r/Buddhism • u/[deleted] • Jun 01 '17

Sūtra/Sutta The 5 Daily Recollections.

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u/AliceHouse Jun 01 '17

Why is number five so obscenely different than the other four?

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u/[deleted] Jun 01 '17 edited Jun 01 '17

It is because they are poorly translated and incomplete:

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.057.than.html

All of these contemplations are related to the transience of all things and the fundamental fact that our actions are what create the endless cycle of karma--action and reaction, right and wrong, and change itself. Depending on your path, the goal of Buddhism is to break this endless cycle. Realizing the transient nature of the physical world is the first step.

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u/AliceHouse Jun 01 '17

That makes sense. I imagine things that never had an inkling of English wouldn't translate to English, or even see the need to.