Explaining Greed (Lobha)

Today, I want to explain to you deeply about Greed (Lobha). Although every Buddhist knows how to say the word "Lobha," there are few who truly understand how Greed arises and how Greed ceases. I will explain this Dhamma to you in the simplest yet most profound way.

What is Greed?

Greed is attachment, the mind that wants to possess, the mind that wants to seize. It is the mind that wants to seize everything in our world as "Mine." When the eye sees light, one seizes it with Greed, saying "I see." When the ear hears a sound, one seizes it with Greed, saying "I hear." One seizes the shadow following behind as a permanent Nicca, thinking it is lasting. In reality, it is only the impermanent Anicca nature—where light and seeing consciousness cease, replaced by darkness and seeing consciousness arising and ceasing.

In our lives, there are always wants and excesses. Do you like what you want, or do you like excess? Because we did not get a Right View to see reality as it is in the present, we overthink some matters, and some matters slip away or are lacking. This is the sign of excessive Greed.

The Connection between Greed, Anger, and Delusion

Although everyone talks about Greed, Anger (Dosa), and Delusion (Moha), they do not clearly know how these Defilements arise in terms of Preceding Mind (Purima Citta) and Subsequent Mind (Pacchima Citta). Why do we have Greed, Anger, and Delusion? It is because the Subsequent Mind cannot see the Mind and Matter phenomena that arose in the Preceding Mind with mindfulness and correct understanding; therefore, Greed, Anger, and Delusion follow in the Subsequent Mind.

I will give you a small example. Every being desires Happiness. Being happy is the Preceding Mind; desiring it is the Subsequent Mind. They are also very afraid of pain. Pain is the Preceding Mind; fear is the Subsequent Mind. They also want to know the Dhamma. Dhamma means seeing is Dhamma, hearing is Dhamma. Not knowing the Preceding Mind is because Delusion follows in the Subsequent Mind.

As soon as the Subsequent Mind can mindfully and correctly contemplate the Pleasant Feeling (Sukha Vedanā) called happiness, Greed ceases. As soon as the Subsequent Mind mindfully follows the pain as Painful Feeling (Dukkhā Vedanā) correctly, the Anger called fear ceases. As soon as the Subsequent Mind notices that Matter and Mind have appeared in the Preceding Minds, Delusion also ceases.

The Middle Way (Majjhima Paṭipadā) – The Path Free from Extremes

As Buddhists, you all must have heard of the Middle Way (Majjhima Paṭipadā). If we translate Majjhima Paṭipadā into Burmese, it is the Middle Path. Being "middle," I thought about it. It is just middle. Greed is one extreme. Anger is another extreme. So, being middle means reducing Greed a little and reducing Anger a little. People tend to think of "middle" like this. It is not.

The worldly view is that if friends fight, one stays neutral, not taking this side or that side. Because they are fighting for their sides, clinging. Just avoiding friction, staying neutral. It is still like that. The worldly view we think of is: "Reduce greed, don't get too angry, reduce it." People tend to think this is the Middle Way.

But due to the Buddha, I came to know a Dhamma View. I started to know a Link between Greed, Anger, and Delusion. Greed and Anger arise because of Delusion, which does not know the truth. If one knows the truth, Delusion can be abandoned. Therefore, with Wholesome Mind of Dhamma knowledge, one can realize the true escape from Worldly Conditions (Lokadhamma).

Worldly Conditions and the Middle Way

Worldly Conditions mean that opposing phenomena exist together in the world. Just as you will find light, you will find darkness. Just as there is praise, you will encounter blame. This is the nature of Worldly Conditions. Everyone will face them. Even the Buddha could not escape them.

Therefore, He pointed out the Escape that is free from both extremes. One must know the Enjoyment (Assāda) of good Worldly Conditions. One must also know the Fault (Ādīnava) of bad Worldly Conditions. It is said that one must also know the Escape (Nissaraṇa) free from both good and bad Worldly Conditions.

If it is enjoyable, one tends to get stuck with Greed; if it is a fault, one tends to get stuck with Anger. Only when there is knowledge that can accept both and strength of Concentrated Mind, can one live equally with Equanimity (Upekkhā). One does not get greedy when meeting good, nor angry when meeting bad. Because one truly sees the nature of the world, Delusion is abandoned, and one can live with Equanimity, free from the extreme of Greed and the extreme of Anger.

Cessation of Greed and Nibbāna

What did the Buddha preach in the Dhammacakka? He said all your problems are caused by Greed. Greed is the Truth of the Origin (Samudaya Sacca). Because of Greed, what happens to you? You are suffering. Worrying, anxiety, sorrow, lamentation—these happen because you are afraid of losing what belongs to you, afraid of destruction. It is because of the Greed that seizes things as 'I' and 'My property'.

Only then did I realize why the Buddha asked us to do something with the intention of abandoning this Greed. He asked us to do Dāna (Charity). To abandon. Asking to abandon does not mean just abandoning material things; primarily, what does He want us to abandon behind the material things? He wants us to abandon Greed. To abandon Greed, you must give, offer, donate, and pay homage. What is this doing? Abandoning Greed.

The reason we practice Dhamma is because there are unjust things (Adhamma) happening. Because of Greed that seizes impermanent Anicca as permanent Nicca; because of Greed that wants to feel suffering Dukkha as happiness Sukha; because of Greed that seizes Anattā (which one does not own and cannot control) as Attā (which one can control)—unjust things are happening. Because unjust things exist due to the root cause of Greed, we practice Dhamma to kill Greed.

If one sees Anicca, the Greed that wants permanence ceases. The cessation of Greed is Nibbāna. If one sees Dukkha, the Greed that wants happiness ceases. The cessation of Greed is Nibbāna. If one sees Anattā, the Greed that wants fulfillment ceases. The cessation of Greed is Nibbāna.

So, if there is mindfulness in the Subsequent Mind after the Preceding Mind, Greed, Anger, and Delusion will cease. This cessation of Greed, Anger, and Delusion is Nibbāna. How do Greed, Anger, and Delusion cease? Because mindfulness follows in the Subsequent Mind after the Preceding Mind, Greed ceases. Wholesome and Unwholesome cannot coexist. As soon as there is the Wholesome state called Mindfulness, Greed ceases, Anger ceases, and Delusion ceases. If it ceases momentarily, it is Momentary Nibbāna (Tadaṅga Nibbāna); if it ceases completely, it is Complete Nibbāna.

How to Handle Greed

I want to say something important. Do not fight Craving (Taṇhā) directly. I will give an example. If glue gets stuck on your hand, and you try to wipe it with your hand, the hand will just get stuck. Similarly, do not fight Craving. Open the cover of Ignorance (Avijjā). Just open the cover called Ignorance. Because the cover of Ignorance is surrounding it, the glue remains airtight. Since Ignorance surrounds it and keeps it airtight, will this glue dry? It won't dry. Do not try to wipe the glue of Craving with your hand. That hand will just stick.

Try eating. "Oh, this is taste." Tongue and this food colliding are two causes. If two hands collide, the sound of clapping appears. Reflect on Cause and Effect. When tongue and food collide, what appears? Taste appears. As soon as you know that, the mind saying "It tastes so good" does not come anymore. As soon as you open the cover of Ignorance, Craving ceases. It is finished. It is very simple. Vipassanā is.

That is mastering the nature of Anattā thoroughly. If one knows, "When two causes collide, the effect arises taking its own nature; it does not concern me," then that taste does not concern you. Nor the doer. If it does not concern you, Greed and Anger will never come. Right now, because you think it concerns you, what is happening? Greed and Anger are arising.

To know "It does not concern me," you must thoroughly grasp the Cause and Effect of Anattā. When two causes collide, one effect arises. Touching tongue and food—you have to make them touch. That is the Cause. The Effect arising from those two colliding does not concern you. It is finished. This Wisdom is what is wanted. To know thoroughly like that, Concentration (Samādhi) is needed. If there is Concentration, one will thoroughly get it: "Ha! Is that so?"

Conclusion

Nature means that the only things that clearly exist are Matter and Mind. The nature of Mind and Matter (Nature) is that they do not exist before causes collide; they cease without remainder as soon as they arise (Anicca); they are suffering pure and simple, unmixed with happiness, being oppressed by constant arising and passing away (Dukkha); they cannot be owned, and there is no owner (Anattā). As soon as one gets the opportunity to understand the nature of Nature, Worldly attachments (Samudaya) in the Conventional Realm will decrease. With pure Physical, Verbal, and Mental actions, one will be able to carry the welfare of one's environment and the world.

Therefore, without fighting Greed directly, by opening the cover of Ignorance, by having Mindfulness in the Preceding and Subsequent Minds, and by thoroughly seeing Cause and Effect, you can make Greed cease. You can see Nibbāna, the cessation of Greed, in this very life. This is the deepest lesson on Greed that I have explained to you.

Dr. Soe Lwin (Mandalay)