How do greed, anger and delusion affect one another, and where can practice begin?

Greed, anger and delusion are not terms remote from everyday life. They often influence one another. You want something, become angry when you cannot get it, then insist everything is someone else’s fault and lose sight of the situation. Your mind gradually goes off course through that process. I compare them to poisons because these states can accumulate little by little and erode the heart. Spiritual practice therefore needs to return to examining your own mind.

Greed means wanting beyond what is reasonable or rightfully yours. Anger includes rage and can appear as complaints, jealousy, curses or blaming Heaven and others. Delusion concerns failure to see the truth, infatuation and attachment. It is not calling people stupid or measuring intelligence or education. Highly intelligent and educated people may still fail to distinguish good from bad or truth from falsehood. Being willing to understand and learn about what you do not know, and discussing questions about practice, energy or faith, is more useful than memorizing three terms.

In addressing these states, I speak of discipline, concentration and wisdom. Discipline restrains conduct: knowing what you may and may not do, rather than letting greed grow. Concentration means practicing settling a restless or angry mind rather than being driven by anger. Wisdom means understanding matters clearly and practicing judgment, reducing attachments born of not understanding. All need to be practiced in daily situations, beyond simply understanding the ideas.

When Sheng Zhen Men discusses subduing demons, it also emphasizes first adjusting your own mind. I have used the example of someone who bullies colleagues, performs poorly and always blames others. If those behaviors never change and the person only asks the deities for help, the problem remains. This reminds people to face their attitudes and actions. It does not mean everyone hurt in the workplace has inner demons of their own.

We also need to distinguish everyday habits. Liking tidiness and order is not identical to attachment so strong that it prevents clear seeing. If your habits become demands that all family members comply, and every frustration causes distress, that attachment deserves attention. Do not judge someone’s spiritual practice merely by whether belongings are tidy. Consider how the insistence affects the person and those around them.