In short: The Five Remembrances are five short reflections the Buddha said everyone should review often, "a woman or a man, a layperson or a renunciate". They name what every life shares: aging, illness, death, separation, and the fact that we are shaped by what we do. They are said in Theravāda evening chanting all over the world.
The source is AN 5.57. Pāli and translation by Bhikkhu Sujato, on SuttaCentral.
The five reflections, in Pāli and English
| Pāli | English |
|---|---|
| Jarādhammomhi, jaraṁ anatīto. | I am liable to grow old, I am not exempt from old age. |
| Byādhidhammomhi, byādhiṁ anatīto. | I am liable to get sick, I am not exempt from sickness. |
| Maraṇadhammomhi, maraṇaṁ anatīto. | I am liable to die, I am not exempt from death. |
| Sabbehi me piyehi manāpehi nānābhāvo vinābhāvo. | I must be parted and separated from all I hold dear and beloved. |
| Kammassakomhi, kammadāyādo kammayoni kammabandhu kammapaṭisaraṇo. Yaṁ kammaṁ karissāmi, kalyāṇaṁ vā pāpakaṁ vā, tassa dāyādo bhavissāmi. | I am the owner of my deeds and heir to my deeds. Deeds are my womb, my relative, and my refuge. I shall be the heir of whatever deeds I do, whether good or bad. |
Read the full guide
What each one is for
The discourse does not leave these as gloomy facts. For each reflection it explains the advantage, and it is always the same shape: reviewing it often gives up a kind of intoxication, "or at least reduces it". In ANEW's words:
- Aging loosens the vanity of youth.
- Illness loosens the vanity of health.
- Death loosens the vanity of life: the feeling that there is always more time.
- Separation loosens clinging to the people and things we love, so we can love them without grasping.
- Our deeds reminds us that what we do is what we keep, so we choose it with care.
Read together, they are less about fear than about priorities. If time is short and our actions are what remain, then today's kindness matters more than today's irritation.
How to use them each evening
- Sit quietly at the end of the day and take three slow breaths.
- Say each reflection slowly, in Pāli, English or both, pausing for one breath after each.
- After the fifth, ask one question: "What did I do today that I am glad to be heir to?"
- End with a wish of loving-kindness for someone you love.
They are part of the Buddhist evening chanting sequence, and fit well after the 3-minute evening practice.
If they feel heavy
That is normal at first. Start with only the fifth, about our deeds, which is the most hopeful: it says we are not stuck, because what we do next is ours. Add the others when you are ready. If you are grieving or struggling, be gentle with yourself; these reflections are meant to steady the heart, not to weigh it down.
More on the fifth remembrance: karma in Buddhism.
The full text in Pāli and English
Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato, from SuttaCentral (AN5.57). Ellipses (…) are abbreviations in the original.
| Pāli | English |
|---|---|
| “Pañcimāni, bhikkhave, ṭhānāni abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbāni itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā. | “Mendicants, a woman or a man, a layperson or a renunciate should often review these five subjects. |
| Katamāni pañca? | What five? |
| ‘Jarādhammomhi, jaraṁ anatīto’ti abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā. | ‘I am liable to grow old, I am not exempt from old age.’ A woman or a man, a layperson or a renunciate should often review this. |
| ‘Byādhidhammomhi, byādhiṁ anatīto’ti abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā. | ‘I am liable to get sick, I am not exempt from sickness.’ … |
| ‘Maraṇadhammomhi, maraṇaṁ anatīto’ti abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā. | ‘I am liable to die, I am not exempt from death.’ … |
| ‘Sabbehi me piyehi manāpehi nānābhāvo vinābhāvo’ti abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā. | ‘I must be parted and separated from all I hold dear and beloved.’ … |
| ‘Kammassakomhi, kammadāyādo kammayoni kammabandhu kammapaṭisaraṇo. | ‘I am the owner of my deeds and heir to my deeds. Deeds are my womb, my relative, and my refuge. |
| Yaṁ kammaṁ karissāmi—kalyāṇaṁ vā pāpakaṁ vā— | I shall be the heir of whatever deeds I do, whether good or bad.’ |
| tassa dāyādo bhavissāmī’ti abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā. | A woman or a man, a layperson or a renunciate should often review this. |
| Kiñca, bhikkhave, atthavasaṁ paṭicca ‘jarādhammomhi, jaraṁ anatīto’ti abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā? | What is the advantage for a woman or a man, a layperson or a renunciate of often reviewing this: ‘I am liable to grow old, I am not exempt from old age’? |
| Atthi, bhikkhave, sattānaṁ yobbane yobbanamado, yena madena mattā kāyena duccaritaṁ caranti, vācāya duccaritaṁ caranti, manasā duccaritaṁ caranti. | There are sentient beings who, intoxicated with the vanity of youth, do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. |
| Tassa taṁ ṭhānaṁ abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhato yo yobbane yobbanamado so sabbaso vā pahīyati tanu vā pana hoti. | Reviewing this subject often, they entirely give up the vanity of youth, or at least reduce it. |
| Idaṁ kho, bhikkhave, atthavasaṁ paṭicca ‘jarādhammomhi, jaraṁ anatīto’ti abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā. | This is the advantage for a woman or a man, a layperson or a renunciate of often reviewing this: ‘I am liable to grow old, I am not exempt from old age’. |
| Kiñca, bhikkhave, atthavasaṁ paṭicca ‘byādhidhammomhi, byādhiṁ anatīto’ti abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā? | What is the advantage of often reviewing this: ‘I am liable to get sick, I am not exempt from sickness’? |
| Atthi, bhikkhave, sattānaṁ ārogye ārogyamado, yena madena mattā kāyena duccaritaṁ caranti, vācāya duccaritaṁ caranti, manasā duccaritaṁ caranti. | There are sentient beings who, drunk on the vanity of health, do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. |
| Tassa taṁ ṭhānaṁ abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhato yo ārogye ārogyamado so sabbaso vā pahīyati tanu vā pana hoti. | Reviewing this subject often, they entirely give up the vanity of health, or at least reduce it. |
| Idaṁ kho, bhikkhave, atthavasaṁ paṭicca ‘byādhidhammomhi, byādhiṁ anatīto’ti abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā. | This is the advantage of often reviewing this: ‘I am liable to get sick, I am not exempt from sickness’. |
| Kiñca, bhikkhave, atthavasaṁ paṭicca ‘maraṇadhammomhi, maraṇaṁ anatīto’ti abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā? | What is the advantage of often reviewing this: ‘I am liable to die, I am not exempt from death’? |
| Atthi, bhikkhave, sattānaṁ jīvite jīvitamado, yena madena mattā kāyena duccaritaṁ caranti, vācāya duccaritaṁ caranti, manasā duccaritaṁ caranti. | There are sentient beings who, drunk on the vanity of life, do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. |
| Tassa taṁ ṭhānaṁ abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhato yo jīvite jīvitamado so sabbaso vā pahīyati tanu vā pana hoti. | Reviewing this subject often, they entirely give up the vanity of life, or at least reduce it. |
| Idaṁ kho, bhikkhave, atthavasaṁ paṭicca ‘maraṇadhammomhi, maraṇaṁ anatīto’ti abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā. | This is the advantage of often reviewing this: ‘I am liable to die, I am not exempt from death’. |
| Kiñca, bhikkhave, atthavasaṁ paṭicca ‘sabbehi me piyehi manāpehi nānābhāvo vinābhāvo’ti abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā? | What is the advantage of often reviewing this: ‘I must be parted and separated from all I hold dear and beloved’? |
| Atthi, bhikkhave, sattānaṁ piyesu manāpesu yo chandarāgo yena rāgena rattā kāyena duccaritaṁ caranti, vācāya duccaritaṁ caranti, manasā duccaritaṁ caranti. | There are sentient beings who, aroused by desire and lust for their dear and beloved, do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. |
| Tassa taṁ ṭhānaṁ abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhato yo piyesu manāpesu chandarāgo so sabbaso vā pahīyati tanu vā pana hoti. | Reviewing this subject often, they entirely give up desire and lust for their dear and beloved, or at least reduce it. |
| Idaṁ kho, bhikkhave, atthavasaṁ paṭicca ‘sabbehi me piyehi manāpehi nānābhāvo vinābhāvo’ti abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā. | This is the advantage of often reviewing this: ‘I must be parted and separated from all I hold dear and beloved’. |
| Kiñca, bhikkhave, atthavasaṁ paṭicca ‘kammassakomhi, kammadāyādo kammayoni kammabandhu kammapaṭisaraṇo, yaṁ kammaṁ karissāmi— | What is the advantage of often reviewing like this: ‘I am the owner of my deeds and heir to my deeds. Deeds are my womb, my relative, and my refuge. |
| kalyāṇaṁ vā pāpakaṁ vā—tassa dāyādo bhavissāmī’ti abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā? | I shall be the heir of whatever deeds I do, whether good or bad’? |
| Atthi, bhikkhave, sattānaṁ kāyaduccaritaṁ vacīduccaritaṁ manoduccaritaṁ. | There are sentient beings who do bad things by way of body, speech, and mind. |
| Tassa taṁ ṭhānaṁ abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhato sabbaso vā duccaritaṁ pahīyati tanu vā pana hoti. | Reviewing this subject often, they entirely give up bad conduct, or at least reduce it. |
| Idaṁ kho, bhikkhave, atthavasaṁ paṭicca ‘kammassakomhi, kammadāyādo kammayoni kammabandhu kammapaṭisaraṇo, yaṁ kammaṁ karissāmi— | This is the advantage for a woman or a man, a layperson or a renunciate of often reviewing like this: ‘I am the owner of my deeds and heir to my deeds. Deeds are my womb, my relative, and my refuge. |
| kalyāṇaṁ vā pāpakaṁ vā— | I shall be the heir of whatever deeds I do, whether good or bad.’ |
| tassa dāyādo bhavissāmī’ti abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhitabbaṁ itthiyā vā purisena vā gahaṭṭhena vā pabbajitena vā. | |
| Sa kho so, bhikkhave, ariyasāvako iti paṭisañcikkhati: | Then that noble disciple reflects: |
| ‘na kho ahaññeveko jarādhammo jaraṁ anatīto, atha kho yāvatā sattānaṁ āgati gati cuti upapatti sabbe sattā jarādhammā jaraṁ anatītā’ti. | ‘It’s not just me who is liable to grow old, not being exempt from old age. For all sentient beings grow old according to their nature, as long as they come and go, pass away and are reborn.’ |
| Tassa taṁ ṭhānaṁ abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhato maggo sañjāyati. | When they review this subject often, the path is born in them. |
| So taṁ maggaṁ āsevati bhāveti bahulīkaroti. | They cultivate, develop, and make much of it. |
| Tassa taṁ maggaṁ āsevato bhāvayato bahulīkaroto saṁyojanāni sabbaso pahīyanti anusayā byantīhonti. | By doing so, they give up the fetters and eliminate the underlying tendencies. |
| ‘Na kho ahaññeveko byādhidhammo byādhiṁ anatīto, atha kho yāvatā sattānaṁ āgati gati cuti upapatti sabbe sattā byādhidhammā byādhiṁ anatītā’ti. | ‘It’s not just me who is liable to get sick, not being exempt from sickness. For all sentient beings get sick according to their nature, as long as they come and go, pass away and are reborn.’ |
| Tassa taṁ ṭhānaṁ abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhato maggo sañjāyati. | When they review this subject often, the path is born in them. |
| So taṁ maggaṁ āsevati bhāveti bahulīkaroti. | They cultivate, develop, and make much of it. |
| Tassa taṁ maggaṁ āsevato bhāvayato bahulīkaroto saṁyojanāni sabbaso pahīyanti, anusayā byantīhonti. | By doing so, they give up the fetters and eliminate the underlying tendencies. |
| ‘Na kho ahaññeveko maraṇadhammo maraṇaṁ anatīto, atha kho yāvatā sattānaṁ āgati gati cuti upapatti sabbe sattā maraṇadhammā maraṇaṁ anatītā’ti. | ‘It’s not just me who is liable to die, not being exempt from death. For all sentient beings die according to their nature, as long as they come and go, pass away and are reborn.’ |
| Tassa taṁ ṭhānaṁ abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhato maggo sañjāyati. | When they review this subject often, the path is born in them. |
| So taṁ maggaṁ āsevati bhāveti bahulīkaroti. | They cultivate, develop, and make much of it. |
| Tassa taṁ maggaṁ āsevato bhāvayato bahulīkaroto saṁyojanāni sabbaso pahīyanti, anusayā byantīhonti. | By doing so, they give up the fetters and eliminate the underlying tendencies. |
| ‘Na kho mayhevekassa sabbehi piyehi manāpehi nānābhāvo vinābhāvo, atha kho yāvatā sattānaṁ āgati gati cuti upapatti sabbesaṁ sattānaṁ piyehi manāpehi nānābhāvo vinābhāvo’ti. | ‘It’s not just me who must be parted and separated from all I hold dear and beloved. For all sentient beings must be parted and separated from all they hold dear and beloved, as long as they come and go, pass away and are reborn.’ |
| Tassa taṁ ṭhānaṁ abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhato maggo sañjāyati. | When they review this subject often, the path is born in them. |
| So taṁ maggaṁ āsevati bhāveti bahulīkaroti. | They cultivate, develop, and make much of it. |
| Tassa taṁ maggaṁ āsevato bhāvayato bahulīkaroto saṁyojanāni sabbaso pahīyanti, anusayā byantīhonti. | By doing so, they give up the fetters and eliminate the underlying tendencies. |
| ‘Na kho ahaññeveko kammassako kammadāyādo kammayoni kammabandhu kammapaṭisaraṇo, yaṁ kammaṁ karissāmi—kalyāṇaṁ vā pāpakaṁ vā—tassa dāyādo bhavissāmi; | ‘It’s not just me who shall be the owner of my deeds and heir to my deeds. |
| atha kho yāvatā sattānaṁ āgati gati cuti upapatti sabbe sattā kammassakā kammadāyādā kammayoni kammabandhu kammapaṭisaraṇā, yaṁ kammaṁ karissanti—kalyāṇaṁ vā pāpakaṁ vā—tassa dāyādā bhavissantī’ti. | For all sentient beings shall be the owners of their deeds and heirs to their deeds, as long as they come and go, pass away and are reborn.’ |
| Tassa taṁ ṭhānaṁ abhiṇhaṁ paccavekkhato maggo sañjāyati. | When they review this subject often, the path is born in them. |
| So taṁ maggaṁ āsevati bhāveti bahulīkaroti. | They cultivate, develop, and make much of it. |
| Tassa taṁ maggaṁ āsevato bhāvayato bahulīkaroto saṁyojanāni sabbaso pahīyanti, anusayā byantīhontīti. | By doing so, they give up the fetters and eliminate the underlying tendencies. |
| Byādhidhammā jarādhammā, | For others, sickness is natural, |
| atho maraṇadhammino; | and so are old age and death. |
| Yathā dhammā tathā sattā, | Though this is how their nature is, |
| jigucchanti puthujjanā. | ordinary people feel disgusted. |
| Ahañce taṁ jiguccheyyaṁ, | If I were to be disgusted |
| evaṁ dhammesu pāṇisu; | with creatures whose nature is such, |
| Na metaṁ patirūpassa, | it would not be appropriate for me, |
| mama evaṁ vihārino. | since my life is just the same. |
| Sohaṁ evaṁ viharanto, | Living in such a way, |
| ñatvā dhammaṁ nirūpadhiṁ; | I understood the truth without attachments. |
| Ārogye yobbanasmiñca, | I mastered all vanities— |
| jīvitasmiñca ye madā. | of health, of youth, |
| Sabbe made abhibhosmi, | and even of life— |
| Nekkhammaṁ daṭṭhu khemato; | seeing renunciation as sanctuary. |
| Tassa me ahu ussāho, | Zeal sprang up in me |
| Nibbānaṁ abhipassato. | as I looked to extinguishment. |
| Nāhaṁ bhabbo etarahi, | Now I’m unable |
| Kāmāni paṭisevituṁ; | to indulge in sensual pleasures; |
| Anivatti bhavissāmi, | there’s no turning back, |
| Brahmacariyaparāyaṇo”ti. | I’m committed to the spiritual life.” |
| Sattamaṁ. |
On fear of death: who is not afraid to die?
A daily practice on the same theme: mindfulness of death and the simile of the mountain.
On the first remembrance: growing old in Buddhism.
Questions people ask
What are the Five Remembrances?
Five reflections the Buddha recommended for everyone, lay or ordained: I will grow old; I will get sick; I will die; I will be parted from all I love; and I am the owner and heir of my deeds. They come from AN 5.57.
Aren't the Five Remembrances depressing?
They can feel heavy at first. The text says their purpose is practical: each one reduces a kind of vanity or carelessness, so we act better now. Most people find they bring perspective and gratitude, not gloom.
When should I recite the Five Remembrances?
Many people recite them in the evening, as part of evening chanting. Once a day is enough; saying them slowly matters more than saying them often.