Five Daily Reflections & The Benefits of Cultivating Five Daily Reflections

Five Daily Reflections

*I am subject to aging, have not gone beyond aging.

*I am subject to illness, have not gone beyond illness.
*I am subject to death, have not gone beyond death.
*I will grow different; separate from all that is dear and appealing to me.
*I am the owner of my actions (kammas), heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and abide supported by my actions. Whatever I do, for good or for evil, to that will I fall heir.

These are the five facts that one should reflect on often, whether one is a woman or a man, lay or ordained.

___Anguttara Nikaya V-57 {Upajjhatthana Sutta}___

The Benefits of Cultivating Five Daily Reflections

By cultivating these five daily reflections, one never forgets about aging, illness and death: When the time has arrived for him to face them in reality, he would not be afraid of them as much as before he was because of already well-prepared. It would also help him to reduce attachments related to things and persons so that he would not be insane when they are being destroyed. He would remind himself to save good deeds in time and not to do any evil because he knows well about the fact that kamma is his own property and true relative. By doing so, one would have such good consequences.

Additional Explanations:
Only the wholesome and unwholesome kammas made by beings are their relatives and true friends (or false friends in the case of unwholesome kammas) , always accompanying them wherever they may wander through many lives and world cycles.

By way of explanation, we can say that although there are parents, brothers, children, relatives, teachers, and friends whom we love and rely upon, we can only do this for a short time - until our death.

But one’s own physical, verbal, and mental deeds are constant companions who accompany one and give happiness and prosperity (or misery) in one’s future lives. So, wholesome deeds alone are one’s true relatives and friends who should be esteemed and relied upon.

Therefore the Buddha declares:

“All beings are related to their kamma and kamma as their refuge.”

Source : Buddhism for beginners group