English
In terms of characteristics, it is dissatisfaction with all gains and desire for the gains of others – this is the characteristic of excessive greed. For a greedy person, even what they have obtained, though excellent, seems inferior, and what another has obtained, though inferior, seems excellent; cooked rice gruel or cooked rice or cake in one's own bowl seems inferior, but in another's bowl, it seems excellent. This excessive greed exists even among ascetics, householders, and animals. Here are some examples: A certain householder invited thirty nuns and gave them a meal with cakes. The elder nun of the Saṅgha distributed the cakes into the bowls of all the nuns and afterwards ate only what she had received herself. The king of Bārāṇasī, thinking, "I will eat embers-cooked meat," entered the forest with his queen, saw a kinnarī, abandoned the queen, and followed her. The queen, having returned and gone to the hermitage, performed kasiṇa-exercises, attained the eight attainments and the five supernormal powers, and sat down. Seeing the king coming, she rose into the air and departed. A deity dwelling in a tree spoke this verse: Through excessive greed and excessive greed with pride, Thus one declines from one's welfare, like I from Asitābhu. Just as, desiring the Candakinnarī, he was inferior, diminished from Asitābhu, the king's daughter, so through excessive greed, one declines, is diminished from one's welfare, the deity mocked the king. In the time of Kassapa Buddha, a wealthy man's son named Mittavindaka, unbelieving and displeased, when his mother said, "Son, today observe the uposatha and listen to the Dhamma all night in the monastery, I will give you a thousand," taking up the uposatha vows out of greed for wealth, went to the monastery, thinking, "This place is free from danger," lay down under the Dhamma seat all night. Having slept, he went to his house. Early in the morning his mother cooked rice gruel and offered it. He took a thousand and drank the gruel. Then he thought, "I will amass wealth." He wanted to set out to sea by ship. Then his mother stopped him, saying, "Son, there is forty crores of wealth in this family; enough of going." Ignoring her words, he went anyway. She stood in front of him. Then, angered that "she is standing in front of me," he kicked her, and leaving his fallen mother behind, he went away. His mother, getting up, said, "May there be no happiness in the place he goes, having done such a deed to a mother like me," and called him such a named son. As he was going on the ship, on the seventh day the ship stopped. Then those men said, "Surely there is an evil person here; let us draw lots," and as the lots were drawn, it fell on him three times. They gave him a raft and threw him into the sea. Going to an island, enjoying prosperity with celestial women, even though told by them, "Do not go further," seeing twice as much prosperity, he gradually saw a man with a razor-wheel. That wheel appeared to him like a lotus flower. He said to him, "Friend, give me this lotus you are wearing." "This is not a lotus, master; it is a razor-wheel." He said, "You deceive me. Have I never seen a lotus before?" saying, "You are unwilling to give me the lotus flower, smeared with red sandalwood, that you are wearing." He thought, "This one also wants to experience the result of having done a deed similar to what I did." Then, saying "Come on," he threw the wheel on his head and fled. Knowing this matter, the Teacher spoke this verse: By four he reached eight, and by eight sixteen; By sixteen thirty-two, greed brought the wheel upon him; For a person struck by desire, "The wheel revolves on his head." Another greedy courtier, Having crossed his own territory, Entered another's territory. There, beaten, he fled, Entered the dwelling of a certain ascetic, Undertook the Uposatha vows, and lay down. Asked by the ascetic, "What has happened to you?" He spoke these verses: "Having despised my own abode, Through greed, I went to Mallagāma; Then people, having come out from the village, Beat me with clubs. "With a broken head, my body smeared with blood, I returned to my own abode; Therefore, I observe the Uposatha, Lest greed should bring me here again." 850. In the explanation of great desire, one who desires great things, or whose desire is great, is one of great desire; the state of that one is great desire. In terms of characteristic, it is the estimation of non-existent qualities and immoderation in receiving and using gifts – this is the characteristic of great desire. For a person of great desire, just as a tortoise-shell merchant, having taken a bundle of ornaments in his hand, throws in even what should be thrown into his lap, and while the crowd is looking on, announces with his mouth, "Take this, take that." Even so, he wants to boast to the crowd about even a small amount of his own virtue or scripture or ascetic practice or even just living in the forest, and having boasted, he takes the requisites brought even by cartloads, without saying "Enough." For three cannot be filled – fire with fuel, the ocean with water, and the one of great desire with requisites. A mass of fire, and the ocean, And a person of great desire; Though giving many requisites, These three never fill. For a person of great desire cannot win over the mind even of his own mother, let alone his attendants. Here are some instances: it seems a certain young monk is fond of cakes. Then his mother, examining his conduct, thinking, "If my son knows moderation in receiving, 'I will support him for three months entirely with cakes,' and considering this on the day of entering the rains, she first gave one cake. When that was finished, a second, and when that was finished, a third. The boy ate without saying 'enough.' His mother, knowing his lack of moderation, thought, 'Today my son has eaten the cakes for the whole three months,' and from the second day onwards, she did not give even one cake. King Tissa also, while giving daily alms to the Sangha at Cetiyapabbata, when told by the people in the countryside, 'Great King, why do you favor only one place? Is it not fitting to give elsewhere?' on the second day, he had a great almsgiving performed in Anuradhapura. Not even one bhikkhu knew moderation in receiving. The food and edibles received by each one were lifted by two or three people. On the second day, the king, having invited the Sangha to Cetiyapabbata, when he arrived at the royal inner palace, said, 'Give me your bowls.' 'Enough, Great King, he will take alms according to his measure,' not even one bhikkhu gave a bowl. All received only according to measure. Then the king said, 'See, among your bhikkhus, not one knows moderation. Yesterday, nothing was left over. Today, little is taken, much is left over.' He was pleased with their moderation and displeased with the immoderation of the others. 851. In the exposition of base desires, being faithless, what does one do, desiring that people know him as faithful, etc.? Being faithless, he shows the appearance of faith; the immoral, etc., show the appearance of the virtuous, etc. How? The faithless one, on great festival days, when people come to the monastery, taking a broom, sweeps the monastery, throws away the rubbish, and having known that he is seen by people, goes to the courtyard of the shrine, there also sweeping and throwing away the rubbish, leveling the sand, washing the seats, pouring water on the Bodhi tree. People, seeing him, think, 'There is no other bhikkhu in the monastery Agganaka, he takes care of this monastery. He is a faithful elder,’ they invite him when leaving and depart. Even if immoral, he approaches a Vinaya-holder in the presence of attendants and asks, “Venerable sir, when I was leaving, a bull was startled. Running, it tore the grass. When I sweep, the grass gets cut. When I walk, creatures die. When I spit, unintentionally it falls on the grass; what happens in each case?” “There is no offense, friend, unintentionally, unknowingly,” and when this is said, he says, “Venerable sir, it weighs heavily on me; please investigate thoroughly.” Hearing that, people think, ‘Our venerable one is scrupulous even in such matters! What would he do in a grosser offense? There is no one as virtuous as him,’ and pleased, they pay him honor. Even with little learning, sitting among attendants, he says, “So-and-so, a Tipitaka-holder, so-and-so, a master of the four Nikayas, is my student; they learned the Dhamma from me.” People think, ‘There is no one as learned as our venerable one; so-and-so and so-and-so learned the Dhamma from him,’ and pleased, they pay him honor. Even a Saṅgaṇikārāma, on a great festival day, having a long seat and a cushion placed, sits for the day in the monastery courtyard at the foot of a tree. People come and ask, “Where is the elder?” “Those who are attached to groups are always attached to groups. Therefore, the elder does not sit here at such a time, but dwells in the long cloister in the daytime dwelling at the edge of the monastery.” He spends the day, affixes a monkey-thread to his forehead, has a seat placed, comes, and sits at the monastery gate. People say, “Where have you been, venerable sir? We came and did not see you.” “Lay followers, the inner monastery is crowded; this is a place for young novices to roam. We sat in the sixty-cubit cloister in the daytime dwelling,” he makes known his secluded nature. Even a lazy one, sitting among attendants, ‘ "Lay followers, did you see the falling star?" he asks. "We did not see it, venerable sir; at what time was it?" they ask. "During my walking meditation," he says, and then asks, "Did you hear the sound of the earth quake?" "We did not hear it, venerable sir; at what time was it?" they ask.