The entire world is in flames, all the entire world is blazing up in smoke! The entire world is burning, the entire world is decaying and vanishing... But that which does not vanish or burn, which is experienced by the Nobles, where Death has no entry, in that stilled silence mind finds sweet delight.

*Samyutta Nikāya 1.168*

Without sign, unknown, uncertain, is the life here of mortals, demanding, short, tied up with pain and misery. For there's no way by which those who are born will not die. All Beings will surely die even if they become very old!

Like ripe fruits, whose downfall, whose danger always is inevitable falling, so for mortals, once born, the constant danger is forever hereafter death! As a potter's clay vessels, large & small, fired & unfired, all end up broken, so too life heads to death. Young & old, wise & foolish, rich & poor:

Everyone come under the sway of death, all have death as their assured certain end.

*Note the hands are taken to the Head & Mind that suffers!*

For those overcome by death, gone to the other world, father cannot protect son, nor relatives any family. See: Even while relatives are looking & wailing heavily, mortals are one by one led away like dumb cows to the slaughter...

In this way is the world afflicted with aging & death! Knowing this indeed inescapable and unavoidable nature of the world, the enlightened don't ever grieve! You don't know from where the dying came or where he is going... Seeing neither end, you lament uselessly in blind vain.. Helping nobody at all!

If, by lamenting, confused, harming yourself, any good use could be gained the prudent would do it as well. But not by weeping & grief do you gain peace of mind. Pain just arises all the more. Your body is hurt. You grow thin, pale, harming yourself by yourself. Not in that folly way, are the dead protected. Lamentations are all in pointless vain.

Not abandoning grief, a person suffers all the more pain. Bewailing one whose time is done, you fall under the sway of grief yourself. Look at others, going along, people arriving in line with their past actions: Falling under the sway of death, beings simply shivers here, for a short unstable waste of a life...

For however they imagine it to be, it always becomes quite other than that! That's a fate of their blinded estrangement. See this evil way of the world...

Even if a person lives a century, or even more, he will be separated from his community, friends & relatives. He leaves his life alone & naked right there!

So, having heard the Arahat, who have subdued all lamentation, seeing that the dead is one whose time is done, understanding: "I can't fetch him back." Just as one would extinguish a burning shelter with water, even so does the Enlightened One, intelligent, clever and wise, blow away any arisen sorrow, like a strong wind, a bit of cotton fluff!

Seeking your own happiness, you should pull out your own injuring arrow: All your own lamentation, longing, hoping, hungering producing only sorrow! With arrow pulled out, independent, attaining peace of awareness, all grief is transcended, griefless you are unbound, free, safe, at ease in peace...

*Source: * Salla Sutta: *The Arrow*. Snp 3.8, PTS: Sn 574-593

Translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (Edited Extract)