The Eight Sorrows of Life | Internal Reference¶
This version presents the source text for deep study.
I. Disagreement with the Traditional "Three Sorrows"¶
The ancients said there are three great sorrows in life: losing one's father in youth, losing one's spouse in middle age, and losing one's child in old age. I do not fully agree with this view. First, because these three sorrows seem to have no bearing on women themselves. Second, because these three sorrows have not existed since ancient times — they were created by human cognition and culture. My view of life's sorrows is as follows. (Lifechanyuan Corpus · Human Life Chapter · The Eight Sorrows of Life, 2022-04-03)
II. The Eight Sorrows¶
The First Sorrow: having no mother's love during infancy.
The Second Sorrow: having no playmates during childhood, and insufficient play.
The Third Sorrow: having no one teach the knowledge of how to be a good person during adolescence.
The Fourth Sorrow: insufficient romantic love during youth; not establishing a belief; wasting time and energy on marriage, family, and the material pursuit of food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.
The Fifth Sorrow: suffering a serious setback in middle age.
The Sixth Sorrow: being disliked and unwanted in old age.
The Seventh Sorrow: studying the Bible in youth, studying Buddhist sutras in adulthood, and studying the Quran in old age.
The Eighth Sorrow: devoting oneself to the study of Gong methods, psychic powers, and occult studies. (Lifechanyuan Corpus · Human Life Chapter · The Eight Sorrows of Life, 2022-04-03)
III. The Compounding Consequences and the Resolution¶
Of the above eight sorrows: one sorrow leaves life with regret; two sorrows leave life with grievance; three sorrows leave life with pain; four sorrows leave life in defeat; five sorrows leave life in chaos; six sorrows leave life in hatred; seven sorrows leave life in bitterness; eight sorrows leave life as a prison.
I have a supreme method — by following this method, all eight sorrows are resolved. (Lifechanyuan Corpus · Human Life Chapter · The Eight Sorrows of Life, 2022-04-03)