Affluenza - 1997 Documentary

NEEDS AND DESIRES
Desires are many, needs are few. Needs can be fulfilled; desires never. A desire is a need gone crazy. It is impossible to fulfill it. The more you try to fulfill it, the more it goes on asking and asking'
There is a Sufi story that when Alexander died and reached heaven he was carrying all his weight-his whole kingdom, gold, diamonds--of course not in reality, but as an idea. He was burdened too much by being Alexander. The gatekeeper started laughing and asked, "Why are you carrying such a burden?" Alexander said, "What burden?" So the gatekeeper gave him a scale and put an eye on one side of the scale he told Alexander to put all his weight, all his greatness, treasures and kingdom, on the other side. But that one eye still remained heavier than Alexander's whole kingdom.
The gatekeeper said, "This is a human eye. It represents human desire. It cannot be fulfilled, however great the kingdom and how ever great your efforts." Then the gatekeeper threw a little dust into the eye. The eye immediately blinked and lost all its weight.
A little dust of understanding has to be thrown into the eye of desire. The desire disappears and only needs remain, which are no weighty. Needs are very few, and they are beautiful. Desires are ugly and they make monsters of men. They create mad people.
Once you start learning how to choose the peaceful, a small room is enough; a small quantity of food is enough; a few clothes are enough; one lover is enough.
osho
GREED, AN EXISTENTIAL SICKNESS
I don't see greed as a desire. It is some existential sickness. You are not in tune with the whole; and only that tuning with the whole can make you holy (healed, whole).
To me, greed is not a desire at all, so you need not do anything about greed. You have to understand that emptiness you are trying to fill and ask the question, 'Why am I empty? The whole existence is so full, why am I empty? Perhaps I have lost track. I am no longer moving in the same direction. I am no longer existential, that is the cause of my emptiness.'
There are only two types of people in the world: those who try to stuff their inner emptiness, and those very rare precious beings who try to see the inner emptiness. Those who try to stuff it remain empty, frustrated. They go on collecting garbage, their whole life is futile and fruitless. Only the other kind, the very precious people who try to look into their inner emptiness without any desire to stuff it, become meditators.
So be existential, let go, and move closer to existence in silence and peace, in meditation. And one day you will see you are so full, overfull, overflowing with joy, blissfulness, benediction. You have so much of it that you can give it to the whole world and yet it will not be exhausted.
That day, for the first time, you will not feel any greed for money, for food, for things, for friends, for lovers—for anything. You will live, not with a greed that cannot be fulfilled, a wound that cannot be healed; you will live naturally, and whatever is needed, you will find it.
osho