The Four Enemies: Understanding Suffering
…affected, our eyes become clouded, our ears deaf,
our teeth are knocked out, our cheeks hollow, our hair grey,
our skin dry, our back bent, our ribs showing through our
unattractive skin — quite frighteni…
This text discusses the metaphor of four enemies that represent the sufferings inherent in human existence: birth, aging, illness, and death. Birth is akin to the first enemy, seducing us into life, w