Among Buddhist parables of impermanence, one compelling story tells of four brothers, all accomplished spiritual masters with supernatural powers. One day, they received a disturbing vision: in seven days, death would claim them all.

       Each brother devised his own escape plan. One retreated deep into the mountains, another plunged into the ocean's depths, the third soared into the endless sky, while the fourth disappeared into the bustling crowds of a city. Despite their extraordinary abilities to traverse realms and foresee events, when the seventh day arrived, death found each one. 

       Their powers, impressive as they were, dissolved with their last breath and they returned to the cycle of the six realms in samsara, their future karmic destiny uncertain.

       This tale illustrates a fundamental truth. Unless practitioners achieve complete liberation or rebirth in the Land of Ultimate Bliss, they remain bound to samsara's cycle. Their past actions shape present circumstances, which in turn determine future lives. Whether facing favorable or adverse conditions, they continue their journey through the six realms of existence.

       Witnessing the fate of the four brothers from Jetavana's Anāthapiṇḍada's Park, Shakyamuni Buddha expounded the Four Unobtainables:

       In short, all humans are bound to age and fall ill - some dying even before old age arrives. Even those blessed with longevity cannot escape death, as demonstrated by these four spiritually accomplished practitioners.

       This story underscores the relentless nature of impermanence. Like a shadow that never leaves our side, impermanence touches every aspect of existence. When it strikes, it shows nature's raw power - like a flood demolishing buildings, a typhoon uprooting massive trees and sturdy telegraph poles, or lightning ending life in an instant.

       Thus, Shakyamuni Buddha reveals that life is characterized by suffering and impermanence, and that nothing has an inherent nature of existence (the Buddhists call it emptiness.) This world is merely a temporary confluence of causes and conditions. Whether it be our marriages, parent-child relationships, or family ties, whether we live in luxury or poverty - all are but transient. Since everything arises from the meeting of conditions, when these conditions disperse, all ceases to exist.

       In this illusory world, truth resides in the Buddha alone. Here, the Buddha refers to Amitabha Buddha. Only he and his Land of Ultimate Bliss are eternal and untainted. We take Amitabha as our life’s anchor and the Land of Ultimate Bliss as our true home of joy and peace. Through reciting the Buddha’s name, we forge our connection to this ultimate reality.

(Translated by the Pure Land School Translation Team;
edited by Householder Fojin)