I think the discussion is perhaps obscuring the meaning of the concept of Taṇhā, which seems more like the impulse towards an object, rather than desire itself. Without desire, we would not eat or drink, and thus cease to be... without desire, as the Dalai Lama has said, there would be no idea of a path, or anyone trying to follow one (more abstract notions of there being no path aside). Taṇhā is therefore it's own thing, without specific translation in this context, but which we all struggle with every moment. That impulse to obtain or avoid which occurs, and which is attempted to be fulfilled blindly by those remaining in delusion. So although Taṇhā is linked with desire, it is not desire, nor the object of any desire.. it is that momentary impulse that drives us towards a desire. If we then form our intention around that desire, we make ourselves vulnerable to frustration and anxiety. If, on the other hand, we form intention based upon none of these things, and Taṇhā is acknowledged but not acted upon, then we are less vulnerable.