How to Introspect the Greedy Habits of One's Own Mind?

A Certain Practitioner's Contemplative Experience

When the mind has meditative concentration (samādhi), one can discover: "I now have afflictions—this is the manifestation of habitual tendencies' seeds." I have an experience of breaking through such habitual tendencies. For example, upon seeing a plaything such as a bead bracelet, a fondness suddenly arises in the mind, followed by a desire to possess it, and then one picks it up to fondle it. At this moment one becomes aware: this is greed. Then one continues to analyze: the bracelet is just a piece of wood, nothing more than something polished by a machine or by hand, and then coated with some paint—nothing else of interest. Then one contemplates similar things in contemplative practice (vipaśyanā-caryā), such as necklaces, bangles, pendants, and the like, which are the same. By contemplating in this way as meticulously as possible, the seed of greed for bracelets and the like will subsequently be destroyed and will no longer arise. In this way the mind becomes increasingly pure, and these things will not repeatedly occur; there is no need to constantly struggle whenever habitual tendencies manifest, which would only aggravate the afflictions instead. Precepts are very important; they can calm the mind and make it more refined. When the waters of the mind are clear, one's thinking is lucid and clear.

Assessment: Such contemplative practice is very good, but what contemplative practice is even better than this? It is contemplating the mind—that the mind inclines toward objects, giving rise to greed and possessiveness toward things. Why should one like objects such as bracelets? It is not that the bracelet has some attraction that has drawn you in. Liking objects, it seems as if external things have some fault, but in fact external things are just external things—mere matter of the four great elements; they have no fault and cannot attract you. So why were you attracted? In the final analysis, it is still one's own mind that is deluded and inverted. In what way is it inverted? How can one not be inverted? Liking external things is because one believes external things can be used by oneself, can adorn and beautify oneself; or it is because there is a self that does the liking—objects can satisfy one's greedy mind, from which one can obtain a kind of feeling and sense of satisfaction. When one attaches importance to such feelings, there is greed.

Very often, people pursue a kind of feeling, caring only that it feels pleasant, regardless of whether this feeling is necessary, whether it has faults, whether it creates obstructions, or whether it is worthwhile—none of this matters to them. This is delusion and inversion. Living in this world, the mind is full of ignorance, living blindly, doing whatever one is habituated to, following one's feelings, lacking the power of introspection (pratyavekṣā-bala), unable to resist habits, drifting with the current. Contemplating one's various feelings and what actual significance they have—this kind of contemplative practice is relatively ultimate. Contemplating over and over, you will discover that all feelings have no actual significance. Let go of feelings, and the world becomes vast. Only when greed is gone can the mind be at ease, free, and liberated.