Buddhist Dhammapadha Meditation on a mirage

Chapter XIII - LOKA VAGGA - The World

LIKE A BUBBLE IS THIS WORLD

LIKE A BUBBLE IS THIS WORLD

Yatha bubbulakam passe yatha passe maricikam
Evam lokam avekkhantam maccu raja na passati. [170]

Just as one would look upon a bubble, just as one would look upon a mirage¹ If a person thus looks upon the world, the King of Death sees him not. [170]

XIII:03 Meditation on a mirage

On one occasion, a few hundred bhikkhus went into the forest to practice meditation. But as they made very slow progress, they decided to return to the Buddha to ask for a suitable subject of meditation. On their way to the monastery, they saw a mirage and started to meditate on it. As soon as they entered the compound of the monastery, a storm broke out. As big drops of rain fell, bubbles were formed on the ground and soon disappeared. Seeing those bubbles, the bhikkhus reflected 'This body of ours is perishable like these bubbles', and perceived the impermanent nature of component things (khandhas).

The Buddha saw them from his perfumed chamber and sent forth the radiance and appearded in their vission. Look at a Bubble. How imperanent is it? Look at a mirage. What an illusion! If you look at the world in this way, even the King of Death will not see you. At the end of the discourse, the monks attained arahatship.

Notes:

This psycho-physical organism is to be regarded as being as empty as a bubble and as illusive as a mirage. The wise man who could so regard it would end the ills of life.