The eight worldly conditions are ... - Dhamma by Ajahn Jayasāro


The eight worldly conditions are gain and loss, status and obscurity, praise and criticism, pleasure and pain. Wherever we go, there is no escape from these things. They are always present, whether we are in a busy city or a secluded monastery. Even fully enlightened beings experience them. The mental suffering lies not in the conditions themselves, but in our attitude towards them. Unwise people take the eight worldly conditions very seriously, because they do not see how temporary, unreliable, and unable to provide true happiness they all are. People become attached to gain, status, praise and pleasure. They fear separation from them and when they experience their opposites: loss, a decline in status, criticism, and pain, they feel grief and depression. The wise know these eight conditions for what they are: unavoidable aspects of the human realm. They look after their minds, not allowing them to become obsessed by mere worldly conditions

The eight worldly conditions are

Source: