坐禪三昧經 1.53

1.53

He answers: "One should teach the practitioner: whether born into a good family or born into a noble clan, having talent, skill, strength, or power excelling others, you must not think of any of these things. Why is this? When all die, death does not consider old or young, noble or base, talent, skill, strength, or power. This body is the cause and condition for all sorrows and vexations; if one relies on one's own perception of a short or long lifespan to deem oneself secure, this is being a foolish person. Why is this? This is called a cause of sorrow and vexation. Depending on these four great elements and the form derived from the four great elements, which are like four venomous serpents in mutual conflict, who can find security? Counting on an exhalation to be followed by an inhalation cannot be trusted. Furthermore, when a person sleeps, to expect with certainty that one will wake cannot be trusted. From conception in the womb until old age, the matter of death constantly approaches; yet when death's time is sought, one says one will never die—how can this be trusted? It is like a murdering bandit drawing a sword and aiming an arrow, constantly seeking to kill people without any thought of pity. When a person is born into the world, the power of death is the greatest; among all things, there is none stronger than the power of death. If the most marvelous persons of the past could not escape this death, and in the present there are also no persons of great wisdom who can overcome death, nor can one escape by pleading with soft words or deceiving with clever talk, nor can one avert this death by holding the precepts and vīrya. For this reason, one should know that human life is ever perilous and fragile and cannot be relied upon. Do not trust the notion of permanence and that my life will endure long. These bandits of death constantly carry people away, not waiting until they reach old age before killing them.