Lives are ruined in people's attempt to satisfy
desires. They will steal, cheat, commit adultery
and then, when caught, will suffer from
disgrace and punishment.
They will sin against their own flesh, their
words, and their minds, even if they know
perfectly well that the gratification will bring
unhappiness and suffering:so perilous is desire.
From desire arises evil action; from evil action
arises suffering: desire, evil action and
suffering are likely an endlessly rotating wheel.
There is no beginning to the rolling of this
wheel, and no ending. One life follows
another in endless succession.
If one were to pile the ashes and bones of
himself in this endless rebirths, the pile would
be higher than the highest mountain; if one
were to collect the milk of mothers which he
suckled, it would be deeper than the deepest
sea.
Although everyone has the potential to be
purified, it is buried so deeply in the
defilements of worldly passion that it has long
been forgotten. That is why suffering is so
universal and the cycle of lives so endless.
All human woe springs from greed, anger and
delusion. To cast out these sources of woe,
we must observe the precepts, must practise
meditation, and must have wisdom.Observance of the precepts will remove the
impurities of greed; right meditation will
remove the impurities of anger; and wisdom
will remove the impurities of delusion.By following the Buddha's teaching, the roots
of evils will be removed and rebirth in the
world of suffering will be ended.11