This website is the home of The Four Noble Truths on the web.

Eight Freedoms / Eight Unfree States

(Unfree states: Being born in hell, preta realm, animal realm, as a long-lived god, as a barbarian, as human with wrong views, born at a time buddha has not come, as a mute/dumb)

• Analyze disadvantage of each [unfree state] in terms of place, body, suffering, and lifespan. Be very precise about the sufferings, as if born there. What is it like to be one of these beings? What is the ground like? What things fall from the sky? How big is the body? How would you feel in a pot of boiling water? How would you feel if someone cut you to pieces with a knife? How would you feel if your smooth flesh was burning in a iron house? How long will it take you to get out?
• Develop a sense of sadness about beings in this situation – generate compassion. Their suffering is without qualities. By comparison, our suffering gives us a taste of samsara, induces compassion, defuses arrogance, and pokes us to take up virtue. They have buddha nature but not the opportunity. They don’t know about the teachings.
• Analyze our own situation. Do I have all the eight freedoms? If so, rejoice – this is very precious. Contemplate how easy it is to lose. Death is certain, and it will be sudden.  What comes after that depends on cause and effect. Don’t expend effort on trivial cravings. You will still die. Are there some freedoms missing? How can I get them? Contemplate how difficult it is to get these freedoms. For example, how long it takes to get out of the hell realms. Check again and again – what is it that you have that others don’t? Without checking, mind will not turn. This is what happens in the god realms. Checking is like rubbing a knife to keep it sharp.
• If you think you don’t have time, examine what the eight states of non-leisure are like. Develop certainty that you have the freedoms.
• Understand how things were before we were born human. Hold the freedoms close and practice.
• Check that you would not be able to practice if born in unfree states. Reinforce “I will not be able to practice there.”
• Habituate to thought “This is the time to make dharma practice possible.”
• Barbarians – refers to beings who oppose the teachings of dharma. Beings who hold beliefs that go against dharma.
• Mute - refers to inability to contemplate/ comprehed properly.