Ched du brjod pa'i tshoms (Kangyur, Toh 326) 1.3

1.3

When even buddhas, pratyekabuddhas, / and the śrāvakas of the buddhas / discard this physical body, / what need to mention ordinary people? / There is no place on earth / where one can stay untouched by death: / neither in the sky nor in the ocean, / nor entering into the midst of mountains. / As many as have arisen or will arise, / all must depart having abandoned this body; / knowing that everything disintegrates, the wise / should abide in Dharma and practice brahmacarya. / Seeing old age, suffering from disease, / and having seen the dead devoid of mind, / the steadfast one renounces the home resembling a prison; / can ordinary worldly people really abandon desire? / Even the king's most splendid chariot disintegrates, / and likewise the body approaches old age. / This Dharma of virtuous persons is sublime; / it makes noble individuals realize, and does not age. / Old age, you are foolish and wretched; / you perform improper deeds, / for even this pleasing form / has been utterly destroyed by you. / Whoever lives for a hundred years / is also led away by Māra himself. / These either become decrepit with age, / or are stricken with illness, or overcome by death. / Constantly passing without turning back, / thoroughly ruined day and night, / beset by the suffering of birth and death, / they are like fish tormented in hot water. / This life, by day and by night, / whether walking or sitting, / like the current of a great river, / passes on without returning. / Like fish in shallow water, / as day and night pass by, / this life becomes extremely short; / what joy can there be in that? / Because the end of life is death, / this body fully ages; / this nest of disease quickly perishes, / and the mass of corruption also falls