Lifespan (1st)

SN 4.9 · Paṭhamaāyusutta

Small white alpine flowers bloom in a sheltered crevice of green-gray rock.

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Rājagaha in the Bamboo Grove, the squirrels’ feeding ground. There the Buddha addressed the mendicants, “Mendicants!”

“Venerable sir,” they replied. The Buddha said this:

“Mendicants, the lifespan of humans is short. We are headed for lives to come. So we must do what is skillful, we must practice the spiritual life. No one born is immortal. A long life is a hundred years or a little more.”

Then Māra the Wicked went up to the Buddha and addressed him in verse:

“The life of humans is long! A true person wouldn’t scorn it. Live like a suckling babe, for Death has not come for you.”
“The life of humans is short, and a true person scorns it. They should live as though their head was on fire, for Death comes for everyone.”

Then Māra … vanished right there.

Connections

Collection & context

Saṃyutta NikāyaThe collection containing this text
The Pāli canonCanonical collection in which this edition is preserved
Theravāda traditionsTransmission and study context
The early Buddhist communityHistorical and traditional setting

Books

The Connected Discourses of the Buddha: A Translation of the Saṃyutta NikāyaBhikkhu Bodhi; Bhikkhu Bodhi (translator) · Complete collection edition

About this edition

Translation by Bhikkhu Sujato · SuttaCentral · CC0

This translation is an expression of an ancient spiritual text that has been passed down by the Buddhist tradition for the benefit of all sentient beings. It is dedicated to the public domain via Creative Commons Zero (CC0). You are encouraged to copy, reproduce, adapt, alter, or otherwise make use of this translation. The translator respectfully requests that any use be in accordance with the values and principles of the Buddhist community. In particular, please do not use this work in AI training datasets, for the development of any AI model or algorithm, or in any AI-derived technologies.

Published source. Translation wording and order are preserved; source headings and notes are retained, with navigation and formatting adapted for this reader.

The opening image is AI-generated nature artwork for Buddhist Atlas, an evocative companion rather than a historical depiction.