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Sat Nam,

What is greed? Well, that's a tricky one. There is no set list of what is greed and what is not greed, because it doesn't work that way. By definition, greed is marked as a state of mind where one is constantly desiring and wanting something all the time to the point of excess, such as money, food, clothes, or anything, especially wanting more than what one needs (like desiring 5 cars). Greed is the sister of lust, which is a similar, fixated craving and/or obsession.

Example:

An extreme example of greed may be a man wanting to have five cars without being able to afford it, and is willing to get them no matter the cost, even if it means sacrificing everything he has for it. What makes this greed? The man does not need five cars to live, work or survive, and is willing to give up important things such as his home, character values and integrity for a material object that is unimportant in the grand scheme of things. You can probably guess what will happen to him when he gets the cars, too. If he doesn't feel pretty stupid, he'll just want more cars or better and more expensive cars. Usually when a vice "takes hold" of someone, it's a never-ending race to feed the ego, which cannot be satiated. And, usually when one begins to follow a vice, the others come in later.

Kings also suffered on a grand scale because of greed. I know that in the medieval history of England and France, monarchs and noblemen often killed people if their servants did not get them the right sort of cloth for their wardrobe, or something as minor as that. In India, kings also had vast stores of rice and spices that they would never share with their people but instead hoard it just to say to fellow rulers, "Hey, I got more than you."

Greed vs. Lust: The difference could be that the man can lust for a car, meaning his thoughts could be fixated on how he can get the car, how he can fix up the car, how he can make it look better, etc. etc. etc. and greed will be the desire to have X number of cars, or more cars than his neighbor. They work hand in hand in this example.

Greed is also associated and portrayed in media by "money-hungry" characters, or corrupt businessmen and politicians and swindlers. How greed manifests in your own life is up to the individual to weigh and determine. There is not really a list, and greed is not only associated with the rich. Everyone experiences some form of greed.

Media examples of common "greed" phrases as heard in America: "It's all mine!" ..."I want it all!"..."It all belongs to me!"..."You don't get any! Why? Because ONLY I CAN HAVE IT ALL!"..."I want it fancier, hotter, richer, bigger, and taller than all of yours put together!"...etc.

Sorry for the length but I hope this helps. It is a little difficult to actually understand greed without knowing what to look for. God bless you!

Sat Nam,

Example:

An extreme example of greed may be a man wanting to have five cars without being able to afford it, and is willing to get them no matter the cost, even if it means ~~sacrificing everything he has for~~ having to trick someone or exploit someone to get it. What makes this greed? The man does not need five cars to live, work or survive, and is willing to give up important things such as his home, character values and integrity for a material object that is unimportant in the grand scheme of things. You can probably guess what will happen to him when he gets the cars, too. If he doesn't feel pretty stupid, he'll just want more cars or better and more expensive cars. Usually when a vice "takes hold" of someone, it's a never-ending race to feed the ego, which cannot be satiated. And, usually when one begins to follow a vice, the others come in later.

Kings also suffered on a grand scale because of greed. I know that in the medieval history of England and France, monarchs and noblemen often killed people if their servants did not get them the right sort of cloth for their wardrobe, or something as minor and useless as that. In India, kings also had vast stores of rice and spices that they would never share with their people but instead hoard it just to say to fellow rulers, "Hey, I got more than you."

~~Greed vs. Lust:~~ A more practical example of greed is seen when there is something offered for "Free". Have you ever had an experience where there is a booth at a carnival or some other festival and they have free samples? If you look closely, some people are itching to take all of them, some want to jump over their neighbor to get at them and others politely wait until others are finished serving themselves. There is no judgment in it, but which person would you rather be? The difference could be that the man can lust for a car, meaning his thoughts could be fixated on how he can get the car, how he can fix up the car, how he can make it look better, etc. etc. etc. and greed will be the desire to have X number of cars, or more cars than his neighbor. They work hand in hand in this example.

Sorry for the length but I hope this helps. It is a little difficult to actually understand greed without knowing what to look for. God bless you!