Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

and

Pāli Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or '' Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of ''Theravāda'' Buddhi ...

for "old age" () and "death" ().; Quote: "death, as ending this (visible) existence, physical death". In

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

, jaramarana is associated with the inevitable decay and death-related suffering of all beings prior to their

rebirth Rebirth may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Film * ''Rebirth'' (2011 film), a 2011 Japanese drama film * ''Rebirth'' (2016 film), a 2016 American thriller film * ''Rebirth'', a documentary film produced by Project Rebirth * ''The Re ...

within ''saṃsāra'' (cyclic existence). ''Jarā'' and ''maraṇa'' are identified as the twelfth link within the Twelve Links of Dependent Origination.

Etymology

The word ''jarā'' is related to the older Vedic Sanskrit word ''jarā, jaras, jarati, gerā'', which means "to become brittle, to decay, to be consumed". The Vedic root is related to the Latin ''granum'', Goth. ''kaurn'', Greek ''geras, geros'' (later geriatric) all of which in one context mean "hardening, old age".; Quote: "old age, decay (in a disparaging sense), decrepitude, wretched, miserable" The word ''maraṇa'' is based on the Vedic Sanskrit root ''mṛ'', ''mriyate'' which means death. The Vedic root is related to later Sanskrit ''marta'', as well as to German ''mord'', Lith. ''mirti'', Latin ''morior'' and ''mors'' all of which mean "to die, death".

Within the Four Noble Truths

Within the teachings on the Four Noble Truths, ''jarā'' and ''maraṇa'' are identified as aspects of '' dukkha'' (suffering, anxiety, unsatisfactoriness). For example, ''The Discourse That Sets Turning the Wheel of Truth'' states: :"Now this, bhikkhus, for the spiritually ennobled ones, is the true reality which is pain: birth is painful, aging is painful, illness is painful, death is painful; sorrow, lamentation, physical pain, unhappiness and distress are painful; union with what is disliked is painful; separation from what is liked is painful; not to get what one wants is painful; in brief, the five bundles of grasping-fuel are painful." – '' Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta'', Samyutta Nikaya, Translated by Peter Harvey Elsewhere in the

canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western ca ...

the Buddha further elaborates on ''Jarāmaraṇa'' (aging and death): :"And what is aging? Whatever aging, decrepitude, brokenness, graying, wrinkling, decline of life-force, weakening of the faculties of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called aging. :"And what is death? Whatever deceasing, passing away, breaking up, disappearance, dying, death, completion of time, break up of the aggregates, casting off of the body, interruption in the life faculty of the various beings in this or that group of beings, that is called death."

Within the twelve links of dependent origination

Jarāmaraa is the last of the Twelve Nidānas, directly conditioned by birth (''

jāti ''Jāti'' is the term traditionally used to describe a cohesive group of people in the Indian subcontinent, like a tribe, community, clan, sub-clan, or a religious sect. Each Jāti typically has an association with an occupation, geography or t ...

''), meaning that all who are born are destined to age and die.

Texts

In the Buddhist

Pali Canon The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school. During t ...

's "Subjects for Contemplation Discourse" ('' Upajjhatthana Sutta'', AN 5.57), the Buddha enjoins followers to reflect often on the following: :I am subject to aging, have not gone beyond aging.... :I am subject to illness, have not gone beyond illness.... :I am subject to death, have not gone beyond death.... In the

, aging and death affect all beings, including

gods A deity or god is a supernatural being who is considered divine or sacred. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. C. Scott Littleton defines a deity as "a being with powers greater ...

, humans, animals and those born in a hell realm. Only beings who achieve enlightenment ('' bodhi'') in this lifetime escape

in this cycle of birth-and-death ('' sasāra''). As what the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

instructed King Pasenadi of Kosala about aging and death in the ''Pabbatopama Sutta ( SN 3.25)'': :Like massive boulders, :mountains pressing against the sky, :moving in from all sides, :crushing the four directions, :so aging and death :come rolling over living beings: :noble warriors, brahmins, merchants, :workers, outcastes, & scavengers. :They spare nothing. :They trample everything. :So a wise person seeing his own good, :steadfast, secures confidence :in the Buddha, Dhamma, & Sangha. :One who practices the Dhamma in thought, word, & deed, :receives praise here on earth and after death rejoices in heaven. The Dhammapada has one chapter known as "Jaravagga", that consisted of eleven verses about old age, (from verse 146 to 156). Dhp 146-156 (trans.
Buddharakkhita, 1996).
/ref>

Notes

References

Web references

Sources

* Bodhi, Bhikkhu (1980). ''Transcendental Dependent Arising: A Translation and Exposition of the Upanisa Sutta'' (Wheel Nos. 277-278). Kandy:

Buddhist Publication Society The Buddhist Publication Society (BPS) is a publishing house with charitable status whose objective is to disseminate the teaching of Gautama Buddha. It was founded in Kandy, Sri Lanka in 1958 by two Sri Lankan lay Buddhists, A.S. Karunaratna and ...

. Retrieved 18 Nov 2008 from "Access to Insight" (1995) a
Transcendental Dependent Arising: A Translation and Exposition of the Upanisa Sutta
* Piyadassi Thera (trans.) (1999). ''Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting in Motion the Wheel of Truth'' ( SN 56.11). Retrieved 2007-06-13 from "Access to Insight" a
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta: Setting in Motion the Wheel of Truth
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997b). ''Upajjhatthana Sutta: Subjects for Contemplation'' ( AN 5.57). Retrieved 18 Nov 2008 from "Access to Insight" a
Upajjhatthana Sutta: Subjects for Contemplation
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997). ''Pabbatopama Sutta: The Simile of the Mountains'' ( SN 3.25). Retrieved 7 Nov 2020 from "Access to Insight" a
Pabbatopama Sutta: The Simile of the Mountains
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1998b). ''Sona: Mother of Ten'' ( Thig 5.8). Retrieved 18 Nov 2008 from "Access to Insight" a
Sona: Mother of Ten
* Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (2000). ''Maha-satipatthana Sutta: The Great Frames of Reference'' ( DN 22). Retrieved 2007-06-20 from "Access to Insight" a
Maha-satipatthana Sutta: The Great Frames of Reference
* * * * * {{Buddhism topics Twelve nidānas Sanskrit words and phrases