Verified
Grammatical Analysis
Alobha: [m.] Non-greed; unselfishness; detachment. Formed by negative prefix a (not, without) + lobha (greed, clinging, lust).
Orthodox Definition
Alobha is the first of the three Wholesome Roots (kusala-mūla). It is a beautiful mental factor (sobhana-cetasika) present in every single wholesome state of consciousness.
Although formulated as a negative word (non-greed), its psychological function is entirely positive. It ranges from the basic generosity (dāna) of giving away material possessions, to the profound detachment of renunciation (nekkhamma). The commentaries compare Alobha to a drop of water on a lotus leaf; just as the water rolls off without adhering to the leaf, a mind rooted in alobha experiences the sensory world without adhering or clinging to objects. It is the direct psychological antidote to the sticky, adhesive quality of craving.
Quote
AN 3.69
yadapi, bhikkhave, alobho tadapi kusalamūlaṃ ; yadapi aluddho abhisaṅkharoti kāyena vācāya manasā tadapi kusalaṃ ; yadapi aluddho lobhena anabhibhūto apariyādinnacitto na parassa asatā dukkhaṃ uppādayati vadhena vā bandhanena vā jāniyā vā garahāya vā pabbājanāya vā balavamhi balattho itipi tadapi kusalaṃ.
“Whatever, monks, is non-greed, that is a root of wholesome states; whatever one performs by body, speech, or mind, being ungreedy, that is wholesome; whatever one does not inflict suffering on another through killing, or binding, or loss, or blame, or banishment, being ungreedy, not overcome by greed, with an unoverwhelmed mind, (thinking) ‘I am powerful, I am strong’, that too is wholesome.itissame alobhajā alobhanidānā alobhasamudayā alobhapaccayā aneke kusalā dhammā sambhavanti.
Thus, many wholesome states arise from non-greed, having non-greed as their source, their origin, their condition.
Textual References
- Sutta: Mūla Sutta (AN 3.69) – The Buddha explains that actions born of non-greed do not bind a person to saṃsāra.
- Abhidhamma: Dhammasaṅgaṇī – Defining non-greed as the absence of lust, the absence of infatuation, and the disposition of letting go.
- Commentary: Atthasālinī – Providing the lotus leaf simile to illustrate its non-adhering characteristic.