Part 2c - The instruction to strive for the Dharma

An opportunity of liberation from the limitless depths of samsara is hard to find. So let us strive for the Dharma with all our hearts. That is the instruction.

Therefore, now when we still have the power to do so,
By auspicious conditions that accord with the proper path,
Relying on the inexhaustible wholesome dharmas
Gained by having gathered the two accumulations,
Let us pass beyond the city of samsara.

Now, while we are not in the grip of aging, being old and decrepit and dying, and while we still can, let us be guided by the path of liberation. If we do whatever goodness we can, we shall surely come forth from samsara.

The Sutra of the Vast Display says:

O monks, when death, aging and enfeeblement are non-existent, and by cultivating goodness your powers are transformed, enlightenment will proliferate. Therefore strive to accumulate the accumulations of merit and wisdom. For you the three cities^[1] of samsara will be emptied. The gates to the lower realms will be cut off. The stairway to the happy celestial realms will be established. The level of liberation will be attained.