Twenty Difficult Things...

The Buddha said: "There are twenty difficult things to attain [or to accomplish] in this world:

1.) It is difficult for the poor to practise charity;

2.) It is difficult for the strong and rich to observe the Way;

3.) It is difficult to disregard life and go to a certain death;

4.) It is only a favored few that get acquainted with a Buddhist sutra;

5.) It is by rare opportunity that a person is born in the age of Buddha;

6.) It is difficult to conquer the passions, to supress selfish desires;

7.) It is difficult not to hanker after that which is agreeable;

8.) It is difficult not to get into a passion when slighted;

9.) It is difficult not to abuse one's authority;

10.) It is difficult to be even-minded and simple-hearted in all one's dealings with others;

11.) It is difficult to be thorough in learning and exhaustive in investigation;

12.) It is difficult to subdue selfish pride;

13.) It is difficult not to feel contempt toward the unlearned;

14.) It is difficult to be one in knowledge and practice;

15.) It is difficult not to express an opinion about others;

16.) It is by rare opportunity that one is introduced to a true spiritual teacher;

17.) It is difficult to gain insight into the nature of being and to practice the Way;

18.) It is difficult to follow the steps of a savior;

19.) It is difficult to be always the master of oneself;

20.) It is difficult to understand thoroughly the Ways of Buddha

From "The Sutra of Forty-two Chapters" included in "Zen for Americans" by Soyen Shaku, translated by D.T. Suzuki, an unabridged reprint of the 1913 edition of "Sermons of a Buddhist" (Barnes & Noble Books, 1993, p. 10 - 11)