A single selfish thought from a person can destroy their righteous spirit, diminish their wisdom, corrupt their kindness, transform compassion into cruelty, tarnish purity into filth, and ruin their entire life's character. Therefore, ancient sages valued non-greed as a precious virtue, using it as a fundamental method to transcend a lifetime.

One thought: A momentary conception or feeling.

Grace: Kindness, benevolence, or favor.

Cruel: Malignant; harsh.

Character: Qualities or attributes of a person.

Transcended: Surpassed; exceeded.

This is a quote from *The Root Canes Proverbs*. It essentially states that as long as a person harbors even a single selfish thought, their wisdom will be obstructed, transforming them from upright to timid, from intelligent to foolish, from compassionate to cruel, from pure to filthy, thus ruining their entire life's character. Therefore, ancient sages valued non-greed as a precious virtue, using it as a fundamental method to transcend a lifetime.

A little insight to share with you:

'Greed' and 'poverty' both have the same radical character—the bottom half is 'bi' (shell), indicating a connection to wealth. Excessive desire for wealth, without control, leads to the opposite, which is 'greed leads to poverty.'

Greed is the source of all evil. When greed arises, it extinguishes conscience; once conscience is extinguished, the mind is blinded by desire, and a person loses their sense of right and wrong. Uprightness turns to nothing, intelligence transforms into foolishness, compassion becomes cruelty… Once a person is controlled by desire, their will is shaken, leading to 'corruption of the mind and flouting of morality.'

The best way to root out greed is to bravely contend with one's own soul, analyze the root cause from deep within, and, through the refinement of the heart, one can rebuild the soul and forge unwavering determination, thus resisting external temptations.