རྒྱལ་པ་ལ་གདམས་པ་ཞས་བྱ་བ་ཐག་པ་ཆན་པའ་མད 3

3

Who have died?

“Everyone¹⁴ who lives upon this earth
May survive up to a hundred years,
But all will die, without exception.
It is our nature, each and every one of us, to die.
Whether death will come today or tomorrow,
No one knows.

“Even having the measure of it offers no respite from fear,¹⁵
For what will happen next year, or this very day?

“When you die, neither your parents nor your sons,
Neither your relatives nor friends,
Neither your servants nor all your possessions
Will accompany you beyond death.
None will share even a part of your pain.

“At birth, you are born alone,
And in the end, at death, you will die alone.
In an instant, all that you hold nearest and dearest in life
Will depart, like guests returning home after a brief stay.¹⁶

“That which you dare not part with, even for a moment—
Relatives, possessions, land, and home¹⁷—all will be left behind,
As you embark on the fearful road alone.

“Wealth may be accumulated through this or that connivance or dispute,
But while the obscurations incurred by such wrongdoing must be borne,
The wealth accumulated thereby will soon be carried away by relatives,¹⁸
So what is gained by amassing wealth?

“Even this body that is held so dear
Will be discarded at death, like a used earthenware pot.
Even flesh and bone, born together, will come asunder.
Powerless, you will wander alone,
Until by the power of karma you are reborn.
So, for the sake of the body, do no wrong.

“Do not be content with this body that treads the firm earth—
It is an impure heap, born from impure karma.
Subject to sickness, old age, and death, it is the site of every suffering.
Once dead, it is nothing but some filth to be discarded anywhere,
For birds, jackals, and other animals to feed upon.
Even if efforts are made to respect and venerate them,
The Lord of Death and his demons will drag you away.

“Disparaged by the wise and an object of attachment for fools—
What learned person is attached to the body?
So do not fret for the sake of the body.
For the sake of this life, dispense wages for food and clothing,
But for lasting benefit, make merit and so on,
For the only friends you will have at death are your own good and bad deeds.