法苑珠林 66.30

66.30

"What is meant by the suffering of worry, grief, and affliction? It refers to human life in the world: those of long lifespan may reach a hundred years, while those of short lifespan miscarry and perish in the womb. For those of long lifespan granted a hundred years, nights consume half of it, leaving fifty years. When drunk with wine or stricken by disease, one is unaware of being human; deduct five years for this. In childhood one is foolish; up to fifteen years of age one does not yet understand ritual and duty. When past eighty, one is aged, dull, and devoid of wisdom, deaf and dim-eyed, with no capacity for proper conduct; deduct another twenty years. Ninety years have already passed. In the remaining ten years, there are many worries and sorrows: when the empire is about to fall into chaos, one worries; when the empire suffers drought, one worries; when the empire has great floods, one worries; when the empire suffers frost, one worries; when the empire's crops do not ripen, one worries; when relatives within and outside the household suffer many illnesses and pains, one worries; when managing household property and doing business, fearing its loss, one worries; when the official taxes and levies have not yet been paid, one worries; when a family member is arrested by officials and confined to prison with no known date of release, one worries; when brothers travel far and have not returned, one worries; when the household is poor and cold, lacking clothing and food, one worries; when neighboring villages face calamities, one worries; when the sacrifices to the earth and grain gods cannot be prepared, one worries; when a family member dies and there are no goods for a funeral and burial, one worries; when spring comes for planting and there are no oxen or plows, one worries. Such various kinds of worry and grief leave no time for joy. Even when gathering together on festival days when they should rejoice, they only face each other and weep. Is this suffering or not?"
He answered, saying: "Truly, it is great suffering."