AN 7.74

Arakasutta

“Bhūtapubbaṁ, bhikkhave, arako nāma satthā ahosi titthakaro kāmesu vītarāgo. Arakassa kho pana, bhikkhave, satthuno anekāni sāvakasatāni ahesuṁ. Arako satthā sāvakānaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ deseti: ‘appakaṁ, brāhmaṇa, jīvitaṁ manussānaṁ parittaṁ lahukaṁ bahudukkhaṁ bahupāyāsaṁ mantāyaṁ boddhabbaṁ, kattabbaṁ kusalaṁ, caritabbaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, natthi jātassa amaraṇaṁ.

About Araka

“Once upon a time, mendicants, there was a teacher named Araka. He was a religious founder and was free of desire for sensual pleasures. He had many hundreds of disciples, and he taught them like this: ‘Brahmins, life as a human is short, brief, and fleeting, full of suffering and distress. Be thoughtful and wake up! Do what’s good and lead the spiritual life, for no one born can escape death.

Seyyathāpi, brāhmaṇa, tiṇagge ussāvabindu sūriye uggacchante khippaṁyeva paṭivigacchati, na ciraṭṭhitikaṁ hoti; evamevaṁ kho, brāhmaṇa, ussāvabindūpamaṁ jīvitaṁ manussānaṁ parittaṁ lahukaṁ bahudukkhaṁ bahupāyāsaṁ mantāyaṁ boddhabbaṁ, kattabbaṁ kusalaṁ, caritabbaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, natthi jātassa amaraṇaṁ.

It’s like a drop of dew on a grass tip. When the sun comes up it vanishes right away and doesn’t last long. In the same way, life as a human is like a dewdrop. It’s brief and fleeting, full of suffering and distress. Be thoughtful and wake up! Do what’s good and lead the spiritual life, for no one born can escape death.

Seyyathāpi, brāhmaṇa, thullaphusitake deve vassante udakabubbuḷaṁ khippaṁyeva paṭivigacchati, na ciraṭṭhitikaṁ hoti; evamevaṁ kho, brāhmaṇa, udakabubbuḷūpamaṁ jīvitaṁ manussānaṁ parittaṁ lahukaṁ bahudukkhaṁ bahupāyāsaṁ mantāyaṁ boddhabbaṁ, kattabbaṁ kusalaṁ, caritabbaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, natthi jātassa amaraṇaṁ.

It’s like when the heavens rain heavily. The bubbles vanish right away and don’t last long. In the same way, life as a human is like a bubble. …

Seyyathāpi, brāhmaṇa, udake daṇḍarāji khippaṁyeva paṭivigacchati, na ciraṭṭhitikā hoti; evamevaṁ kho, brāhmaṇa, udake daṇḍarājūpamaṁ jīvitaṁ manussānaṁ parittaṁ …pe… natthi jātassa amaraṇaṁ.

It’s like a line drawn in water. It vanishes right away and doesn’t last long. In the same way, life as a human is like a line drawn in water. …

Seyyathāpi, brāhmaṇa, nadī pabbateyyā dūraṅgamā sīghasotā hārahārinī, natthi so khaṇo vā layo vā muhutto vā yaṁ sā āvattati, atha kho sā gacchateva vattateva sandateva; evamevaṁ kho, brāhmaṇa, nadīpabbateyyūpamaṁ jīvitaṁ manussānaṁ parittaṁ lahukaṁ …pe… natthi jātassa amaraṇaṁ.

It’s like a mountain river traveling far, flowing fast, carrying all before it. It doesn’t turn back—not for a moment, a second, an hour—but runs, rolls, and flows on. In the same way, life as a human is like a mountain river. …

Seyyathāpi, brāhmaṇa, balavā puriso jivhagge kheḷapiṇḍaṁ saṁyūhitvā akasireneva vameyya; evamevaṁ kho, brāhmaṇa, kheḷapiṇḍūpamaṁ jīvitaṁ manussānaṁ parittaṁ …pe… natthi jātassa amaraṇaṁ.

It’s like a strong man who has formed a glob of spit on the tip of his tongue. He could easily spit it out. In the same way, life as a human is like a glob of spit. …

Seyyathāpi, brāhmaṇa, divasaṁsantatte ayokaṭāhe maṁsapesi pakkhittā khippaṁyeva paṭivigacchati, na ciraṭṭhitikā hoti; evamevaṁ kho, brāhmaṇa, maṁsapesūpamaṁ jīvitaṁ manussānaṁ parittaṁ …pe… natthi jātassa amaraṇaṁ.

Suppose there was an iron cauldron that had been heated all day. If you tossed a scrap of meat in, it would vanish right away and not last long. In the same way, life as a human is like a scrap of meat. …

Seyyathāpi, brāhmaṇa, gāvī vajjhā āghātanaṁ nīyamānā yaṁ yadeva pādaṁ uddharati, santikeva hoti vadhassa santikeva maraṇassa; evamevaṁ kho, brāhmaṇa, govajjhūpamaṁ jīvitaṁ manussānaṁ parittaṁ lahukaṁ bahudukkhaṁ bahupāyāsaṁ mantāyaṁ boddhabbaṁ, kattabbaṁ kusalaṁ, caritabbaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, natthi jātassa amaraṇan’ti.

It’s like a cow being led to the slaughterhouse. With every step she comes closer to the slaughter, closer to death. In the same way, life as a human is like a cow being slaughtered. It’s brief and fleeting, full of suffering and distress. Be thoughtful and wake up! Do what’s good and lead the spiritual life, for no one born can escape death.’

Tena kho pana, bhikkhave, samayena manussānaṁ saṭṭhivassasahassāni āyuppamāṇaṁ ahosi, pañcavassasatikā kumārikā alaṁpateyyā ahosi. Tena kho pana, bhikkhave, samayena manussānaṁ chaḷeva ābādhā ahesuṁ— sītaṁ, uṇhaṁ, jighacchā, pipāsā, uccāro, passāvo. So hi nāma, bhikkhave, arako satthā evaṁ dīghāyukesu manussesu evaṁ ciraṭṭhitikesu evaṁ appābādhesu sāvakānaṁ evaṁ dhammaṁ desessati: ‘appakaṁ, brāhmaṇa, jīvitaṁ manussānaṁ parittaṁ lahukaṁ bahudukkhaṁ bahupāyāsaṁ mantāyaṁ boddhabbaṁ, kattabbaṁ kusalaṁ, caritabbaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, natthi jātassa amaraṇan’ti.

Now, mendicants, at that time human beings had a lifespan of 60,000 years. Girls could be married at 500 years of age. And human beings only had six afflictions: cold, heat, hunger, thirst, and the need to defecate and urinate. But even though humans were so long-lived with so few afflictions, Araka still taught in this way: ‘Life as a human is short, brief, and fleeting, full of suffering and distress. Be thoughtful and wake up! Do what’s good and lead the spiritual life, for no one born can escape death.’

Etarahi taṁ, bhikkhave, sammā vadamāno vadeyya: ‘appakaṁ jīvitaṁ manussānaṁ parittaṁ lahukaṁ bahudukkhaṁ bahupāyāsaṁ mantāyaṁ boddhabbaṁ, kattabbaṁ kusalaṁ, caritabbaṁ brahmacariyaṁ, natthi jātassa amaraṇan’ti. Etarahi, bhikkhave, yo ciraṁ jīvati so vassasataṁ appaṁ vā bhiyyo. Vassasataṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, jīvanto tīṇiyeva utusatāni jīvati— utusataṁ hemantānaṁ, utusataṁ gimhānaṁ, utusataṁ vassānaṁ. Tīṇi kho pana, bhikkhave, utusatāni jīvanto dvādasayeva māsasatāni jīvati— cattāri māsasatāni hemantānaṁ, cattāri māsasatāni gimhānaṁ, cattāri māsasatāni vassānaṁ. Dvādasa kho pana, bhikkhave, māsasatāni jīvanto catuvīsatiyeva addhamāsasatāni jīvati— aṭṭhaddhamāsasatāni hemantānaṁ, aṭṭhaddhamāsasatāni gimhānaṁ, aṭṭhaddhamāsasatāni vassānaṁ. Catuvīsati kho pana, bhikkhave, addhamāsasatāni jīvanto chattiṁsaṁyeva rattisahassāni jīvati— dvādasa rattisahassāni hemantānaṁ, dvādasa rattisahassāni gimhānaṁ, dvādasa rattisahassāni vassānaṁ. Chattiṁsaṁ kho pana, bhikkhave, rattisahassāni jīvanto dvesattatiyeva bhattasahassāni bhuñjati— catuvīsati bhattasahassāni hemantānaṁ, catuvīsati bhattasahassāni gimhānaṁ, catuvīsati bhattasahassāni vassānaṁ saddhiṁ mātuthaññāya saddhiṁ bhattantarāyena.

These days it’d be right to say: ‘Life as a human is short, brief, and fleeting, full of suffering and distress. Be thoughtful and wake up! Do what’s good and lead the spiritual life, for no one born can escape death.’ For these days a long life is a hundred years or a little more. Living for a hundred years, there are just three hundred seasons, a hundred each of the winter, summer, and rains. Living for three hundred seasons, there are just twelve hundred months, four hundred in each of the winter, summer, and rains. Living for twelve hundred months, there are just twenty-four hundred fortnights, eight hundred in each of the winter, summer, and rains. Living for 2,400 fortnights, there are just 36,000 days, 12,000 in each of the summer, winter, and rains. Living for 36,000 days, you just eat 72,000 meals, 24,000 in each of the summer, winter, and rains, including when you’re suckling at the breast, and when you’re prevented from eating.

Tatrime bhattantarāyā kapimiddhopi bhattaṁ na bhuñjati, dukkhitopi bhattaṁ na bhuñjati, byādhitopi bhattaṁ na bhuñjati, uposathikopi bhattaṁ na bhuñjati, alābhakenapi bhattaṁ na bhuñjati. Iti kho, bhikkhave, mayā vassasatāyukassa manussassa āyupi saṅkhāto, āyuppamāṇampi saṅkhātaṁ, utūpi saṅkhātā, saṁvaccharāpi saṅkhātā, māsāpi saṅkhātā, addhamāsāpi saṅkhātā, rattipi saṅkhātā, divāpi saṅkhātā, bhattāpi saṅkhātā, bhattantarāyāpi saṅkhātā. Yaṁ, bhikkhave, satthārā karaṇīyaṁ sāvakānaṁ hitesinā anukampakena anukampaṁ upādāya; kataṁ vo taṁ mayā etāni, bhikkhave, rukkhamūlāni etāni suññāgārāni. Jhāyatha, bhikkhave, mā pamādattha; mā pacchā vippaṭisārino ahuvattha. Ayaṁ vo amhākaṁ anusāsanī”ti.

Things that prevent you from eating include anger, pain, sickness, sabbath, or being unable to get food. So mendicants, for a human being with a hundred years lifespan I have counted the lifespan, the limit of the lifespan, the seasons, the years, the months, the fortnights, the nights, the days, the meals, and the things that prevent them from eating. Out of sympathy, I’ve done what a teacher should do who wants what’s best for their disciples. Here are these roots of trees, and here are these empty huts. Practice absorption, mendicants! Don’t be negligent! Don’t regret it later! This is my instruction to you.”