Talking about balancing Greed (Bối) and Mindfulness (Tâm) under the roof of the Present (Kim) is easy, but practicing it in real life is a different story. Life offers no universal formula. Everyone’s circumstances are different, and the seesaw of each life tilts in its own unique way.

So, what can we use as a universal reference point to guide our daily choices?

The answer lies in two words: TRI TÚC (知足) – Knowing Enough (Contentment).

People usually think that “knowing enough” is a tool meant only to restrain Greed (Bối) and curb our hunger for money and material wealth. But in reality, even within Mindfulness (Niệm) and the high-minded pursuits of the Heart (Tâm), there lies a powerful craving. At its core, this is DESIRE (欲 – Yù)—the very fire that drives us down our chosen path. And desire, after all, is the root of all greed.

When we want to do endless charitable deeds, meditate for hours on end, or achieve some lofty state of spiritual enlightenment… if we are not careful, that too becomes a form of Desire. It is greed wearing the robes of virtue.

Therefore, to maintain the Middle Way of balance, we cannot just look at the surface—whether it is money or spirituality. We must constantly look back at the root: our own DESIRE.

The compass of “Knowing Enough” operates entirely in the present moment (KIM), forcing our internal desires to align with our objective reality.

• The most practical example: When a person grows old and their body becomes frail, yet their mind still craves to join intense, physically demanding activities. No matter how healthy or beneficial to society those activities might be, forcing an aging body to chase them is still an act of ego and desire. It is a failure to practice “Tri Túc” with the current reality of one’s own physical self.

Knowing enough does not mean giving up or settling for mediocrity. Knowing enough means knowing clearly: “Right now, who am I, where am I, and what do I truly need?”

By constantly evaluating and adjusting our Desire through the spirit of Contentment in the present moment, the seesaw between Wealth (Bối) and Heart (Tâm) will naturally find its equilibrium. That is a truly mindful way of living—one that is free from dogma and in perfect harmony with the natural laws of life.