付法藏因緣傳 4.5

4.5

“True indeed is the Tathāgata’s teaching;
What he expounded is truly not false.
He broadly proclaimed the faults of birth and death:
There is nothing in them that can be loved or delighted in.
Originally I dwelt in honor and nobility;
My majesty and virtue had few equals.
The lesser kings and the people,
Not one failed to look up to me in reverence.
Today my merit is on the verge of exhaustion;
Hunger and distress entangle and oppress me.
Just like a violent rushing river,
Striking a mountain, it has no more power.
Formerly I aided the poor and destitute,
And delivered those in all kinds of suffering and affliction.
How is it that today,
I myself dwell in such lowliness and disgrace?
Only now do I know that positions of honor and nobility
Are easily destroyed and not solid.
The calm and quiet bliss of liberation
Is alone the most delightful.”