少欲知足
しょうよくちそく / Shōyoku Chisoku
Shōyoku Chisoku (少欲知足) Meaning
Meaning
"Few desires, knowing what is enough." It does not mean wanting nothing at all; it means loosening the grip of endless craving and recognizing that what you already have may be sufficient. Contentment here is something you notice, not something you finally reach.
Origin
The phrase comes from the Sutra of the Buddha's Bequeathed Teaching (Yijiao jing), traditionally regarded as the Buddha's final instructions to his disciples before his death, in a Chinese translation attributed to Kumārajīva. It says, in essence, that one who knows contentment is at ease even lying on bare ground, while one who does not is dissatisfied even in a heavenly palace. The Japanese Zen master Dōgen, in one of his last writings, "Eight Awarenesses of Great Beings" in the Shōbōgenzō, drew on this sutra and placed "few desires" and "knowing contentment" first among the eight.
How it helps with everyday worries
It is easy to measure your life against a salary, a job title, or the curated lives you scroll past online. Even when you get what you wanted, the next shortfall appears almost immediately. This phrase invites you to notice that chase. It is not telling you to give up goals, only to ask whether a constant feeling of "not enough" is the thing quietly driving you. The same applies to relationships. The more we want others to understand us more, give us more, show up more, the harder it becomes to see the small kindnesses already coming our way. A meal, a roof over your head, someone who checked in on you. Turning toward what is already enough can soften the weight you carry.
A small practice for today
Pause and silently name three things you already have right now that genuinely support you.