法苑珠林 34.26

34.26

Furthermore, the Chuchu jing says: "It is like the sands in the great ocean, which cannot be reckoned or known: the good, evil, misfortunes, and merits committed by human beings—those done earlier and later—cannot be calculated again. The essential point is that at the end of life, those who did evil will meet evil destinies, and those who did good will meet good destinies; misfortunes and merits all have predetermined destinations, and parents, siblings, wives, children, and kin are also predetermined. When one attains the Way, this ceases; if one does not attain the Way, it never ends." The Buddha said to the bhikṣus: "You should contemplate the impermanence of your own bodies." One bhikṣu thereupon replied to the Buddha, saying: "I contemplate impermanence: it is like a person in the world who can reach at most fifty years." The Buddha said: "Do not say such words." Another bhikṣu said: "It can be thirty years." The Buddha said: "Do not say such words." Another bhikṣu said: "It can be ten years." The Buddha said: "Do not say such words." Another bhikṣu said: "It can be one year." The Buddha said: "Do not say such words." Another bhikṣu said: "It can be one month." The Buddha said: "Do not say such words." Another bhikṣu said: "It can be one day." The Buddha said: "Do not say such words." Another bhikṣu said: "It can be one period of time." The Buddha said: "Do not say such words." Another bhikṣu said: "It can be within the space of a single breath." The Buddha said: "That is right." The Buddha said: "If an outgoing breath does not return, one already belongs to the next life. Human life is swift and precipitous, residing within the space of a single breath."