In a discourse given by the Buddha, he outlined five subjects that should be contemplated often. They are:
• I am subject to aging; I have not gone beyond aging.
• I am subject to illness; I have not gone beyond illness.
• I am subject to death; I have not gone beyond death.
• I will grow separate from all that is dear and appealing to me.
• I am the owner of my actions, heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have my actions as my arbitrator and refuge. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir.
The first three subjects for contemplation first arose when the Buddha ventured out of his palace at age 29 and saw a sick person, an old person and a dead person (often referred to as the three divine messengers). Leading a protected life of luxury and being a young and healthy man he had never seen sickness and death to this extent. This had a profound effect and led him to question whether there was a path to the end of this suffering. It wasn’t until he had spent 6 years as an renunciant ascetic that he realized that deprivation wasn’t the way to end suffering. He discovered that each moment is complete in itself and happiness can arise without any additions to or subtractions from the present moment. He later discovered that the cause of our suffering is a fundamental ignorance of this fact. And because of this ignorance we grasp at pleasant and are aversive toward the unpleasant. The first three contemplations are meant to engage us and point us away from the intoxication and infatuation with youth, health, and life, respectively. Think for a moment how often we regard our chronological as being “owned” by a sense of “me”. Think for a moment how often we regard our health as being “my health” and “my body”. Think for a moment how often we regard life as “my life”. The Buddha explains the reason to contemplate these subjects is to overcome our conceit (mada) with good health, youth, and being alive!
The fourth contemplation is meant to overcome lust (raga) and craving (tanha). We will be separated from all that is dear to us. It is because we regard these things as pleasant and being “owned “ by “me” that suffering arises when we lose them or they are no longer available to us.
The fifth contemplation is meant to weaken or overcome irresponsibility in thoughts, words, and deeds. There is a common belief that we can “get away” with something. The fifth contemplation is perhaps the shortest discourse on karma that the Buddha ever gave. The teaching of Karma wasn’t meant to explain everything that happens. If we get sick, get cancer, get assaulted and robbed, or have a roof leak or car problems, it may be just due to bad luck (causes and conditions not brought on by our ethical intentions) and nothing what so ever to do with any previous intentional actions on our part in this life or previous lives (if you are so inclined). The teaching of karma was meant to show us how intentions influence our happiness and suffering and to teach that we are responsible for our actions and their results. When we act from an intention of craving, anger, or delusion it has results. Some results are immediate. The moment we are angry there is an immediate physical effect in our bodies and we suffer. When we act on this anger the results of that action set in motion effects which lead to more unskillful states (if nothing else we have deepened our own habit of anger). In the same way when we act from a place of love and compassion we may experience the feeling of joy. That act has set in motion the circumstances for more skillful actions in the future (by our self and others perhaps). So here in this subject for contemplation the Buddha once again asks us to pay attention to our ethical intentions and their results.
He then goes on to advise us to look around and notice that all beings are subject to old age, sickness, and death. They all will be separated from things they love, and that they (like us) are inheritors of their intentional actions and their results.
Spend one day this week being mindful of these contemplations. Be mindful of them not only from our perspective but from the perspective of all beings.
The entire Sutta is below. May you be well, happy and peaceful. Floyd
Subjects for Contemplation
Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
“There are these five facts that one should reflect on often, whether one is a woman or a man, lay or ordained. Which five?
“‘I am subject to aging, have not gone beyond aging.’ This is the first fact that one should reflect on often, whether one is a woman or a man, lay or ordained.
“‘I am subject to illness, have not gone beyond illness.’ …
“‘I am subject to death, have not gone beyond death.’ …
“‘I will grow different, separate from all that is dear and appealing to me.’ …
“‘I am the owner of my actions,[1] heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have my actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir.’ …
“These are the five facts that one should reflect on often, whether one is a woman or a man, lay or ordained.
“Now, based on what line of reasoning should one often reflect… that ‘I am subject to aging, have not gone beyond aging’? There are beings who are intoxicated with a [typical] youth’s intoxication with youth. Because of that intoxication with youth, they conduct themselves in a bad way in body… in speech… and in mind. But when they often reflect on that fact, that youth’s intoxication with youth will either be entirely abandoned or grow weaker…
“Now, based on what line of reasoning should one often reflect… that ‘I am subject to illness, have not gone beyond illness’? There are beings who are intoxicated with a [typical] healthy person’s intoxication with health. Because of that intoxication with health, they conduct themselves in a bad way in body… in speech… and in mind. But when they often reflect on that fact, that healthy person’s intoxication with health will either be entirely abandoned or grow weaker…
“Now, based on what line of reasoning should one often reflect… that ‘I am subject to death, have not gone beyond death’? There are beings who are intoxicated with a living person’s intoxication with life. Because of that intoxication with life, they conduct themselves in a bad way in body… in speech… and in mind. But when they often reflect on that fact, that living person’s intoxication with life will either be entirely abandoned or grow weaker…
“Now, based on what line of reasoning should one often reflect… that ‘I will grow different, separate from all that is dear and appealing to me’? There are beings who feel desire and passion for the things they find dear and appealing. Because of that passion, they conduct themselves in a bad way in body… in speech… and in mind. But when they often reflect on that fact, that desire and passion for the things they find dear and appealing will either be entirely abandoned or grow weaker…
“Now, based on what line of reasoning should one often reflect… that ‘I am the owner of my actions, heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have my actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir’? There are beings who conduct themselves in a bad way in body… in speech… and in mind. But when they often reflect on that fact, that bad conduct in body, speech, and mind will either be entirely abandoned or grow weaker…
“Now, a disciple of the noble ones considers this: ‘I am not the only one subject to aging, who has not gone beyond aging. To the extent that there are beings — past and future, passing away and re-arising — all beings are subject to aging, have not gone beyond aging.’ When he/she often reflects on this, the [factors of the] path take birth. He/she sticks with that path, develops it, cultivates it. As he/she sticks with that path, develops it and cultivates it, the fetters are abandoned, the obsessions destroyed.
“Further, a disciple of the noble ones considers this: ‘I am not the only one subject to illness, who has not gone beyond illness.’… ‘I am not the only one subject to death, who has not gone beyond death.’… ‘I am not the only one who will grow different, separate from all that is dear and appealing to me.’…
“A disciple of the noble ones considers this: ‘I am not the only one who is owner of my actions, heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have my actions as my arbitrator; who — whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir. To the extent that there are beings — past and future, passing away and re-arising — all beings are the owner of their actions, heir to their actions, born of their actions, related through their actions, and have their actions as their arbitrator. Whatever they do, for good or for evil, to that will they fall heir.’ When he/she often reflects on this, the [factors of the] path take birth. He/she sticks with that path, develops it, cultivates it. As he/she sticks with that path, develops it and cultivates it, the fetters are abandoned, the obsessions destroyed.”
Subject to birth, subject to aging,
subject to death,
run-of-the-mill people
are repelled by those who suffer
from that to which they are subject.
If I were to be repelled
by beings subject to these things,
it would not be fitting for me,
living as they do.
As I maintained this attitude —
knowing the Dhamma
I overcame all intoxication
with health, youth, & life
as one who sees
renunciation as rest.
For me, energy arose,
Unbinding was clearly seen.
There’s now no way
I could partake of sensual pleasures.
Having followed the holy life,
I will not return.
