Suffering in the Five Realms (Wu Ku Zhang Ju Jing) 五苦章句經

Translated by Tan Wulan

Colophon

第 17 冊　No. 741 五苦章句經 東晉 竺曇無蘭譯 共 1 卷 Volume 17, No. 741; Suffering in the Five Realms (Wu Ku Zhang Ju Jing); Translated by Tan Wulan in the Eastern Jin in 1 scroll

Notes

Date 381-395 from Lancaster (Lancaster 2004, 'K 797')

English Translations

None

Summary

The Buddha explains the concept of five kinds of suffering in the cycle of birth and death across the three realms and five paths. These include the suffering of heavenly beings, humans, animals, hungry ghosts, and those in hell. Even heavenly beings, despite their long lives and pleasures, face eventual death and destruction, while humans endure countless hardships such as aging, sickness, conflicts, and death. Animals suffer from fear, predation, and exploitation; hungry ghosts experience extreme hunger and thirst without relief; and those in hell undergo severe punishments based on their past deeds. The Buddha emphasizes that liberation from these sufferings requires discipline, wisdom, and detachment from worldly attachments, urging his disciples to transcend the cycle of suffering through spiritual cultivation.

Primary Source

Tan Wulan, 《五苦章句經》 'Wu Ku Zhang Ju Jing,' in Taishō shinshū Daizōkyō 《大正新脩大藏經》, in Takakusu Junjiro, ed., (Tokyo: Taishō Shinshū Daizōkyō Kankōkai, 1988), Vol. 17, No. 741, Accessed 2016-09-25, http://tripitaka.cbeta.org/T17n0741.

References

  1. Lancaster, L.R. 2004, The Korean Buddhist Canon: A Descriptive Catalogue, http://www.acmuller.net/descriptive_catalogue.

Collection vocabulary analysis