Visuddhimagga VIII-15

Apica sabbaṃ ārogyaṃ byādhipariyosānaṃ,

同时一切的健康终至于病,

Ñ(VIII,15): Furthermore, all health ends in sickness,



sabbaṃ yobbanaṃ jarāpariyosānaṃ,

一切的青春终至于老,

Ñ: all youth ends in ageing,



sabbaṃ jīvitaṃ maraṇapariyosānaṃ,

一切的生命终至于死,

Ñ: all life ends in death;



sabboyeva lokasannivāso jātiyā anugato,

一切世间的大众必随生,

Ñ: all worldly existence is procured by birth,



jarāya anusaṭo,

为老所占,

Ñ: haunted by ageing,



byādhinā abhibhūto,

为病所侵,

Ñ: surprised by sickness,



maraṇena abbhāhato.

为死所袭。

Ñ: and struck down by death.



Tenāha –

所以说:

Ñ: Hence it is said:



‘‘Yathāpi selā vipulā, nabhaṃ āhacca pabbatā;

Samantā anupariyeyyuṃ, nippothentā catuddisā.

譬如高耸入云的大石山,

周围辗转,研碎四方,

Ñ: 'As though huge mountains made of rock

So vast they reached up to the sky

Were to advance from every side,

Grinding beneath them all that lives,



‘‘Evaṃ jarā ca maccu ca, adhivattanti pāṇine;

Khattiye brāhmaṇe vesse, sudde caṇḍālapukkuse;

Na kiñci parivajjeti, sabbamevābhimaddati.

老死对于众生类:

剎帝利与婆罗门,

吠舍,首陀,旃陀罗与波孤沙,

一切都粉碎,谁也不能逃。

Ñ: So age and death roll over all,

Warriors, priests, merchants, and craftsmen,

The outcastes and the scavengers,

Crushing all beings, sparing none.



‘‘Na tattha hatthīnaṃ bhūmi, na rathānaṃ na pattiyā;

Na cāpi mantayuddhena, sakkā jetuṃ dhanena vā’’ti. (saṃ. ni. 1.136);

老死的境域,没有象车步兵用武的地方,

或以咒语战术及财贿,也无可能战胜他。

Ñ: And here no troops of elephants,

No charioteers, no infantry,

No strategy in form of spells,

No riches, serve to beat them off (S.i,102).



Evaṃ jīvitasampattiyā maraṇavipattipariyosānataṃ vavatthapentena sampattivipattito maraṇaṃ anussaritabbaṃ.

如是深知生命的兴盛,终至于死的衰落,以「兴盛的衰落」而念于死。

Ñ: This is how death should be recollected as the 'ruin of success' by defining it as death's final ruining of life's success.



Visuddhimagga VIII-14

170. Sampattivipattitoti idha sampatti nāma tāvadeva sobhati, yāva naṃ vipatti nābhibhavati, na ca sā sampatti nāma atthi, yā vipattiṃ atikkamma tiṭṭheyya.

(二)「以兴盛衰落」──直至他的光荣不为衰落所败为兴盛。更无光荣能够战胜衰落而继续存在故衰落。

Ñ(VIII,14): 2. As the ruin of success: here success shines as long as failure does not overcome it. And the success does not exist that might endure out of reach of failure.



Tathā hi –

即所谓:

Ñ: Accordingly:



‘‘Sakalaṃ mediniṃ bhutvā, datvā koṭisataṃ sukhī;

Aḍḍhāmalakamattassa, ante issarataṃ gato.

征服了整个的大地,

施了一百俱胝的具福者,

到了临终的时候,

只得半个庵摩罗果的权力。

Ñ: 'He gave with joy a hundred millions

After conquering all the earth,

Till in the end his realm came down

To less than half a gall-nut's worth.

Notes in Chinese translation : 「一百俱胝」(koṭisata),一俱胝为一千万。



‘‘Teneva dehabandhena, puññamhi khayamāgate;

Maraṇābhimukho sopi, asoko sokamāgato’’ti.

便是那个同样的身体,

到了福尽的时候,

也要去见死的面,

无忧王到了忧的境地。

Ñ: Yet when his merit was used up,

His body breathing its last breath,

The Sorrowless Asoka too

Felt sorrow face to face with death'.



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Acknowledgment: Thanks to Buddhist Publication Society (BPS) and Venerable Nyanatusita for allowing me to use the English translation of the Visuddhimagga (The Path Of Purification) by Bhadantācariya Buddhaghosa, translated from the Pāḷi by Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli, as part of a combined Chinese English translation.

Sādhu ! Sādhu ! Sādhu !