The source of the Chinese dharma words

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thomaslaw
Posts: 182
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2013 2:00 am
Location: Australia

The source of the Chinese dharma words

Post by thomaslaw »

Dear Dharma friends,

Does anyone know the source of the following Chinese dharma words:

人生難得今已得 ,佛法難聞今既聞, 此身不向今生度, 更待何時度此身?

It teaches about the human life is hard to have (in the samsara based on karma), and the Buddha-dhrama is also hard to hear; but now if you have both the human life and Buddha-dhrama, then it is better to attend the cessation of suffering in this life.

Thanks

Thomas
Fortyeightvows
Posts: 2948
Joined: Mon Oct 06, 2014 2:37 am

Re: The source of the Chinese dharma words

Post by Fortyeightvows »

Its from the sutras!
http://www.3fo.org/article/article.jsp? ... &se=22&f=1

It's one of those things that everyone says and quotes but no one knows the source.
thomaslaw
Posts: 182
Joined: Fri Apr 19, 2013 2:00 am
Location: Australia

Re: The source of the Chinese dharma words

Post by thomaslaw »

Fortyeightvows wrote: Thu Jul 26, 2018 5:03 am Its from the sutras!
http://www.3fo.org/article/article.jsp? ... &se=22&f=1

It's one of those things that everyone says and quotes but no one knows the source.
Do you mean it is not entirely from the sutras? :thinking:
Sentient Light
Posts: 374
Joined: Thu Sep 15, 2016 8:40 pm
Location: San Francisco, California

Re: The source of the Chinese dharma words

Post by Sentient Light »

thomaslaw wrote: Thu Jul 26, 2018 8:36 am
Do you mean it is not entirely from the sutras? :thinking:
Not to put words in Fortyeightvows's words, but i think they were inferencing simply that the lines are propagated so widely that their source is simply unknown.

That line, or at least the basic structure of it, occurs time and time again across the scriptural corpus, in every canon, so it's likely something that the earliest monastic sangha really liked to say to people.
:buddha1: Nam mô A di đà Phật :buddha1:
:bow: Nam mô Quan Thế Âm Bồ tát :bow:
:bow: Nam mô Đại Thế Chi Bồ Tát :bow:

:buddha1: Nam mô Bổn sư Thích ca mâu ni Phật :buddha1:
:bow: Nam mô Di lặc Bồ tát :bow:
:bow: Nam mô Địa tạng vương Bồ tát :bow:
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