The body, subject to affliction, bears pain so that disease may be destroyed. Yet, as days and nights pass, they steadily, relentlessly diminish the lifespan of mortals. Old age inevitably overtakes all who are born; not even a single moment remains unchanged, untouched by time. The sun itself rises and sets, again and again, marking the endless cycles of existence. Nights slip away, their passage colored by the fortunes and misfortunes that befall people. If the fruits of a person’s actions were truly independent—if they depended on no one else—then why do we see the virtuous sometimes fail, deprived even by the consequences of their own deeds? There are those whose lives overflow with desire, bound tightly by hopes and the lure of gold. In this world, many live only for pleasure, often through deception. Some perform actions with great effort, yet do not attain the results they seek. Just as a seed is produced in one place and then carried elsewhere, so too does the outcome of effort not always remain with the one who labored. For some, cessation comes as naturally as a mango blossom falling from its branch. There are those who strive for success, yet the egg—the hoped-for result—is not produced. A son may be born with a long life, and yet, how can he be the same as his departed father? After being carried for ten months in the womb, a child may be born and bring disgrace to the family. Even those born with the most auspicious signs are not always pure. Sometimes, without any visible cause, an embryo enters the womb. There is the one who abandons both suffering and pleasure, recognizing their transient nature. Wealth, too, is often abandoned because it brings suffering, and even when it is preserved, it fails to grant true happiness. Men of distinction may attain one state of wealth after another, but all accumulations ultimately decline, and every elevation is followed by a fall. There is no end to human thirst and longing, yet true satisfaction is the highest happiness one can attain. Even those who experience satisfaction for the briefest moment do not remain in that state. But those who reflect with intelligence on the nature of beings, who see beyond the darkness of ignorance, gather only what is essential, never satisfied by the mere fulfillment of desires. Such a person should consider carefully the means for release from this suffering. In the experiences of sound, touch, taste, form, and scent, the highest experience can be found. For those who sustain themselves through the wise use of speech, suffering and illness do not arise. Withdrawing affection, whether in praise or among others, and becoming absorbed in the self—indifferent and free from desires—one finds peace. When pleasure and pain reverse, as they inevitably do, one should act according to one’s own nature; the diligent do not fall. The bodies we have worn in previous lives always belong to the same embodied being. The strengths and weaknesses of one body are burned away by another, as the cycle continues. By union, the drop of semen—unconscious—finds its place in the womb. There, food and drink are digested, and what is eaten is consumed. In the womb, urine and feces follow their natural course. Within the belly, embryos arise, and others are born in due time. From this connection with the womb, whoever lives is eventually released into the world. For those born together with the womb, the seventh month brings a particular condition—a sign of the mysterious journey of life that continues, ever subject to the laws of nature and destiny.