I truly feel that contentment is the greatest wealth. Anyone can claim it for themselves. Anyone can own it. Contentment is an incredible wealth that we don’t have to pay for, or seek anywhere outside ourselves. The natural resources to create this wealth are the inner riches of our own mind. Contentment is a wealth that gives the highest satisfaction, and we can gain it simply by mining our own resources, and knowing our own mind. We can cultivate the perspective that what we have is enough. We can see that we do not actually need more than we already have, and can be completely satisfied with that.
17th Karmapa
from the book The Heart Is Noble: Changing the World from the Inside Out
translated by Ngodup Tsering Burkhar & Damchö Diana Finnegan
Read a random quote or see all quotes by the 17th Karmapa.
Further quotes from the book The Heart Is Noble:
- We truly have everything we need already
- Our relationship to the material world
- Who are you
- Let the moon be the keeper of my love
- Capacity for Change
- True Wealth
- Taking delight in your inner nature
- Reality is your teacher
- We need space to grow and learn from our own mistakes
- Interdependent reality
- The Wealth of Contentment
- Social action
- Protective Inner Wisdom
- Life in Balance
- Just Love
- Boxing Love with Our Expectations
- Nothing is intrinsically bad
- There are no fixed starting points
- Difference without Division
- Healthy relationships