Eight Worldly Dharmas

The Eight Worldly Dharmas are:

Getting what you want, and avoiding getting what you do not want 

Wanting (instant) happiness, and not wanting unhappiness 

Wanting fame, and not wanting to be unknown 

Wanting praise, and not wanting blame.

One of the classic Buddhist teachings on hope and fear concerns what are known as the eight worldly dharmas. These are four pairs of opposites--- four things that we like and become attached to and four things we don’t like and try to avoid.

First, we like pleasure; we are attached to it. Conversely, we don’t like pain. Second, we like are attached to praise. We try to avoid criticism and blame. Third, we like and are attached to fame. We dislike and try to avoid disgrace. Finally w are attached to gain, to getting what we want. We don’t like losing what we have.

According to this very simple teaching, becoming immersed in these four pairs of opposites ----- pleasure and pain, loss and gain, fame and disgrace, and praise and blame – is what keeps us stuck in the pain of samsara.

- Buddha.