The Path to Eliminating Greed

Recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.

Words of Namo Amituofo:

The Roots of Our Suffering

Among the Five Poisons—greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt—greed stands as the foremost. The Five Desires—wealth, lust, fame, food, and sleep—are known as the five roots of hell. They are the fundamental traits that lead sentient beings to create the karmic causes for suffering in the hells. Because of the impulse of greed, we engage in actions that manifest as:

• Greed for wealth
• Greed for lust
• Greed for fame
• Greed for food
• Greed for sleep

People live their lives immersed in these Five Poisons and Five Desires. They even develop a deep attachment to emotions and romantic love, which are difficult to let go of. Consequently, they suffer various degrees of harm, whether subtle or profound.

The Chains of Samsara

Even when one knows that the cycle of rebirth is filled with suffering and wishes to escape, one often finds no door to the path. Without the guidance of a Buddha, a Bodhisattva, an ancestral master, or a true spiritual friend, one remains trapped within the six realms of rebirth, enduring endless suffering. For the practitioner, the Five Poisons and the Five Desires are the greatest obstacles and the primary sources of all afflictions.

Many practitioners fail to achieve success in this very lifetime precisely because they are hindered by these poisons and desires. The manifestation of any one of these, and the resulting afflictions, can effectively block one's progress on the spiritual path.

The Obstacles to True Practice

You must put in the work within your own heart. You must subdue, remove, and eventually sever your attachment to the Five Poisons, the Five Desires, and worldly love. Only when your spirit is sublimated and elevated can your practice truly be said to be making progress. When the nature of greed manifests, it is easy to fall into the traps of comparison, calculation, and obsession with gain and loss. This damages your virtue and hinders the cultivation of essential qualities such as:

• Compassion
• Tolerance
• Mind-capacity
• Generosity
• The ability to let go
• The wisdom to see through the illusions of the world

When these qualities are blocked, you move further away from a state of purity, equality, and the dignity of an awakened being.

The Path of Purification

It is best to practise chanting the Buddha's name. By respectfully chanting the six-character name, "Namo Amituofo," you receive the Buddha's blessings. Through this, you gain the support of Amitabha Buddha’s supreme merit and majestic power. By diligently changing your personality traits and chanting the Buddha's name, you can effectively remove and sever the habits of greed and the other Five Poisons and Five Desires.

Through strict adherence to Precepts, you can distance yourself from the nature of greed. Only then will you have the opportunity to purify your heart and expand your mind-capacity. When you can sever the Five Poisons and Five Desires, and when you strive diligently to change your ways, you will finally reach the moment of removing defilements and attaining purity, thereby realising your true nature.

Namo Amituofo