Some critics of Buddhism have found it difficult to accept the Buddha's prescription. They point out that to eliminate desire one must desire to do so; they then argue that this is somehow paradoxical, and conclude that Buddha's prescription cannot be followed. Two recent formulations of this criticism have appeared in this journal.

John Visvader and A. L. Herman both agree that desire can be eliminated only by the desire to do so.(1) This seems paradoxical to them since to get rid of one's desires one must begin by adding to them. But since desire causes suffering, by attempting to eliminate desire, one simply adds to one's suffering. Was the Buddha's prescription therefore misleading? Is suffering, after all, unavoidable? In places, Visvader suggests that it is, though he nowhere argues the point. Herman, on the other hand, presents an argument which is designed to show that desire can never be eliminated. Neither Visvader nor Herman marshal any considerations that would establish this strong conclusion. If it is true that human desire can never be eliminated, this must be established in ways other than those proposed by Visvader and Herman.