Christianity
Islam
Judaism
Hinduism
Buddhism
Greed & Materialism
The dangers of excessive attachment to wealth and possessions are proclaimed in every major religion. From Jesus's camel through the eye of a needle to the Buddhist poison of lobha and the Gita's warning against greed, traditions consistently teach that spiritual life requires detachment from material excess.
Across the World's Religions
Christianity
- Praxis
- Warning against mammon; the rich young ruler
- Key Text
- Matthew 6:24; Mark 10:23-25; 1 Timothy 6:10
Islam
- Praxis
- Tama (greed) condemned; contentment (qana'a) praised
- Key Text
- Quran 102:1-8, 9:34-35
Judaism
- Praxis
- Histapkut (contentment); warnings against accumulation
- Key Text
- Ecclesiastes 5:10; Proverbs 28:25; Pirke Avot 4:1
Hinduism
- Praxis
- Lobha (greed) as a gate to hell; aparigraha (non-possessiveness)
- Key Text
- Bhagavad Gita 16:21; Yoga Sutra 2.39
Buddhism
- Praxis
- Lobha (greed) as first of three poisons; contentment (santutthi)
- Key Text
- Dhammapada 186; SN 56.11; AN 4.28