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| The largest Buddha statue in Thailand, Wat Muang (KrunjaPhotography/flickr.com) |
The Buddha taught: "Meditators, once there was a teacher named
Araka, an
[ancient Brahmin] teacher who was free of passion for sensual pleasures.
"He had many hundreds of students and he taught them dharma in this way:
"'The life of a human being,
Brahmins, is next to nothing -- limited, trifling, full of disappointments and despair. One should touch this [truth] like a sage, do what is skillful, follow the high life. For one born here is not free of death.
"'Just as a dewdrop on the tip of a blade of grass quickly vanishes with the rising of the sun and lasts but a brief time, in the same way, Brahmins, human life is like a dewdrop -- limited, trifling, full of disappointments and despair. One should touch this [truth] like a sage, do what is skillful, follow the high life. For one born here is not free of death.
"'Just as when the rain-gods (weather modifying devas) send rain in fat drops, and a bubble on the water quickly vanishes and lasts but a brief time, in the same way, Brahmins, human life is like a water bubble -- limited, trifling, full of disappointments and despair. One should touch this [truth] like a sage, do what is skillful, follow the high life. For one born here is not free of death.
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| Even Araka knew: Human life is like a line drawn in the water; it quickly vanishes (WQ). |
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"'Just as a line drawn on water with a stick quickly vanishes and lasts but a brief time, in the same way, Brahmins, human life is like a line drawn on water with a stick -- limited, trifling, full of disappointments and despair. One should touch this [truth] like a sage, do what is skillful, follow the high life. For one who is born here has no freedom from death.
"'Just as a river flows down from the mountains, goes far, its current swift, carrying everything with it, so that there is not a moment, not an a second, not an instant when it stands still, but instead it goes and rushes and flows, in the same way, Brahmins, human life is like a river flowing down from the mountains -- limited, trifling, full of disappointments and despair. One should touch this [truth] like a sage, do what is skillful, follow the high life. For one born here is not free of death.
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The Buddha weeks after enlightenment sought out and found the Five Ascetics to teach.
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"'Just as a strong man forming a drop of spit on his tongue would spit it out with little effort, in the same way, Brahmins, human life is like a drop of spit -- limited, trifling, full of disappointments and despair. One should touch this [truth] like a sage, do what is skillful, follow the high life. For one born here is not free of death.
"'Just as a sliver of meat thrown onto a red hot iron pan heated all day quickly shrivels and vanishes and lasts but a brief time, in the same way, Brahmins, human life is like a sliver of meat -- limited, trifling, full of disappointments and despair. One should touch this [truth] like a sage, do what is skillful, follow the high life. For one born here is not free of death.
"'Just as a cow being led to slaughter with every footstep comes closer to slaughter, closer to death, in the same way, Brahmins, human life is like a cow being led to slaughter -- limited, trifling, full of disappointments and despair. One should touch this [truth] like a sage, do what is skillful, follow the high life. For one born here is not free of death.'
[The Buddha continued:] "Now at that time, meditators, the human life span was 60,000 years and girls were marriageable at 500 [symbolic not literal number]. And at that time there were [only] six afflictions:
- cold,
- heat,
- hunger,
- thirst,
- [the need for] defecation,
- urination.
"But although people were so long-lived, long-lasting, with so few afflictions, that teacher
Araka taught
dharma to his disciples in this way:
"'The life of a human being, Brahmins, is next to nothing -- limited, trifling, full of disappointments and despair. One should touch this [truth] like a sage, do what is skillful, follow the high life. For one born here is not free of death.'
"Meditators, at present one speaking rightly might say, 'Next to nothing is the life of human beings -- limited, trifling, full of disappointments and despair. One should touch this [truth] like a sage, do what is skillful, follow the high life. For one who is born here is not free of death.'
"At present, meditators, one who lives a long time is 100 years old or a little older. Living 100 years, one lives for 300 seasons: 100 seasons of cold, 100 seasons of heat, 100 seasons of rain.
"Living for 300 seasons, one lives for 1,200 months: 400 months of cold, 400 months of heat, 400 months of rain. Living for 1,200 months, one lives for 2,400 fortnights [two week periods between new and full moon phases]: 800 fortnights of cold, 800 fortnights of heat, 800 fortnights of rain.
"Living for 2,400 fortnights, one lives for 36,000 days: 12,000 days of cold, 12,000 days of heat, 12,000 days of rain.
"Living for 36,000 days, one eats 72,000 meals: 24,000 meals in the cold, 24,000 meals in the heat, 24,000 meals in the rain -- counting the taking of mother's milk and these obstacles to eating:
"When one doesn't eat due to anger, when one doesn't eat due to suffering or pain, when one doesn't eat due to being sick, when one doesn't eat due to lunar observance days (
uposatha fasting days of Buddhist Eight Precept observance), when one doesn't eat due to being poor.
"Thus, meditators, I have reckoned the life of a person living for 100 years: I have reckoned the lifespan, reckoned the seasons, reckoned the years...
- [The actual reckoning is implied in the lifespan.]
"reckoned the months, reckoned the fortnights, reckoned the nights, reckoned the days, reckoned the meals, reckoned the obstacles to eating. Whatever a teacher should do -- seeking for the welfare of students (disciples), out of sympathetic-compassion for them -- that have I done for you.
"Over there are the roots of trees [to sit under]; over there, empty dwellings [to take up secluded residence guarding the senses]. Practice
meditative absorption (
jhana), meditators. Be heedful so that there is no regret later. This is the message to you."
