Beyond Merit
As he was standing to one side, Uttara the deva’s son recited this verse in the Blessed One’s presence:
“Life is swept along,
next-to-nothing its span.
For one swept on by aging
no shelters exist.
Perceiving this danger in death,
one should do deeds of merit
that bring about bliss.”
The Buddha:
“Life is swept along,
next-to-nothing its span.
For one swept to old age
no shelters exist.
Perceiving this danger in death,
one should drop the world’s bait
and look for peace.” — SN 2:19
For a person of unsoddened mind,
unassaulted awareness,
abandoning merit & evil,
wakeful,
there is
no danger
no fear. — Dhp 39
He has gone
beyond attachment here
for both merit & evil—
sorrowless, dustless, & pure:
he’s what I call
a brahman. — Dhp 412
