ahkahoutioun – greed

There was and there wasn’t a proud king whose kingdom was prosperous. He had a powerful army and all his enemies feared him. He exacted taxes and tribute with impunity and filled the coffers of the kingdom with vast riches.He employed learned priests to perform religious rituals so that he could cull favors from God for his continued success. His passion for accumulation of power, prestige and possessions eventually corrupted his mind with obsessive feelings of wanting to overlord everyone and everything. Blinded by such lust and pride, he inappropriately offended people whenever they expressed the slightest hesitation to satisfy his lust for power and wealth.

It is said in ancient texts of wisdom that there are three gates leading to hell – lust, anger and greed. A sane person should give these three up because they lead to the degradation of the soul. One may try to satisfy his lust, and when he cannot, anger and greed arise. The laws of society and especially of the holy scriptures act to protect people from such degrading influences. They regulate social interaction so that lust, and greed do not become the norm of behavior. However, when a person’s mind is overwhelmed by lusty thoughts, the tendency is to become reckless and whimsical in following the laws of society and holy scripture. It said in the ancient wisdom that a person who disregards scriptural injunctions and acts according to his own whims attains neither perfection, nor happiness, nor the supreme destination of life.

Everyone is aware of the regulations of good human behavior and they are expected to follow them. A person who knowingly violates these rules acts under the influence of lust, anger and greed. He knows that such things are forbidden, but still he acts. This is called whimsical behavior. Unless this whimsical behavior is corrected by the remedial advise of saintly persons, such persons will ruin the opportunity afforded by the human form of life to reach the potential of self-realization and evolve to the stage of love of God.

Human life is meant for understanding the purpose of existence in this world by purifying oneself of all degrading attitudes and behavior. This is done by following the laws of society and scripture and thus one has the freedom to attain real happiness and love.

The arrogant king’s behavior became unbearable for his people who he continually oppressed to satisfy his whims. There was a saint who lived in the kingdom. He could see the suffering of the people due to the king’s greed. He decided to undue the veil of illusion that was shrouding the king’s intelligence. Usually, people who are very attached to their material possessions have a deep-seated anxiety about losing what they have accumulated in life. If they do lose their cherished possessions, the effect is devastating and can have various effects. Some people will commit suicide and others will go crazy with depression and frustration. Yet, there are others who become very sober and realize they were living in a fool’s paradise where they were obsessed with temporary things that can be lost at any time. The saint devised a plan that would gently bring the king to his senses.

Once a month the king would give a pittance of charity to the poor as a gesture of his magnanimity. This was to counteract his image as a ruthless tyrant whose only preoccupation was to fleece the productive members of his kingdom. The saint stood in line with the poor supplicants. When his turn came to ask for the king’s modest offering, he extended his small begging bowl and remained silent. The king looked at him and smiled and placed some coins in his bowl. He expected the beggar to move along. However, the saint began to shake the bowl as if there was nothing in it. Strangely, the coins disappeared from the bowl and it was empty. The king noticed it and and again placed some coins in it. The same thing happened again. This time the king was perplexed. He took the bowl in his own hands and filled it to the brim with coins. He was shocked to see it immediately empty. He looked at the bowl by turning it upside down and up again.

Then he addressed the saint, “What kind of trick is this. Are you trying to bewitch me?” The saint looked sternly at the king and said, “I am a poor man who has approached you for alms. Why can’t you satisfy me with a pittance of your great wealth?” The king felt his words were a challenge to him. He declared, “I am the richest and most powerful king in the world. You dare to say I cannot satisfy a poor man by filling his wretched little begging bowl!” He ordered his treasurer to bring a large sack of heavy gold coins and continually fill the bowl until it was full.

The treasurer brought a laden cart of gold coins and began to fill the little bowl. By this time a large crowd of courtiers and townsfolk had gathered to see the spectacle. As the bowl filled, it also emptied just as quick until the gold in the cart completely disappeared. The passionate nature of the king overwhelmed him and he ordered precious jewels and other heavy things brought from the treasury to fill the bowl. Again the same thing happened and everyone was amazed at the magical bowl of the saint. The king became fearful and humbled by the solemn saint. He did not want to insult him or in any way hurt the saint who was possessed of some supernatural powers. In a humble gesture, he bowed to the saint and asked him about the mystery of the bowl.

The saint smiled and said, “The little bowl represents your infinite greed that no amount of wealth will ever satisfy.” The power of the saint’s words and its deep meaning humbled the king even more. He supplicated the saint to enlighten him by what means he could to overcome his greed.

The saint spoke the following words of wisdom. “Greed is the mother of sin. It can cause hatred and anger, which if unchecked, can drive one to crime. Urged by greed even a man of learning and knowledge can kill his closest relative, his dearest friend or his kindest mentor. Greed is a road to hell.”

He continued, “There were once four thieves who had just stolen a large amount of money.They were jolly as if intoxicated by their success. They planned their heist and worked long hours to execute their plan. Now that they achieved their goal, they were hungry and wanted to celebrate. The leader of the thieves sent two of his men to fetch food and drink for their celebration. While the two men went to shop, the chief and the remaining thief discussed how much more they could have if they murdered the other two cohorts. Greed is the mother of sin.

While doing the shopping the other thieves made plans to kill their two partners so that they could each have a greater share of the stolen money. They decided to mix poison in the food they purchased.

When the two thieves returned with the food, they prepared a table for the feast. They invited the chief and his assistant to dine and drink in celebration. Suddenly the chief and the assistant attacked the other two with weapons and murdered them summarily. Elated by their treachery, the two murderer thieves sat down to eat. They both died by eating the poisoned food.”

The saint concluded, “Oh king, you are obsessed by your greed for wealth and power. You don’t care for the welfare of your subjects because you are blinded by your unbounded greed. The best remedy for such a sick mentality is association with the virtuous who can teach you to find contentment by discovering presence of God within you. The person who dedicates himself to serving the Divine attains steady peace because he offers the results of all his activities to God. However, one who is greedy for the fruits of his labor, and ignores the Divine, becomes entangled.”

If you desire to gain the world, then be friendly to all, be kind, be generous and sweet-spoken. Use your wealth for charity, your learning for good deeds, your thoughts for ascertaining God, your words for uplifting others. Learn contentment with what God gives you and be satisfied with the minimum so that you use the maximum to serve God and humanity. Do not try to take take from others to satisfy your lust for power and money. Everything you are not destined to have will be lost in an instant and this will cause untold misery. Know that there is no disease greater than greed, no virtue greater than kindness.”

The king was thrilled by the powerful words of the saint. He bowed his head in humility at the feet of the saint and begged for forgiveness. The saint said, “A man is judged by four tests: his manners, qualities, actions and generosity. Oh king, use your wealth and power to uplift your people to spiritual knowledge and help them achieve the goal of life, self-realization and love of God. Become greedy to attain the mercy of God and his saints.”

“Rise above the dualities that arise from doubts, engage your mind within to revive your lost relationship with God, stay busy working for the welfare of all living beings, stay free from all sins and thus achieve liberation by developing divine love for God and share it with all others.”