Brahmavihara Dhamma

(79) To abandon everything is pitiable

          “Assako loko sabbath pahaya gamaniyanti passantanam buddhanam bhagavantanam sattesu
          mahakaruna okkamati.

Loko – All beings, assako – have no personal property of their own, sabbam after everything, pahaya – is abandoned, gamaniyam one will have to pass away or leave for good. Iti – Thus, passantanam – seeing, nay, realising as such, buddhanam bhagavantanam – in the persons of Buddhas, sattesu – towards beings, mahakaruna- Great Compassion, okkamati – occurs.

This is to say that beings have no personal belongings or properties of their own. As is universally accepted, everyone has his own personal property. The only difference being the magnitude of the property or wealth which may be ample or scanty. At least, they own something in commensurate with their own status. For so long as destruction or loss has not yet been met or incurred in the absence of any destructive element as danger, the property will continue to remain in their hands. However, (sampatti vipattiparoyisana), sampatti – all accomplishments (of properties, etc.), vipattiparoyisana – meet with destruction in the end. All accomplishment in connection with worldly matter, such as, property and wealth will eventually ‘be reduced to nothing, or rather, terminate in entire destruction. This is quite true. Sickness will finally overcome good health. Youthfulness ends in old age, or in other words, sound and vigorous body grows old in the end. Though a person is fully accomplished with wealth, honour or fame, nothing can be taken along with him on his death. Even endowment with a large number of retinue in whose company one once lived and enjoyed, will eventually be deprived of. To live is to die in the end. Moreover, everything that is good and pleasurable from the mundane point of view will in the end be dispossessed or deprived of. This can be clearly known from the life history of King Siridhammasoka.