There is a difference of opinion between Hinayana Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism in how to grasp about mind. In religious precepts, Hinayana Buddhism denies the things called anger and greed, but Mahayana Buddhism grasps that anger and greed are also a part of the process of reaching enlightenment. If you think quality of anger and greed, you will be able to understand this.

For instance, do you well up emotion of anger when your child does mischief? However, when you see him or her sleeping while crying, you should have the thing to reflect on that you got a little too angry with him or her. This is also the same if you cause emotion of greed. Although you achieve desire temporarily, this expands one after another so you become tired while you try to close that distance; you think “I’ve had enough of this” and you may feel “I don’t need anything if I become healthy” if you get disease. If you think calmly, you should realize that all anger and greed stem from attachment.

 

However, as we get older, our attachment gradually softens. This is the proof that is approaching to the state of enlightenment. The words called “Shogyo Mujo” (Everything is changing) shows in Buddha’s basic way of thinking about things.

“I am not pleased with those who come, nor am I saddened by those who leave. Both two minds are nirvana.”

Many disciples gathered to Buddha, but at the end, some of them left him and some of them died. It is lonely, but that is life. Even lovable child will leave his/her parents some day. Even though you succeed in business and win great honors, it is also swept away by wave of the times. It is not eternal. Even if we attempt to hold the things that change, they fall to the earth like sand from our hands smoothly. Even if we attempt to hold the things that change tight, only anguish remains. Therefore, Buddha teaches that we attempt to hold the things lightly.

This may be slightly negative, but all the things are because the attachments that arise from your heart are the seeds of suffering. It may be a human emotion that your heart throbs with happy things, you shed tears for sad things, or get angry when things do not go well; Buddha viewed the feeling of suffering as a jail. The biggest cause was anger and greed.

If the world always changes and you keep in mind that it is not like one wants, you will be released from suffering. There are times when it is ebb tide and times when it is high tide in the sea. Just like seabirds lightly surrender to the waves, your mind will become ease if you abandon the attachment. It may be rather impossible, but you cease to be particular about things with experience value as getting old. If you think of it this way, it can say that there are anger and greed in the process to reach enlightenment.