The Impermanence of Worldly Joys

Once upon a time when Bramadatta was reigning in
Benares, the Bodhisatta was born into a brahmin family.
And when he grew up, he studied all the arts at Takkasila
and then returned to his parents. In this Birth the
Great Being became a holy young student. Then his
parents told him they w r ould look out a wife for him.

" I have no desire for a married life," said the Bodhi-
satta. "When you are dead, I will adopt the religious life
of an ascetic."

And being greatly importuned by them, he had a
golden image made, and said, " If you can find me a
maiden like unto this, I will take her to wife." His
parents sent forth some emissaries with a large escort,
and bade them place the golden image in a covered
carriage and go and search through the plains of India,
till they found just such a young brahmin girl, when they
were to give this golden image in exchange, and bring the
girl back with them. Now at this time a certain holy
man passing from the Brahma world was born again in
the form of a young girl in a town in the kingdom of
Kasi, in the house of a brahmin worth eighty crores, and
the name given her was Sammillabhasini. At the age of
sixteen she was a fair and gracious maiden, like to an
Apsaras, endued with all the marks of female beauty.
And since no thought of evil was ever suggested to her
by the power of sinful passion, she was perfectly pure.
So the men took the golden image and wandered about
till they reached this village. The inhabitants on seeing
the image asked, " Why is SammillabhasinI, the daughter
of such and such a brahmin, placed there?" The mes-
sengers on hearing this found the brahmin family, and
chose SammillabhasinI for the young man's bride. She
sent a message to her parents, saying, " When you are dead,
I shall adopt the religious life ; I have no desire for the
married state." They said, "What art thou thinking of,
maiden ? " And accepting the golden image they sent off
their daughter with a great retinue. The marriage cere-
mony took place against the wishes of both the Bodhisatta
and SammillabhasinI. Though sharing the same room
and the same bed they did not regard one another with
the eye of passion, but dwelt together like two holy men or
two female saints.

By and by the father and mother of the Bodhisatta
died. He performed their funeral rites and calling to
him Sammillabhasim, said to her, "My dear, my family
property amounts to eighty crores, and yours too is worth
another eighty crores. Take all this and enter upon house-
hold life. I shall become an ascetic."

"Sir," she answered, "if you become an ascetic, I will
become one too. I cannot forsake you.'

" Come then," he said. So spending all their wealth in
almsgiving and throwing up their worldly fortune as it
were a lump of phlegm, they journeyed into the Himalaya
country and both of them adopted the ascetic life. There
after living for a long time on wild fruits and roots, they
at length came down from the Himalayas to procure salt
and vinegar, and gradually found their way to Benares,
and dwelt in the royal grounds. And while they were living
there, this young and delicate female ascetic, from eating
insipid rice of a mixed quality, was attacked by dysentery
and not being able to get any healing remedies, she grew
very weak. The Bodhisatta at the time for going his
rounds to beg for alms, took hold of her and carried her
to the gate of the city and there laid her on a bench in a
certain hall, and himself went into the citv for alms. He had
scarce gone out when she expired. The people, beholding
the great beauty of this female ascetic, thronged about
her, weeping and lamenting. The Bodhisatta after going
his round of begging returned, and hearing of her death
he said, "That which has the quality of dissolution is
dissolved. All impermanent existences are of this kind."
With these words he sat down on the bench whereon she
lay and eating the mixture of food he rinsed out his mouth.
The people that stood by gathered round him and said,
" Reverend Sir, what was this female ascetic to you ? "

" When I was a layman," he replied, " she was my wife."
" Holy Sir," they said, " while we weep and lament and
cannot control our feelings, why do you not weep ? '

The Bodhisatta said, " While she was alive, she belonged
to me in some sort. Nothing belongs to her that is
gone to another world: she has passed into the power
of others. Wherefore should I weep?" And teaching
the people the Truth, he recited these stanzas:

Why should I shed tears for thee,
Fair Sammillabhasim ?
Passed to death's majority
Thou art henceforth lost to me.

Wherefore should frail man lament
What to him is only lent?
He too draws his mortal breath
Forfeit every hour to death.

Be he standing 1 , sitting 1 still,
Moving 1 , resting 1 , what he will,
In the twinkling 1 of an eye,
In a moment death is nig-h.

Life I count a thing- unstable,
Loss of friends inevitable.
Cherish all that are alive,
Sorrow not shouldst thou survive.

Thus did the Great Being teach the Truth, illustrating
by these four stanzas the impermanence of things. The
people performed funeral rites over the female ascetic.
And the Bodhisatta returned to the Himalayas, and
entering on the higher knowledge arising from mystic
meditation was destined to birth in the Brahma-world.