Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and

Pāli Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a classical Middle Indo-Aryan language of 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 '' Therav� ...

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

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, 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 2011 documentary film produced by Project Rebirth * '' ...

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 ', 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 ', Lith. ''mirti'', Latin and ', and Greek ''μόρος'', all of which mean "to die, death".

Within the Four Noble Truths

Within the teachings on the

Four Noble Truths In Buddhism, the Four Noble Truths (; ; "The Four Arya (Buddhism), arya satya") are "the truths of the noble one (the Buddha)," a statement of how things really are (Three marks of existence, the three marks of existence) when they are seen co ...

, ''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 material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

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 Twelve or 12 may refer to: * 12 (number) * December, the twelfth and final month of the year * Dozen, a group of twelve. Years * 12 BC * AD 12 * 1912 * 2012 Film * ''Twelve'' (2010 film), based on the 2002 novel * ''12'' (2007 film), by Russi ...

, directly conditioned by birth (''

jāti ''Jāti'' is the term traditionally used to describe a cohesive group of people in the Indian subcontinent, like a caste, sub-caste, clan, tribe, or a religious sect. Each Jāti typically has an association with an occupation, geography or trib ...

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

Texts

In the Buddhist

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

's "Subjects for Contemplation Discourse" (''

Upajjhatthana Sutta The Upajjhatthana Sutta ("Subjects for Contemplation"), also known as the Abhiṇhapaccavekkhitabbaṭhānasutta in the Chaṭṭha Saṅgāyana Tipiṭaka, is a Buddhist discourse (Pali: ''sutta''; Skt.: ''sutra'') famous for its inclusion of ...

'', 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 considered to be sacred and worthy of worship due to having authority over some aspect of the universe and/or life. The ''Oxford Dictionary of English'' defines ''deity'' as a God (male deity), god or god ...

, humans, animals and those born in a hell realm. Only beings who achieve enlightenment (''

bodhi The English term ''enlightenment'' is the Western translation of various Buddhist terms, most notably ''bodhi'' and ''vimutti''. The abstract noun ''bodhi'' (; Sanskrit: बोधि; Pali: ''bodhi'') means the knowledge or wisdom, or awakene ...

'') 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 legends, he was ...

instructed King Pasenadi of

Kosala Kosala, sometimes referred to as Uttara Kosala () was one of the Mahajanapadas of ancient India. It emerged as a small state during the Late Vedic period and became (along with Magadha) one of the earliest states to transition from a lineage ...

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 The ''Dhammapada'' (; ) is a collection of sayings of the Buddha in verse form and one of the most widely read and best known Buddhist scriptures.See, for instance, Buswell (2003): "rank among the best known Buddhist texts" (p. 11); and, "on ...

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 teachings of Gautama Buddha. It was founded in Kandy, Sri Lanka, in 1958 by two Sri Lankan lay Buddhists, A.S. Karunaratn ...

. 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