To give you a tiny sampling, a flavor of what Theravada Buddhist monks chant every morning, following are a few stanzas of the Buddha's exact teachings in his native Pali language (with translations), which have been precisely kept intact by his order of monks for over 2500 years, or since three months after the Buddha's death. Chanting these words as a group insures that the words never become altered or embellished over the centuries, assuring that these words are what the Buddha actually spoke.
Jatipi dukkha jarapi dukkha maranampi dukkham. Birth is stressful, ageing is stressful, death is stressful,
Soka-parideva-dukkha-domanassupayasapi dukkha, Sorrow, lamentation. Pain, distress, and despair are stressful.
Appiyehi sampayogo dukkho piyehi vippayogo dukkho yamp iccham na labhati tampi dukkham Association with things disliked is stressful, separation from things liked is stressful, not getting what one wants is stressful,
Sankhittena pancpadanakkhnada dukkha, In short, the five aggregates for clinging are stressful.
Seyyathidam: Namely;
Rupupadanakkhandho, Bodily form as an aggregate of clinging,
Vedanupadanakkhandho, Feeling as an aggregate for clinging,
Sannupadanakkhandho, Perception as an aggregate for clinging,
Sankharupadanakkhandho Mental processes as an aggregate for clinging,
Vinnanupadanakkhando. Consciousness as an aggregate for clinging.
. . . Rupam aniccam Bodily Form is inconsistent
Vedana anicca Feeling is inconsistent
Sanna anicca Perception is inconsistent
Sankhara anicca Mental processes are inconsistent
Vinnanam aniccam Consciousness is inconsistent
Rupam anatta Bodily form is not self
Vedana anatta Feeling is not self
Sanna anatta Perception is not self
Sankhara anatta Mental processes are not self
Vinnanam anatta Consciousness is not self
Sabbe sankhara anicca All processes are inconstant
Sabbe dhamma anattati All phenomena are not-self
Te mayam otinnamha jatiya jara-maranena, sokehi paridevehi dukkhehi domanassehi upayasehi, dukkh'otinna dukkha-pareta. All of us, beset by birth, ageing, and death, by sorrows, lamentations, pains, distresses, and despairs, beset by stress, overcome with stress
Appeva nam'imassa kevalassa dukkhakkhandhassa antakiriya pannayethati O, that the end of this entire mass of suffering and stress might be known.
(And then, of course, the Buddha, the great physician, goes on to tell us exactly how, step by step, to get beyond all of this)!
E. Raymond Rock of Fort Myers, Florida is cofounder and principal teacher at the Southwest Florida Insight Center, http://www.SouthwestFloridaInsightCenter.com His twenty-nine years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents, including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Theravada Buddhist monk. His book, A Year to Enlightenment (Career Press/New Page Books) is now available at major bookstores and online retailers. Visit http://www.AYearToEnlightenment.com
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