The Buddha shares a reflection on aging and the impermanence of life and possessions. Seeing that all we call ‘mine’ must be lost at death, one should not cling to self. The sage, like a lotus leaf unstained by water, does not cling or spurn what is seen, heard, or sensed.
Appaṁ vata jīvitaṁ idaṁ,
Oraṁ vassasatāpi miyyati;
Yo cepi aticca jīvati,
Atha kho so jarasāpi miyyati.
Wow! This life is brief,
even before a hundred years it passes away;
Even if one lives beyond this,
one still dies by growing old.
Socanti janā mamāyite,
Na hi santi niccā pariggahā;
Vinābhāvasantamevidaṁ,
Iti disvā nāgāramāvase.
People grieve over what they call ‘mine,’
but no possessions are |lasting::permanent, stable, not in flux [nicca]|;
This [world] is marked by separation,
seeing this — one should not live the home life.
Maraṇenapi taṁ pahīyati,
Yaṁ puriso mamidanti maññati;
Etampi viditvā paṇḍito,
Na mamattāya nametha māmako.
Whatever a person |conceives::thinks, imagines, presumes, supposes [maññati]| as, ‘this is mine,’
at death, that too is given up;
Realizing this, the |wise::astute, intelligent, learned, skilled [paṇḍita]| disciple,
should not incline to |self-identification::possession, taking as ‘mine’ [mamatta]|.
Supinena yathāpi saṅgataṁ,
Paṭibuddho puriso na passati;
Evampi piyāyitaṁ janaṁ,
Petaṁ kālaṅkataṁ na passati.
Just as, on waking up, a person does not see,
what was encountered in a dream;
So too, the beloved,
having |passed away::died; lit. did time [kālaṅkata]| and departed, is seen no more.
Diṭṭhāpi sutāpi te janā,
Yesaṁ nāmamidaṁ pavuccati;
Nāmaṁyevāvasissati,
Akkheyyaṁ petassa jantuno.
Even those people who have been seen and heard,
whose name is spoken [in the world];
Only their name will remain,
a word for the one now departed.
Sokapparidevamaccharaṁ,
Na jahanti giddhā mamāyite;
Tasmā munayo pariggahaṁ,
Hitvā acariṁsu khemadassino.
Those who are |greedy::desirous [giddha]| for |mine-ness::possession, cherishing, sense of ownership [mamāyita]|,
they do not abandon |sorrow::grief, sadness [soka]|, |lamentation::wailing, crying [parideva]|, and |stinginess::selfishness, meanness, tight-fistedness [macchara]|;
Therefore, the sages, |seeing true safety::who sees sanctuary [khemadassī]|,
wander having abandoned |possessions::attachments, grasping, worldly belongings [pariggaha]|.
Patilīnacarassa bhikkhuno,
Bhajamānassa vivittamāsanaṁ;
Sāmaggiyamāhu tassa taṁ,
Yo attānaṁ bhavane na dassaye.
For the bhikkhu who wanders |withdrawn::secluded, solitary [patilīna]|,
resorting to a solitary seat;
They say it is fitting for him,
to not show himself in a dwelling place.
Sabbattha munī anissito,
Na piyaṁ kubbati nopi appiyaṁ;
Tasmiṁ paridevamaccharaṁ,
Paṇṇe vāri yathā na limpati.
The sage, |disengaged::detached, independent [anissita]| in every respect,
makes nothing |dear::beloved [piya]|, nor anything |disliked::an enemy, an opposition [appiya]|;
Sorrow or elation do not take hold in him,
like water does not cling to a leaf.
Udabindu yathāpi pokkhare,
Padume vāri yathā na limpati;
Evaṁ muni nopalimpati,
Yadidaṁ diṭṭhasutaṁ mutesu vā.
Just as a drop of water on a lotus leaf,
or water on the lotus flower, does not cling;
So too, the sage remains unstained,
by what is seen, heard, or |sensed::noticed, smelled, tasted, felt or thought [muta]|.
Dhono na hi tena maññati,
Yadidaṁ diṭṭhasutaṁ mutesu vā;
Nāññena visuddhimicchati,
Na hi so rajjati no virajjatīti.
The purified one does not conceive,
based on what is seen, heard, or sensed;
He does not wish for purity through another,
for he neither |clings::finds pleasure in, is enamored with, is attached to [rajjati]| nor |spurns::rejects, is indifferent to [virajjati]|.
Wow! This life is brief,
even before a hundred years it passes away;
Even if one lives beyond this,
one still dies by growing old.
People grieve over what they call ‘mine,’
but no possessions are |lasting::permanent, stable, not in flux [nicca]|;
This [world] is marked by separation,
seeing this — one should not live the home life.
Whatever a person |conceives::thinks, imagines, presumes, supposes [maññati]| as, ‘this is mine,’
at death, that too is given up;
Realizing this, the |wise::astute, intelligent, learned, skilled [paṇḍita]| disciple,
should not incline to |self-identification::possession, taking as ‘mine’ [mamatta]|.
Just as, on waking up, a person does not see,
what was encountered in a dream;
So too, the beloved,
having |passed away::died; lit. did time [kālaṅkata]| and departed, is seen no more.
Even those people who have been seen and heard,
whose name is spoken [in the world];
Only their name will remain,
a word for the one now departed.
Those who are |greedy::desirous [giddha]| for |mine-ness::possession, cherishing, sense of ownership [mamāyita]|,
they do not abandon |sorrow::grief, sadness [soka]|, |lamentation::wailing, crying [parideva]|, and |stinginess::selfishness, meanness, tight-fistedness [macchara]|;
Therefore, the sages, |seeing true safety::who sees sanctuary [khemadassī]|,
wander having abandoned |possessions::attachments, grasping, worldly belongings [pariggaha]|.
For the bhikkhu who wanders |withdrawn::secluded, solitary [patilīna]|,
resorting to a solitary seat;
They say it is fitting for him,
to not show himself in a dwelling place.
The sage, |disengaged::detached, independent [anissita]| in every respect,
makes nothing |dear::beloved [piya]|, nor anything |disliked::an enemy, an opposition [appiya]|;
Sorrow or elation do not take hold in him,
like water does not cling to a leaf.
Just as a drop of water on a lotus leaf,
or water on the lotus flower, does not cling;
So too, the sage remains unstained,
by what is seen, heard, or |sensed::noticed, smelled, tasted, felt or thought [muta]|.
The purified one does not conceive,
based on what is seen, heard, or sensed;
He does not wish for purity through another,
for he neither |clings::finds pleasure in, is enamored with, is attached to [rajjati]| nor |spurns::rejects, is indifferent to [virajjati]|.
Appaṁ vata jīvitaṁ idaṁ,
Oraṁ vassasatāpi miyyati;
Yo cepi aticca jīvati,
Atha kho so jarasāpi miyyati.
Socanti janā mamāyite,
Na hi santi niccā pariggahā;
Vinābhāvasantamevidaṁ,
Iti disvā nāgāramāvase.
Maraṇenapi taṁ pahīyati,
Yaṁ puriso mamidanti maññati;
Etampi viditvā paṇḍito,
Na mamattāya nametha māmako.
Supinena yathāpi saṅgataṁ,
Paṭibuddho puriso na passati;
Evampi piyāyitaṁ janaṁ,
Petaṁ kālaṅkataṁ na passati.
Diṭṭhāpi sutāpi te janā,
Yesaṁ nāmamidaṁ pavuccati;
Nāmaṁyevāvasissati,
Akkheyyaṁ petassa jantuno.
Sokapparidevamaccharaṁ,
Na jahanti giddhā mamāyite;
Tasmā munayo pariggahaṁ,
Hitvā acariṁsu khemadassino.
Patilīnacarassa bhikkhuno,
Bhajamānassa vivittamāsanaṁ;
Sāmaggiyamāhu tassa taṁ,
Yo attānaṁ bhavane na dassaye.
Sabbattha munī anissito,
Na piyaṁ kubbati nopi appiyaṁ;
Tasmiṁ paridevamaccharaṁ,
Paṇṇe vāri yathā na limpati.
Udabindu yathāpi pokkhare,
Padume vāri yathā na limpati;
Evaṁ muni nopalimpati,
Yadidaṁ diṭṭhasutaṁ mutesu vā.
Dhono na hi tena maññati,
Yadidaṁ diṭṭhasutaṁ mutesu vā;
Nāññena visuddhimicchati,
Na hi so rajjati no virajjatīti.