Reply To: Macchariya in Abhidhammattha sangaha

#31600
Lal
Keymaster

Here are some things to think about.

1. Mōha (delusion); Ahirika (shamelessness); Anottapa (fearlessness in wrong); uddhacca (restlessness or agitation) arise in ALL akusala cittas.

2. Only lobha or dosa can arise in a given akusala citta. Both CANNOT arise together.

3. Of course, dosa (or hatred/anger) arises when one does not get one’s desire fulfilled. That desire/carving arise due to lobha. Therefore, lobha and dosa are connected in a way, even though they cannot arise together.

The following are directly related to your question:

4. Out of 12 akusala cittas, lobha arises in EIGHT types (lobha-rooted cittas). (see p. 32 of Ref.1 below).
– Lobha (greed) arises ONLY in those 8 cittas. (see p. 95 of Ref.1 below).

5. There are only TWO Dosa-rooted akusala cittas. (see p. 36 of Ref.1 below).
– Dosa, issa, macchariya, and kukkucca can arise ONLY in those two types of cittas. (see p. 95 of Ref.1 below).
– Note that dosa, issa, macchariya, and kukkucca are listed in English as hatred, envy, avarice, and worry in Ref. 1.

Ref.1:Comprehensive Manual of Abhidhamma by Bhikkhu Bodhi

The page numbers quoted above are the page numbers indicated on each page of Ref. 1.

The main point is the following.
– Issa, macchariya, and kukkucca are not “pure greed.”
– Just like dosa, they arise as a by-product of greed.
– I looked up the standard definition of avarice. It says, “extreme greed for wealth or material gain.” That is not the meaning of macchariya. Macchariya means when someone who has a lot of wealth tries to hide it from others, due to his fear that he may have to it share his wealth with others.
– Issa is jealousy.
– So, we can see that all four cetasika of dosa, issa, macchariya, and kukkucca are not PURE GREED. They are all byproducts of greed (lobha). They can arise ONLY in those two types of cittas in #5 above.