法苑珠林 66.36

66.36

"Thus, Great King, there are four terrors that no one can avoid: old age is a great terror, causing plump flesh to waste away completely; sickness is a great terror, depriving one of a robust will; death is a great terror, entirely ending one's lifespan; separation from the beloved is a great terror, allowing no way to seek permanence. For these four great terrors, no knives, staffs, incantations, medicinal herbs, elephants, horses, people, precious jewels, or fortified cities can rescue or ransom one. They are like a great cloud rising with thunder and lightning, dispersing again in an instant. Human life is extremely short, with a maximum lifespan of a hundred years, and few among them exceed it. Only by cultivating the perception of impermanence and casting away attachments of love can one cross over suffering."