Human desire is such that, even if the Himalayas were turned to gold, it would not be enough.
Human desire is boundless. There is no limit to it. The classic manifestation of desire is money. There is no end to our pursuit of it. If there is something we want, we save our money in order to acquire it. But once we acquire it, we soon want something else or something better. And so we desire more and more money… But we do not live for money. We live to work hard at what we want and to contribute to society, not to amass money. It is when these things are reversed that I think life feels empty...
The Japanese have a maxim: ‘When awake, half a mat; when asleep, one mat; even if you rule the world, four to five bowls.‘ No matter how great you are, when you’re awake, all the space you need is half a tatami mat; when you’re asleep, a full tatami mat; and no matter how much status and influence you may have, all you need for one meal is four to five small bowls [for dishes].
Shunmyo Masuno (Translated By Allison Markin Powell)
Don’t Worry: 48 Lessons On Relieving Anxiety From A Zen Buddhist Monk
