The name and the text in the library
«Bát» is eight, «đại nhân» a great being, «giác» awakening or clear seeing: the title means the eight awakenings of great beings. The library spells it with the southern reading «Nhơn», so you will meet both Nhân and Nhơn. The page gives the Chinese title 佛說八大人覺經 and runs to about 560 words, some 2 minutes of reading: an opening, eight numbered awakenings and a closing passage, in Vietnamese prose.
It is a short sūtra familiar to many Vietnamese Buddhists. The commentary explains that anyone who has taken refuge in the Buddha, lay or monastic, is the Buddha's disciple, and the seventh awakening itself tells lay people not to be stained by worldly pleasures. So the sūtra is meant for every follower of the Buddha, not for monastics only.
The eight awakenings
First, seeing that the world is impermanent and lands are fragile; the four elements are suffering and empty; the five aggregates have no self; everything arises, ceases and changes, unreal and without a master; the mind is the root of evil and the body the storehouse of offences; contemplating this, one gradually leaves birth and death behind. Second, much desire brings suffering, and the weariness of birth and death comes from craving; with few desires and no striving, body and mind are free. Third, the mind never knows enough and keeps seeking more, so wrongdoing grows; bodhisattvas instead keep contentment in mind, live simply, guard the Way and make wisdom their work. Fourth, laziness leads to downfall; one must always be diligent, break through the afflictions, subdue the four kinds of māra and leave the prison of the five aggregates.
Fifth, ignorance keeps beings turning in birth and death; bodhisattvas always remember to study widely and learn much, so that wisdom grows, eloquence matures, and they can teach everyone and bring great joy. Sixth, poverty breeds resentment and bad ties; bodhisattvas practise giving, treat friend and foe alike, do not dwell on old wrongs and do not hate those who do wrong. Seventh, the five sense pleasures bring faults and misfortune; even a layperson should not be stained by worldly pleasures, but keep in mind the three robes, the bowl and the Dharma implements, cherish the wish to leave home, keep the Way pure, live the holy life and be compassionate to all. Eighth, birth and death burn like fire, with endless suffering; one should arouse the Mahāyāna aspiration to save all beings, vow to bear suffering in their place and lead everyone to ultimate peace.
The closing passage says these are the eight things the Buddhas, bodhisattvas and great beings have awakened to; diligently cultivating compassion and wisdom, they reach the shore of nirvāṇa, then return to birth and death to free beings, and use these eight to open the way for all. The last lines speak of the disciple who keeps reciting these eight in every moment of thought.
How the commentary explains the meaning
The Bát Đại Nhơn Giác Kinh Lược Giải divides the text into three parts: the general statement, the eight awakenings one by one, and the conclusion. It quotes the sūtra in four-syllable phrases, worded differently from the prose translation, and gives each awakening a short name, from «awakening to impermanence and non-self» for the first to «awakening to the great mind that saves all» for the eighth.
The commentary shows the eight as steps of a ladder. The first subdues the afflictions of view, that is, wrong understanding; the second subdues the afflictions of thought, foremost among them craving. Few desires joined with contentment let wisdom grow of itself; but contentment must not become an excuse for idleness, so diligence comes next. Diligence without wide learning easily becomes sitting in meditation while staying dim about the meaning of the teaching; the commentary likens much learning without wisdom, and wisdom with little learning, to hurting oneself — the one with fire, the other with a knife. Wisdom also needs merit, so the sixth awakening, with the fifth, completes the giving of material things, of fearlessness and of the Dharma. The seventh gives up the five pleasures so that the Three Jewels may flourish; the eighth arouses the Mahāyāna aspiration so that loving-kindness and compassion are complete.
At the end, notes explain difficult terms: the dependent and the direct karmic result, the afflictions of view and of thought, the four kinds of māra (of the afflictions, of the aggregates, of death, and the heavenly māra), the eighteen elements, and the three robes of monastics.
Reading and chanting at home
The sūtra is short enough to chant whole in a brief sitting: open the page, press «Chant», choose the slow speed and let the wooden fish keep the beat; tap the screen to stay with one awakening. The library holds the Vietnamese translation; there is no Chinese text, Sino-Vietnamese transliteration, PDF or recording yet.
