Instability remains the fundamental rule of life.
Even when man raises his head in the frenzy of achievement,
instability teaches him a lesson with a sledgehammer blow.
Yesterday a rich man,
today a pauper.
Yesterday healthy,
today sick.
Yesterday vibrant youth,
today frail old age.
Yesterday each day
passed like a second,
today each second
stretches like a year.
Yesterday on stage with garlands,
today on a bier woven with palm leaves.
One second,
a mere moment,
changes everything.
With wealth,
one can buy land, water, air, anything.
Yet, one cannot extend even a nanosecond of the predetermined lifespan.
With it,
one can build magnificent mansions.
One can cool and soothe the air a little.
But one cannot bring sleep to the eyes.
Even if one owns just an inch of land
on this vast earth,
the arrogance of "my land" arises.
Even if one lives like a tiny speck in a long history,
the pride of having ruled the world
creeps into the skull.
Throughout life,
it is spent in ignorance of what is desire
and what is greed,
and in a state of dissatisfaction where nothing brings contentment.
Even if one receives a mountain of gold,
what is in the hands of the one who went before?
What did the one who came after receive?
In seeing and comparing these,
the little peace one had disappears. We desire the reward,
but we don't want to work.
We desire success,
but we are unwilling to sacrifice.
We stretch out our hands yearning for heaven,
but we do not wish to die.
I say again,
though we may differ in the color of our skin,
we are all one in the pain we feel.
Though we may differ in the languages we speak,
we are all one in the taste we experience.
Here,
there is nothing
to be proud of,
to be arrogant about,
or to compare ourselves with one another,
based on what we have acquired naturally
or what we have accumulated for ourselves.
The power to equalize
all the existing inequalities
belongs only to death.
It is the ultimate remedy
for all the ailments of man's mind and body.
It is only in moments of realizing impermanence
that thoughts and reflections of the Eternal One come to us...
It is only when we witness the death of others
that the thought arises in us that we too will surely die.
Let us stretch out our hands towards Him
who tirelessly gives to those who reach out to Him...
Let us beg for alms from Him
who has the power to fill the laps of those who ask without limit...
Let us place our requests before Him
who has the power to measure the flow of our thoughts
without us uttering a single word...
Even when impermanence hurts our hearts,
the thought of the Eternal One
and the contemplation of death
come and refine us.
Surely, we came from Him,
and in Him is our refuge.
Live life Happy and make others Happy too...
