II.
SAMSĀRA AND NIRVĀNA.
Look about and contemplate life! 1
Everything is transient and nothing endures. There is birth and death, growth and decay; there is combination and separation. 2
The glory of the world is like a flower: it stands in full bloom in the morning and fades in the heat of the day. 3
Wherever you look, there is a rushing and a struggling, and an eager pursuit of pleasure. There is a panic flight from pain and death, and hot are the flames of burning desires. The world is vanity fair, full of changes and transformations. All is Samsāra. 4
Is there nothing permanent in the world? Is there in the universal turmoil no resting-place where our troubled heart can find peace? Is there nothing everlasting?5
Oh, that we could have cessation of anxiety, that our burning desires would be extinguished! When shall the mind become tranquil and composed? 6
The Buddha, our Lord, was grieved at the ills of life. He saw the vanity of worldly happiness and sought salvation in the one thing that will not fade or perish, but will abide for ever and ever. 7