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

AN 5.307 Untitled Discourse on Greed (5th)

“Rāgassa, bhikkhave, abhiññāya pañca dhammā bhāvetabbā. Katame pañca? Saddhābalaṁ, vīriyabalaṁ, satibalaṁ, samādhibalaṁ, paññābalaṁ 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?

Saddhābalaṁ, vīriyabalaṁ, satibalaṁ, samādhibalaṁ, paññābalaṁ

The powers of faith, energy, mindfulness, immersion, and wisdom.

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

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

Qualities:

Faith

Faith

Confidence in the Buddha's awakening and the efficacy of the path. It brightens and steadies the mind, removing doubt and inspiring energy toward wholesome practice. True faith rests on clarity and direct experience rather than mere belief.

Also known as: confidence, trust, belief, conviction, self-assurance
Pāli: saddha, pasanna
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Greed

Greed

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

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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Mindfulness

Mindfulness

Active presence of mind and lucid retention; the faculty that remembers the Dhamma, anchors attention to the chosen object or present experience, and guards the mind against unwholesome states.

Also known as: recollecting, remembering, keeping in mind, presence, awareness
Pāli: sati, anussati
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Vigour

Vigour

Energetic effort and resilience in practice. It is the refusal to shrink back, the 'uphill' force that initiates and sustains wholesome actions against the gravity of habit.

Also known as: energy, effort, enthusiasm, zeal, application of will, persistence
Pāli: vīriya
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Wisdom

Wisdom

Lived understanding and sound judgment that steers the mind away from suffering, distinct from mere accumulation of facts.

Also known as: (of a person) wise, astute, intelligent, learned, skilled, firm, stable, steadfast, an experiential understanding of the four noble truths
Pāli: paññā, medhā, dhīra, paṇḍita, asammūḷha
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Last updated on July 27, 2026