On “Contentment”
Amy Choi
(Hong Kong) 1 July 2013
In order to nurture the ability to “be content and happy,” one must first nurture the ability to notice. Always asking questions such as “What do I need?” “Do I have too little or not enough?” “Do I possess too little or too much?” is a good beginning.
The loss of balance of the ability to “be content” is usually manifest in two ways. The first is the loss of the ability to sense what one needs, or the failure to notice one’s needs. Behaviorally, this may include acquiring too much, too little or things that one doesn’t need. The second is an imbalance of quantity, meaning too little or too much; this can be categorized into the conditions of “weakness of Qi” and “overabundance of Qi” Having a “weakness of Qi” means not knowing how to satisfy one’s needs and not willing to acquire what is enough, expressed in behaviors such as being overly restrained, thrifty and abstinent. Having an “overabundance of Qi” means to acquire too much, expressed in being overly possessive and indulgent.
The ability to “be content” has five aspects: first, to be able to notice the desires and needs of the body and mind, such as feeling hungry; second, to be able to acknowledge this need, such as admitting that one is truly hungry and how hungry; third, to be able to behaviorally react to these needs, such as eating and choosing what to eat; forth, to be able to know or notice what is enough, such as knowing that one is full; fifth, knowing that it is enough, make an appropriate behavioral reaction, such as stopping eating.
“Being content” is an important ability of humans when we carry out acquiring behavior. For example, when a person is hungry, he will want to eat; when he feels full, he will choose not to eat anymore. When a person is not satisfied emotionally, he will continuously seek to be satisfied; once he feels satisfied, he will stop his pursuit. It’s the same with learning: when a person feels that he doesn’t know enough, he will go learn something new; when he feels he’s learnt enough, he will slow down or even stop.
