Coveting is the greedy mind of attachment that says, “I want, I want, I want.” Or how we say it in America, “I need, I need, I need.” It can be for material things and wealth. It can be for relationships and sex. It can be for reputation, praise, popularity and status. It can be for anything. You can see that if we have attachment in the mind and when we do not take care of it and we ruminate on it, it becomes coveting. Coveting then inspires us to do physical and verbal things to get what we want or to eliminate the hindrances to get what we want. Coveting could transform into stealing, motivate unwise sexual behaviour or harsh words because we want something so we are going to bad-rap somebody else.

Ill will (malice) is not just an angry thought. It is anger when it is well developed, and where you are cultivating it with the intention to do something. It could certainly motivate stealing, killing, creating disharmony, harsh words, and all sorts of things.

These are mental non-virtues. Coveting is under attachment, but it is the increase of attachment. It is not just one thought of attachment. It is a huge attachment. Ill will (malice) is in the field of anger, and it is anger when it is really developed.

We commit these mentally — we do not have to say or do anything. If we want to abandon the negative actions of body and speech, then we must work with the mind. We must recognise when our mind is going beyond normal attachment and anger and stop the mental chatter going on in our minds. This gives us a way to break the patterns that keep us locked in samsara.

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