Don’t
seek fame or
Just pass this life as is, according to
circumstances. When the breath is gone, who is in
charge? After the death of the body, there is only an empty
name. When your clothes are worn, repair them over and
over; when you have no food, work to provide. How
long can a phantom-like body last? Would you
increase your ignorance for the sake
of its idle concerns?
Life is a dream,
the years pass by like flowing waters.
Glamour and glory are transient as autumn smoke;
what tragedy — for with the sun set deeply in the
west, still there are those lost among
paths of disillusionment.
Our heart
should be clear as ice.
Forget all the worldly nonsense.
Sit calmly, breathe quietly, heart bright
and spotless as an empty mirror.
This is the path to
the buddha’s
table.