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## Chapter Seven
[269] Restraint is beneficial for the self. Just as a bird with a piece of meat in its beak is vulnerable to attack by other birds like crows, similarly, one who is attached to possessions is vulnerable to attack by others. They also incur many faults related to earning, protecting, and losing possessions. They never feel satisfied, just like fire is never satisfied with fuel. Due to excessive greed, they lose the ability to discern between right and wrong actions. After death, they are born in an unfavorable realm. They are also despised as greedy. Therefore, it is beneficial to renounce possessions. In this way, one should contemplate the harm and evil of violence and other vices.
[680] To explain the contemplation of violence and other vices, the following sutra is stated:
**They are indeed suffering.** [10]
[8681] One should contemplate that violence and other vices are indeed suffering. How are violence and other vices suffering? Because they are the cause of suffering. Just as it is said, "Food is life," because food is the cause of life, we refer to food as life. Similarly, violence and other vices are the cause of non-virtuous karma, and non-virtuous karma is the cause of suffering. Therefore, violence and other vices are suffering, either because they are the cause of suffering or because they are the cause of the cause of suffering. This contemplation of violence and other vices as suffering should be done with self-awareness and awareness of others.
**Objection:** All of these things are not necessarily suffering, because there is pleasure in enjoying sense objects.
**Response:** The apparent pleasure derived from enjoying sense objects is not true pleasure, but merely a temporary relief from pain, like scratching an itch.
[8682] The following sutra explains another aspect of contemplation: