釋迦譜 2.9

2.9

I, Sengyou, observe that the transformations of impermanence are extreme indeed! Truly, whatever has form cannot escape them. For even when the Heavenly Honored One guarded against sickness, He could not prolong his life; and though hands were joined at the heart, there was no principle by which to rescue him. When the retribution is exhausted and the destined span ends, impermanence arrives to meet one. Therefore, the sage cultivates the fruit of long life and does not nurture a body of plantain and foam.