Dhammapada 113
Better than living a hundred years without seeing arising and passing away is living a single day…
Better than living a hundred years without seeing arising and passing away is living a single day seeing arising and passing away.
Translated from the Pāli by Banya
Pāli
Yo ca vassasataṁ jīve,
apassaṁ udayabbayaṁ;
Ekāhaṁ jīvitaṁ seyyo,
passato udayabbayaṁ.
In plain words
Seeing things arise and pass away matters more here than simply living a long time. The comparison points to the quality of understanding in a day, not a wish for a shorter life.
Key words
- udayabbaya
- arising and passing away — The paired movements are observed together.
The story behind the verse
The story of the elder Paṭācārā (Paṭācārāttherīvatthu)
Paṭācārā suffers the deaths of her children, husband, and close family. After receiving the Buddha's teaching, she becomes a nun. Watching water from washing her feet soak into the ground, she reflects on lives ending at different times. The commentary links this observation with her insight into arising and passing away.
Retold by Banya from the traditional commentary, after E. W. Burlingame, Buddhist Legends (1921).
To reflect on
What change could you notice closely in an ordinary moment?
Try it today
Watch one sound appear and fade without trying to keep it.
Practise it with
Equanimity (upekkhā)
Explanation by Banya. Traditional readings vary.