by Barton Stone

Avalokitesvara bodhisattva addressed the assembled beings with deep compassion: Birth and death are relentless and you are right to tremble as you behold them, for all things are void of self-nature and

Your alkaline diet will not save you.

Your workout routine will not save you.

The Beatles will not come back to save you

Organic produce will not save you

Your vows will not save you

Mutual funds will not save you

Poetry will not save you

Zazen will not save you

Tree-planting will not save you

Washboard abs will not save you

A clean car will not save you

Psychedelics will not save you

Your teacher will not save you

Big Mind will not save you

Your family will not save you

Neither wit nor charm will save you

Rare gold coins will not save you

Jesus will definitely not save you

Virtue will not save you

Solar panels will not save you

Fame and fortune will not save you

Your super-comfortable Sharper Image styrofoam pellet zafu will not save you

Not even Constance’s love will save you

Hearing aids will not save you

Expatriation will not save you,

Degrees and credentials will not save you

Hope will not save you,

Extended orgasms will not save you,

The Great Mother’s arms will not save you

No amount of vitamins and supplements will save you

Art will not save you

Meditations on grasping and clinging will not save you

Giddy episodes of gratitude will not save you

Anti-oxidants will not save you

Your grandchildren will not save you

Your reputation will not save you

The people’s eventual uprising will not save you

Extraterrestrial entities will not save you no matter how high their vibrational level

Beauty will not save you

Modesty will not save you

Invisibility will not save you

Hilarity will not save you

Clever turns of phrase will not save you

The esteem of your colleagues will not save you

Green tea and flax oil will not save you

Being debt-free will not save you.

Hope for one more sunrise will not save you.

Many of the assembled beings on that day, hearing those words, and taking them to heart immediately attained unsurpassed, complete, perfect life-as-it-is, trembling and all!