikkhu should wander mindfully To abandon sensual lust."

Buddha:"As if smitten by a sword, As if his head were on fire,
A bhikkhu should wander mindfully to abandon identity view.

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3

Now I add more:

Or, is it that one should have desire for nibbana in order to reach it and when one has ‘reached’ nibbana, one will have no desire for it any longer?

You probably know this sutta:
Anguttara Nikaya
book of fours

159, Bhikkhuni Sutta
`This body comes into being through craving. And yet it is by relying
on craving that craving is to be abandoned.’

the commentary says:

Discourses of the Buddha - An Anthology - Part 1 - Translated by Nyanaponika Thera - BPS Wheel N. 155-158, page 120n note 64.

tanham nissaaya tanhampajahati - Com: "Based on the present craving (i.e. desire for becoming an Arahant), he gives up previous craving that was the root cause of (one’s involvement in) the cycle of rebirth.
Now (it may be asked) whether such present craving (for Arahantship) is wholesome (kusala) or unwholesome (akusala)? - It is unwholesome.
Should it be pursued or not? - It should be pursued (sevitabbaa).
Does it drag one into rebirth (patisandhim akaddhati) or not? - It does not drag one into rebirth.
Such permissible (sevitabbaa) craving is abandoned when its object is attained

I think this is simply explaining the nature of the world, we have desire for everything. Really only understanding is the way out.

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4

Nibbana is the only true worthwhile thing to pursue, all else is fleeting and doesn’t last forever unlike nibbana and that is why nibbana’s the best or rather the only thing that’s truly worthwhile.

5

A few things.

  1. I cant remember the talk but Ajahn Punnadhammo said that in Pali the productive and unproductive desires are different words or something along those lines. So i think that plays a role here.

  2. Someone once told me that the reason Ananda was not able to enlighten until the day before the First Buddhist Council was because he had a longing to become an arahant. He was able to become an arahant because he gave up on the last day and let go of his last desire as he was about to lying down to go to sleep. So he gave up his last desire, the desire for nibbana, and thus achieved nibbana.

  3. From a practice POV focus on the path and not the goal. Follow the path and let the goal arise on its own.

"There are these three urgent duties of a farming householder. Which three?

"There is the case where a farming householder quickly gets his field well-plowed & well-harrowed. Having quickly gotten his field well-plowed & well-harrowed, he quickly plants the seed. Having quickly planted the seed, he quickly lets in the water & then lets it out.

"These are the three urgent duties of a farming householder. Now, that farming householder does not have the power or might [to say:] ‘May my crops spring up today, may the grains appear tomorrow, and may they ripen the next day.’ But when the time has come, the farming householder’s crops spring up, the grains appear, and they ripen.

"In the same way, there are these three urgent duties of a monk. Which three? The undertaking of heightened virtue, the undertaking of heightened mind, the undertaking of heightened discernment. These are the three urgent duties of a monk. Now, that monk does not have the power or might [to say:] ‘May my mind be released from fermentations through lack of clinging/sustenance today or tomorrow or the next day.’ But when the time has come, his mind is released from fermentations through lack of clinging/sustenance.

“Thus, monks, you should train yourselves: ‘Strong will be our desire for the undertaking of heightened virtue. Strong will be our desire for the undertaking of heightened mind. Strong will be our desire for the undertaking of heightened discernment.’ That’s how you should train yourselves.” AN3.91

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