Dragon's Gate Temple Library


The Enlightenment Sutra
佛說八大人覺經


為佛弟子,

I who would follow the Teachings of Buddha

常於晝夜,

Should concentrate earnestly morning and night

至心誦念,

With resolve in my heart, on these Teachings the Buddha

八大人覺。

Has given to free us from suffering's grasp.


第一覺悟,

This is the first of the things to remember:

世間無常,

Throughout all the world there is nothing that's permanent.

國土危脆;

Even the Earth has the nature of transience.

四大苦空,

Bodies are centers of sorrow and emptiness.

五陰無我,

All of my parts are devoid of self,

生滅變異,

Are dependent on causes and therefore impermanent,

虛偽無主;

Changing, decaying and out of control.

心是惡源,

Expectations of permanence cause disappointment,

形為罪藪;

Forming attachments that lead to wrongdoing.

如是觀察,

Observing the world in this light, may I daily

漸離生死。

Progress toward freedom from birth and from death.


第二覺知,

This is the second thing I should remember:

多欲為苦,

Excessive desire only brings me to suffering.

生死疲勞,

Birth and death, sorrow and weariness all are from

從貪欲起,

Greedy attachment to things of this world.

少欲無為,

But controlling desire cuts the root of unhappiness,

身心自在。

Leaving the body and mind to relax.


第三覺知,

This is the third of the things to remember:

心無厭足,

Insatiable cravings for things of this world

惟得多求,

Only cause me to pile up more useless possessions,

增長罪惡;

Increasing my motives for sin and wrongdoing.

菩薩不爾,

A seeker of freedom should let go of craving

常念知足,

And, seeing it's uselessness, grow in contentment.

安貧守道,

Rejecting life's baubles and seeking the Way

惟慧是業。

I'll concern myself only with gaining release.


第四覺知,

This is the fourth of the things to remember:

懈怠墜落;

My laziness leads to my own degradation.

常行精進,

I always should work just as hard as I can

破煩惱惡,

Because only by this can I solve all my problems

摧伏四魔,

And so be released from the things that bedevil me,

出陰界獄。

Finally escaping to Infinite Light.


第五覺悟,

This is the fifth of the things to remember:

愚癡生死,

The roots of unhappiness spring from my ignorance.

菩薩常念,

I who would follow the Buddha, should always

廣學多聞,

Make use of all chances to listen and study, to

增長智慧,

Read and develop my knowledge and wisdom,

成就辯才,

And thereby to aid other sufferers, hoping to

教化一切,

Bring sentient beings Nirvana's release

悉以大樂。

And awaken them all to Enlightenment's bliss.


第六覺知,

This is the sixth of the things to remember:

貧苦多怨,

Ill feeling is often occasioned by poverty

橫結惡緣;

Leading to discord and further unhappiness.

菩薩布施,

Following Buddha's example, I always should

等念怨親,

Treat every being with love and respect.

不念舊惡,

Having malice toward none, I should dwell in contentment

不憎惡人。

And aid and encourage all beings to Peace.


第七覺悟,

This is the seventh thing I should remember:

五欲過患;

The passions would lead me to sin and to sorrow,

雖為俗人,

But students of Dharma won't drag themselves down

不染世樂,

By relying on pleasure to bring themselves happiness.

常念三衣,

Better to think of the monks in their robes,

瓦缽法器,

Who are happy and free from the causes of misery.

志願出家,

Seeing the benefits brought by the Teachings,

守道清白,

I firmly resolve to attain to Enlightenment,

梵行高遠,

Being a better example to others,

慈悲一切。

In hopes that they also will gain this release.


第八覺知,

This is the eighth of the things to remember:

生死熾然,

The flames of existence are hard to escape from.

苦惱無量,

They bring us to pain and to sorrow unlimited.

發大乘心,

Thus I resolve to awake from my slumber

普濟一切;

And, feeling concern for all sentient beings,

願代眾生,

Arouse in myself an intense dedication

受無量苦;

Which lets me withstand all my pain with forbearance,

令諸眾生,

Avoiding taking it out on my neighbors

畢竟大樂。

But helping them, too, to attain Perfect Peace.


如此八事,

These are the precepts that lead to enlightenment.

乃是諸佛

This is the path that was trod by the Buddhas,

菩薩大人

The great Boddhisattvas and Buddha's disciples;

之所覺悟,

The truths they remembered which brought them release.

精進行道,

I will follow them carefully, constantly try to

慈悲修慧,

Develop compassion and wisdom together

乘法身船,

To help me escape to the opposite shore

至涅槃岸,

Whereupon, freed from suffering, I can return

復還生死,

To the realm of Samsara in comfort and joy,

度脫眾生。

Bringing freedom and peace to all sentient beings.

以前八事,

These eight ways of thought, understood and remembered,

開導一切,

Will open the pathway that leads to Nirvana,

令諸眾生,

And, showing the way to all sentient beings,

覺生死苦,

Will lead them to gain understanding of life

捨離五欲,

And will help them escape from the pain caused by grasping.

修心聖道。

These statements are tools that will help me remember.

若佛弟子,

In order to follow the Teachings, I'll always

誦此八事,

Remember these eight ways of looking at life,


於念念中,

And by constantly keeping my mind on the Dharma,

滅無量罪,

Escape the results of my grasping and ignorance,

進趣菩提,

Gaining the wisdom and peace of Nirvana

速登正覺;

For only by this will I always be free

永斷生死,

From the wheel of rebirth with its pain and its sorrow,

常住快樂。

At last and forever to finally find rest.


Notes:

If you aren't set up to read Chinese, you will get lines of gibberish between the lines of English. To see the page without the Chinese, go here.

This is not an exact translation, but a rewording to be chanted in English.
If you use a "wooden fish", drum, or other rhythm-keeping instrument, the beat is on every third syllable.

If chanting simultaneously with the Chinese version, every third, or stressed, syllable corresponds to one word in Chinese.

The gong is usually used at the beginning and end of a Sutra- the tradition I am most familiar with hits the gong twice at the beginning and three times at the end. When one section ends and the next starts (where there is a horizontal black line), the two unstressed syllables are silent, and the gong can be rung once.

Keep a rhythm of at least one beat a second, except for the first and last lines, which are slower.


or go here for the text and commentary in Chinese.

 

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