So Hard to Climb, So Easy to Fall

Here is a poem from Somdach Preah Songareach Choun Nat:

Posted By: Kee, Date: Friday, 8 July 2005, at 9:11 p.m.

One man came to this country empty-handed. With diligence and right effort, he worked his way up to the top. He realized his dream and became a donut king. In the realm of wealth and great pleasures, he relished his harvest.

But as he over indulged in pleasures, the donut king drowned himself in the flood. He forgot where he came from. He forgot the way, the path that took him to heaven. At the end, he fell back down. His negligence led him to his own downfall. It took the donut king years of hard works to build up his wealth and fame. In just a brink of an eye with unguarded mind, everything was gone.

You too came a long way. Always be mindful. Danger awaits your misstep, like a stork patiently waits for a fish to catch an air. There may be no tomorrow. Life is unpredictable. The world is full of slippery slopes. One misstep can mean death.

“Death overtakes the man
Who gathers flowers
When with distracted mind and thirsty senses
He searches vainly for happiness
In the pleasures of the world.
Death fetches him away
As a flood carries off a sleeping village.”
--The Buddha