DiscoverANAN 5AN 5.303

The Buddha teaches that five things should be developed for insight into greed, five things should be developed.

AN 5.303 Untitled Discourse on Greed (1st)

“Rāgassa, bhikkhave, abhiññāya pañca dhammā bhāvetabbā. Katame pañca? Asubhasaññā, maraṇasaññā, ādīnavasaññā, āhāre paṭikūlasaññā, sabbaloke anabhiratasaññā— rāgassa, bhikkhave, abhiññāya ime pañca dhammā bhāvetabbā”ti.

Reference Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato (CC0).

“Rāgassa, bhikkhave, abhiññāya pañca dhammā bhāvetabbā.

“For insight into greed, five things should be developed.

Katame pañca?

What five?

Asubhasaññā, maraṇasaññā, ādīnavasaññā, āhāre paṭikūlasaññā, sabbaloke anabhiratasaññā—

The perceptions of ugliness, death, drawbacks, repulsiveness of food, and dissatisfaction with the whole world.

rāgassa, bhikkhave, abhiññāya ime pañca dhammā bhāvetabbā”ti.

For insight into greed, these five things should be developed.”

Qualities:

Craving

Craving

☁️ dark quality

A driving ‘thirst’ that reaches out toward experiences, identities, or outcomes as the place to find satisfaction—“if only I had that.” It spins stories of lack, binds the mind to becoming, and invariably leads to suffering.

Also known as: wanting, yearning, longing, lit. thirst
Pāli: taṇha, abhijjhā
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Discontentment

Discontentment

☁️ dark quality

A state of dissatisfaction with one's requisites or conditions. It fuels the search for more, disturbing peace and preventing the mind from settling into collectedness.

Also known as: dissatisfaction, unsatisfactoriness, boredom
Pāli: asantuṭṭhitā, aratī, atitta
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Greed

Greed

☁️ dark quality

A grasping mental quality of craving, possessiveness, or lustful wanting that clings to objects or experiences; it fuels attachment and obstructs renunciation and contentment

Also known as: acquisitiveness, avarice, covetousness, rapacity, money grabbing, grabbiness
Pāli: lobha, gedha
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Insight

Insight

☀️ bright quality

Insight is deep, intuitive realization that transforms understanding and guides practice.

Also known as: having insight, with understanding, right knowledge
Pāli: ñāṇa, sammāñāṇa
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Suffering

Suffering

☁️ dark quality

Unpleasantness, discontentment, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, i.e. mild or intense suffering that is inherent in conditioned existence.

Also known as: discomfort, unpleasantness, discontentedness, dissatisfaction, stress, pain, disease, distress, affliction
Pāli: dukkha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026

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