Contributed by the Buddhas’ Practice Incorporated, Australia
Date: August 26, 2026
Hey everyone, I’m a Dharma preacher from Buddhas’ practice incorporated. BPI for short down here in Australia and welcome to today’s explainer.
Today, we are diving deep into a life lesson that we literally all face, yet somehow rarely see clearly. The faults of greed for benefit. We’re going to break down exactly how our intense attachment to money, power and status actually manufactures endless suffering in our day-to-day lives.
So, let’s dive right in. I want you to ask yourself deeply right now. Do your person No preferences truly bring you joy, or do they just bring you suffering? We desperately chase money, status, power, fully convinced that getting those things equals happiness. But think about it, when you actually get them, don’t you usually just become more anxious? You’re terrified of losing them, and you might even create enemies just to protect what’s yours. What we so often label as happiness is really just a trap. It’s locking us into an endless cycle of pain and anxiety.
All right, section one, the faults of greed. Let’s look at how this plays out in real everyday life. We constantly see spouses bitterly fighting tooth and nail for control over the smallest things in a marriage or think about the workplace. You know those highly capable achievers who climb the corporate ladder, but the absolute second they get a taste of real power, they become erudient and rampant. The root cause of all this friction, stinginess and greed. When we become obsessed with what we can game, we refuse to let go. We become miserly, even with our own families. And the ultimate consequence is just infinite pain and total destruction. The fortune you just gained, it gets squandered the moment you let greed take the wheel. And you know this doesn’t just happen to ordinary people. It happens to advance spiritual practitioners too. Take the story of David Dada. He observed incredibly strict precepts, stricter even than the Buddhas, and he possessed immense Samadhi or concentration. Yet he fell straight into hell. Why? Because of his underlying greed and his deep attachment to competing with the Buddha. When you argue and fight for position, you are aligning with affliction, not with wisdom.
True superiors, those with genuine spiritual attainment, act in accordance with conditions. They know exactly when to speak up, and more importantly, when to remain completely silent.
Moving on to section two, attachment and afflictions. So, why is it so incredibly hard for us to just let go? Well, it’s because we get absolutely addicted to the flavor of profit. But here’s the secret. This flavor is nothing more than false labels and definitions that we artificially slap onto things, because we deep love these illusions and utterly refuse to let them go, our minds become defiled. We start using unscrupulous roundabout methods just to get another taste of that fake flavor. And in doing so, we’re just running in exhausting circles completely destroying any chance we have of swift, genuine spiritual progress. Think of it kind of like a giant delicious ice cream kick. Imagine you absolutely love eating it, but one day, you realize with crystal clarity, the severe life-threatening harm it’s causing to your body. That realization generates deep, genuine fear. which leads you to completely abandon it. You wouldn’t even want to look at it anymore. That complete abandonment is true liberation. We don’t drop our bad habits because we haven’t truly realized how terrifying they are. Once you genuinely see the real harm of your attachments, you naturally drop them, breaking your cycle of bondage forever. This requires a profound sense of urgency.
The sutra of the Buddha’s last be quiche to teaching hits the nail on the head here and it’s pretty shocking. It states, the venomous snake of affliction is sleeping in your heart, like a black Viper sleeping in your room. You must quickly use the hook of observing precepts to remove it. Think about it. If a literal deadly black Viper was sleeping in your bedroom, you wouldn’t just take a nap. You get it out immediately. Ignoring these inner snakes of greed and anger, just makes one a shameless person. We have to be actively vigilant.
Which brings us to section three. Karma’s DNA. Every single action we take, literally shapes our spiritual genetics. The process is incredibly precise. First, there’s the action of your body. your speech or your mind. Every movement, every insult, every hidden little thought. The moment that action occurs, it’s instantly coded and written into your eighth consciousness, known as the alley of ajana. Actually think of it like a massive hard drive storing your karmic DNA. Then when the conditions are right at rebirth, these seeds mature, and finally, the karmic consequences manifest in your reality. Nothing you do simply disappears in different air.
Let me share a pretty striking real world example from the teachings. There were was once a big shuni who asked for help, and when the others refused, she angrily cursed them, calling them female dogs. Now, the consequence of that venomous speech didn’t fall on the people she cursed. Nope. Instead, those malicious codes were instantly written into her own destiny, and the consequence manifested directly upon herself.
Whatever bad energy you put out into the world, whatever insults you hurl out of frustration, you are immediately coding into your very own future. 100%. I want to be absolutely clear about This certainty. If you commit the faults of greed, and if you harm others for your own selfish benefit, the consequences will manifest upon you 100% of the time. There are literally zero exceptions. There is no escaping the code you write for yourself.
Now, let’s look at section four, the power of repentance. So, if all that sounds a bit terrifying, I’ve got some incredibly hopeful news. The Buddhist path offers a profound antidote, a way to create a sort of spiritual genetic medication. Since your repentance is phenomenally powerful. It actually exercises and deletes unformed bad karmic information right out of your DNA before it can even manifest. It’s like safely removing a spiritual tumor. On the flip side, making intense valves and diligently practicing the Dharma acts as an upload. You are actively uploading positive outcomes and inevitable good fortune into your DNA. You delete the bad code with repentance and you install powerful new blessings by relying on the Buddha.
The Mahayana Jataka mind ground contemplation sutra offers this beautiful inspiring imagery. repentance can burn the firewood of afflictions. repentance can free one from the prison of the three realms. repentance can cause the flower of body to bloom. No matter what mistakes you’ve made in the past, since here remorse acts like a purifying fire that just burns away the dead wood of your past afflictions. It is the key to unlocking the prison of suffering and allowing your own spiritual awakening to finally blossom.
But here is a sharp kind of uncomfortable question you have to ask your own conscience. When have you ever truly had affection for the Buddha? If everything you do, your prayers, your rituals, your daily actions is ultimately just to satisfy your own greed for profit and comfort, then you don’t actually have genuine affection for the Buddha. You have affection for Mara, the demon of illusion. If you offer everything up to your greed, you’re only going to get suffering in return. True peace only comes when we drop the self-interest.
And finally, section five true Bodhisattva meaning. The absolute bare minimum standard for walking the Mahayana path is benefiting all sentient beings. If you’re only in it for yourself, you haven’t even started.
Look at the earth holder Bodhisattva. He spent his time tirelessly repairing roads and leveling ground for everyone to use, without a single shred of bias or desire for reward. His intent was pure altruism. And because of this pure intent, the Buddha appeared to him and said, “Level your mind and all land will be leveled. In that instant, he achieved sudden realization.
True spiritual leaps don’t happen when we hoard for ourselves. They happen when we focus entirely on helping others. It really all boils down to a stark choice between two paths. The shameless person walks around basically feeding the five venomous snakes of greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt. They think they look so impressive and powerful with all their gathered wealth, but to the spiritually awakened, they are just arrogant be draped in foul rotting corpses. Conversely, the virtuous person is deeply self-aware. They use the iron hook of shame and remorse to constantly refine their mind. Regardless of external wealth, they are the most beautifully adorned.
As we wrap up today’s explainer, I really want you to carry this final question with you as you navigate your modern life. In your daily choices, are you truly benefiting yourself and others, or are you just harming yourself and those who treat you well? Grasping a profit is all ultimately going to cost you everything. May we all find the courage to drop our greed, use the hook of reflection and walk a path of true benefit.
Thank you so much for joining me for this Dharma sharing until next time.