In Zen, “greed” is one of the three fundamental afflictions that cause human suffering and the endless cycle of reincarnation, the other two being “anger” and “ignorance”.
These three troubles are called "three poisons" in Buddhism. Greed refers to the strong desire and persistence for sensory pleasure, including not only the desire for material wealth, but also the greed for non-material things such as power, fame, and affection.
From a spiritual perspective, greed symbolizes the lack of freedom and restraint of the soul, because it makes people fall into endless desires and never achieve true satisfaction and peace.
Understanding and overcoming greed is an important step in reaching liberation and nirvana. Nirvana refers to the state of transcending the cycle of life and death and achieving ultimate freedom and peace.
