The Harms of Grasping at the Aggregate of Feeling

Because sentient beings take the aggregate of feeling as the self and cling to the aggregate of feeling, for the sake of inner feelings they give rise to greed, craving, and anger, thereby committing boundless, immeasurable karmic transgressions. If one does not take the aggregate of feeling as the self, does not cling to the aggregate of feeling, does not crave pleasant feelings, and does not feel aversion toward disagreeable feelings, then greed, craving, and anger will not arise, and one will not commit evil karma without even knowing it oneself.

The most prominent characteristic of sentient beings in the Saha world is greed, anger, and ignorance; the most pervasive affliction in the human realm of the desire realm is greed and craving. Even though one has studied and practiced the Buddhadharma, understands cause and effect, and knows that greed and craving are the root of calamity that causes one to sink in birth and death, because karmic obstructions are deep and heavy, one still cannot subdue greed and craving. Whether layperson or monastic, subduing all afflictions is extremely, extremely difficult. Because through the conditioning of birth and death over immeasurable kalpas, habitual tendencies have become deeply rooted and are extremely hard to shake even in the slightest.