The Perfectly Enlightened One’s Complexion is No Longer Pure and Bright The Limbs Are All Flaccid and Wrinkled

(Then the Venerable Ānanda approached The Perfectly Enlightened One. Having approached and paid homage (respect), while massaging The Perfectly Enlightened One’s limbs, he said to him:)

‘It is wonderful, Venerable Sir! It is amazing, Venerable Sir! The Perfectly Enlightened One’s complexion is no longer pure and bright, his limbs are all flaccid (soft and hanging loosely) and wrinkled, his body is stooped, and some alteration is seen in his sense bases-in the eye sense base, the ear sense base, the nose sense base, the tongue sense base, the body sense base.’

So it is, Ānanda! In youth one is subject to aging; In health one is subject to illness; while alive one is subject to death. The complexion is no longer pure and bright, the limbs are all flaccid and wrinkled, the body is stooped, and some alteration is seen in the sense bases — in the eye sense base, the ear sense base, the nose sense base, the tongue sense base, the body sense base.

This is what The Perfectly Enlightened One said. Having said this, The Fortunate One, The Teacher, further said this:

Fie on you, wretched aging,

Aging which makes beauty fade!

So much has the charming puppet,

Been crushed beneath advancing age.

One who might live a hundred years

Also has death as destination.

Death spares none along the way

But comes crushing everything.

(Reference: SN 48.41)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares the dissatisfaction that one might express regarding the aging process. One who is unaware and unaccepting of impermanence might think negatively of the aging process rather than just see it for what it is - impermanence.

Oftentimes beings might attempt to “hold on” to youth and their youthful appearance. This can cause much discontentedness in one’s own mind through constant attempts at beautification of the body craving youthfulness.

There have been many people who have failed to resist the pressure and temptation of craving/desiring a youthful appearance to only meet with complicated surgeries and procedures that later result in devastation and despair.

It is only when the mind understands and accepts impermanence that one gains comfort in allowing the mind to be content with the aging of the physical body. While one needs to maintain the physical body’s health, maintaining a youthful appearance is subject to impermanence and a craving for youthfulness will only result in discontentedness of mind.

Sickness, aging, and death “spares none along the way”. It will come “crushing everything” and if the mind is unknowing of this reality, it will become discontent as the body ages and experiences decline.

Gotama Buddha is not discontent in his sharing of this Teaching but instead, reflecting and sharing words that one might understand to know that even him a Fully Perfectly Enlightened Buddha is subject to sickness, aging, and death. As long as we are in the human condition, we will experience sickness, aging, and death.

Discontentedness is optional and we can choose to eliminate sorrow, grief, pain, displeasure, and despair. Through eliminating discontentedness to attain Enlightenment we also eliminate sickness, aging, and death.

Observe how in this Teaching from The Buddha that he describes the aging body and the “alteration is seen in the sense bases”. He describes the fading away of highly developed or a sharp use of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body. Meaning these sense bases are in decline as he aged.

However, notice that he did not mention the decline of the mind. His mind was highly developed and sharp as having attained Enlightenment there is focus, concentration, deep memory, and clarity of thought. While an unEnlightened being ages, they will experience the same decline of the eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and body. They will also experience the decline of the mind.

But having attained Enlightenment, an Enlightened being does not experience the decline of the mind as the physical body ages. The body and the mind are two separate entities and the declining of one does not necessarily require the declining of another.

So, with the common knowledge of decline of the mind often associated with aging, you can understand the wisdom that this only applies to the unEnlightened mind. Through cultivation of the mind to Enlightenment as one’s body ages, the mind remains highly developed and sharp with peacefulness, calmness, serenity, and contentedness with joy permanently. The focus, concentration, memory, and clarity of thought of the Enlightened mind does not decline with age. This is yet another reason and beneficial outcome of pursuing and attaining Enlightenment in this very life.