The Four Reminders
This human birth is precious,
An opportunity to awaken.
But this body is impermanent;
Ready or not, one day I shall die.
So this life I must know
As the tiny splash of a raindrop.
A thing of beauty that disappears
Even as it comes into being.
The karma I create,
Shapes the course of my life.
But however I act
Life always has difficulties;
No-one can control it all.
Only the Dharma
can free me and others
From suffering forever.
Therefore I recall
My heart's longing for freedom,
And resolve to make use
Of every day and night
To realise it.