{"id":249358,"date":"2023-12-04T12:00:26","date_gmt":"2023-12-04T12:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/?p=249358"},"modified":"2023-11-29T06:11:15","modified_gmt":"2023-11-29T06:11:15","slug":"sutra-on-the-eight-realizations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/2023\/12\/sutra-on-the-eight-realizations\/","title":{"rendered":"Sutra on the Eight Realizations"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

SantiPhotoSS \/ Shutterstock<\/p><\/div>\n

I who would follow the Teachings of Buddha
\nShould concentrate earnestly morning and night
\nWith resolve in my heart, on these Teachings the Buddha
\nHas given to free us from suffering’s grasp.<\/p>\n

This is the first of the things to remember:
\nThroughout all the world there is nothing that’s permanent.
\nEven the Earth has the nature of transience.
\nBodies are centers of sorrow and emptiness.
\nAll of my parts are devoid of self,
\nAre dependent on causes and therefore impermanent,
\nChanging, decaying and out of control.
\nExpectations of permanence cause disappointment,
\nForming attachments that lead to wrongdoing.
\nObserving the world in this light, may I daily
\nprogress toward freedom from birth and from death.<\/p>\n

This is the second thing I should remember:
\nExcessive desire only brings me to suffering.
\nBirth and death, sorrow and weariness all are from
\nGreedy attachment to things of this world.
\nBut controlling desire cuts the root of unhappiness,
\nLeaving the body and mind to relax.<\/p>\n

This is the third of the things to remember:
\nInsatiable cravings for things of this world
\nOnly cause me to pile up more useless possessions,
\nIncreasing my motives for sin and wrongdoing.
\nA seeker of freedom should let go of craving
\nAnd, seeing it’s uselessness, grow in contentment.
\nRejecting life’s baubles and seeking the Way
\nI’ll concern myself only with gaining release.<\/p>\n

This is the fourth of the things to remember:
\nMy laziness leads to my own degradation.
\nI always should work just as hard as I can
\nBecause only by this can I solve all my problems
\nAnd so be released from the things that bedevil me,
\nFinally escaping to Infinite Light.<\/p>\n

This is the fifth of the things to remember:
\nThe roots of unhappiness spring from my ignorance.
\nI who would follow the Buddha, remember to
\nListen and read to develop my knowledge,
\nSo as to aid other sufferers, hoping to
\nBring sentient beings Nirvana’s release
\nAnd awaken them all to Enlightenment’s bliss.<\/p>\n

This is the sixth of the things to remember:
\nIll feeling is often occasioned by poverty
\nLeading to discord and further unhappiness.
\nFollowing Buddha’s example, I always should
\nTreat every being with love and respect.
\nHaving malice toward none, I should dwell in contentment
\nAnd aid and encourage all beings to Peace.<\/p>\n

This is the seventh thing I should remember:
\nThe passions would lead me to sin and to sorrow,
\nBut students of Dharma won’t drag themselves down
\nBy relying on pleasure to bring themselves happiness.
\nBetter to think of the monks in their robes,
\nWho are happy and free from the causes of misery.
\nSeeing the benefits brought by the Teachings,
\nI firmly resolve to attain to Enlightenment,
\nBeing a better example to others,
\nIn hopes that they also will gain this release.<\/p>\n

This is the eighth of the things to remember:
\nThe flames of existence are hard to escape from.
\nThey bring us to pain and to sorrow unlimited.
\nThus I resolve to awake from my slumber
\nAnd, feeling concern for all sentient beings,
\nArouse in myself an intense dedication
\nWhich lets me withstand all my pain with forbearance,
\nAvoiding taking it out on my neighbors
\nBut helping them, too, to attain Perfect Peace.<\/p>\n

These are the precepts that lead to enlightenment,
\nThis is the path that was trod by the Buddhas,
\nThe great Boddhisattvas and Buddha’s disciples.
\nThe truths they remembered which brought them release.
\nI will follow them carefully, constantly try to
\nDevelop compassion and wisdom together
\nTo help me escape to the opposite shore
\nWhereupon, freed from suffering, I can return
\nTo the realm of Samsara in comfort and joy,
\nBringing freedom and peace to all sentient beings.
\nThese statements are tools that will help me remember.
\nIn order to follow the Teachings, I’ll always
\nRemember these eight ways of looking at life,
\nGaining the wisdom and peace of Nirvana
\nFor only by this will I always be free
\nFrom the wheel of rebirth with it’s pain and it’s sorrow,
\nAt last and forever to finally find rest.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Go to Original – buddhism.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This is the first of the things to remember:
\nThroughout all the world there is nothing that’s permanent.
\nEven the Earth has the nature of transience.
\nBodies are centers of sorrow and emptiness. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":108698,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[202],"tags":[1198,107,805,2063],"class_list":["post-249358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-spirituality","tag-buddhism","tag-religion","tag-spirituality","tag-sutras"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=249358"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249358\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":249363,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/249358\/revisions\/249363"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/108698"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=249358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=249358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.transcend.org\/tms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=249358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}