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a breath


The Buddha once asked a student, "How long is a human life?"
The student replied, "It is so brief it seems but a day long."
He then asked another the same question, "What is the true length of a person's life?"
She answered thoughtfully, "It is the time taken to eat a single meal".
And so the Buddha asked a third student, "How long is life?"
"The time in a single breath", was the student's reply.
"Exactly so." said the Buddha, "You understand".

from Kindness; A Treasury of Buddhist Wisdom for Children and Parents

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