October 10, 2026

The Fortune of Enough

Health is the highest gain, contentment the greatest wealth, a trusted friend the best relative, Nibbāna the highest bliss.

This verse comes from the Dhammapada, a collection of short sayings drawn from the Buddha's teachings and gathered for monks and lay followers to memorize and recite across ancient India. It was composed for people living ordinary lives, farmers and merchants alongside renunciants, who needed a simple measure for what truly mattered. The line ranks four goods and places contentment second only to health, higher than riches or status, naming it a kind of wealth in itself. In the Buddhist view, craving for more is the root of suffering, so contentment is not resignation but a skill built through noticing when enough has already arrived. Practicing this means training attention to recognize sufficiency rather than endlessly chasing after more.

A principle of Eastern Wisdom: Knowing What Is Enough →