"Nothing but death will complete all this," answered the questioners.

- And all people will have the same thing, or is it only for some?

"Without a doubt, unless premature death saves someone from such ailments, it is impossible in the course of years not to reach such a situation.

- In what years does it happen? And is death inevitable, is there no means to avoid it and not reach such an illness? asked the king's son.

- When they reach the age of 80, 100 years, they die, otherwise it is impossible. For death is a necessity inherent in the human race from the very beginning, and it cannot be avoided.

After all that he had seen and heard, the wise and prudent youth wept from the bottom of his heart and said:

"This life is not sweet, full of all sorrow and sorrow, if all this is so. And how can anyone be carefree, who does not know at all when he should expect death, which comes not only inevitably, but also unexpectedly."

They continued on their way, and the prince constantly thought about what he had seen and heard, constantly remembering death. From then on, he was always seen sad and gloomy. He said to himself: "When will death snatch me, and who will remember me after death, while time consigns everything to oblivion? After death I will be annihilated without a trace, or is there some other life, another world?"

Thinking this and the like incessantly, he began to turn pale and wither. When he happened to be in the sight of his father, he pretended to be cheerful and without sorrow, not wanting his father to know his thoughts. He was burning with an intolerable desire to meet someone who could satisfy the aspirations of his soul and say a good word about what interested him so much. So he again began to ask the said tutor if he knew any one who could satisfy his desires and calm his mind, which was terribly wandering in meditation and could not give up the thought of death. The questioner, remembering their previous conversation, said: "I have already told you before how your father has ordered the ascetics who are constantly discussing what you want to know, some of whom he ordered to be executed, while others were inexorably persecuted, so that now I do not know any of them living in the vicinity."

The king's son, filled with anger and very grieved in his soul, was like a man who had lost a great treasure and turned all his thoughts to finding it. From that time on he lived in constant sorrow and care; all worldly pleasures and amusements were in his eyes a kind of abomination, a disgrace. When the prince was in such a situation, striving to find good for his soul, the All-Seeing Eye saw him, and the All-Seeing Eye did not ignore him, Who wished salvation to all and the knowledge of the truth, according to His inherent love for mankind, and in the following way showed him the path along which he should go.

The Story of St. Barlaam and His Meeting with Tsarevich Joasaph. The Beginning of His Holy Teaching

At that time there lived a monk of irreproachable life, distinguished by eloquence and who had traveled the entire path of monastic life. From what place and from what family he came, I cannot say. He lived in a certain wilderness, located in the land of Senar, and was honored with the priesthood. The name of this elder was Varlaam. Having learned by Divine revelation about the state of Joasaph's soul, he left the wilderness and went to inhabited places. Changing his clothes for worldly clothes, he boarded a ship and went to the country of the Hindus. Posing as a merchant, he arrived in the city where the palace of the king's son was located. In this city he spent several days, looking closely at the situation of the prince and scouting about his retinue. When he learned that the tutor mentioned above was closest to the king's son, he said to him in private: "I want to tell you, my lord, that I am a merchant and have come from distant lands. I have one gem the likes of which have never been found before. I have not yet shown it to anyone, but I speak of it to you because I see in you a wise and intelligent man who can lead me to the king's son so that I can present him with my stone. This stone is incomparably higher than all that is beautiful: it can bestow the light of wisdom on the blind, open the ears of the deaf, give voice to the dumb, and heal the sick. He makes the foolish wise; He casts out evil spirits and generously gives everything beautiful and pleasant to those who deserve it."

The teacher answers him: "I see that you have a strong and mature mind, but your words seem to me too boastful. I cannot count to you all the precious stones that I have seen, but I have not seen or heard of stones that have such powers as you attribute to yours. But nevertheless, show it to me, and if what you have said is true, I will take it to the prince at once, and you will receive from him a great many gifts and honors. But until I am convinced of the truth of your words, I cannot tell my lord and king such improbabilities about a subject unknown to me."

Then St. Barlaam said to him: "Thou speakest the truth, that thou hast never seen or heard of such powers and actions, for it is not a question of an ordinary thing, but of an amazing and great thing. But listen to me, and you will see with your own eyes what you have tried to see. This precious stone, in addition to the above-mentioned power and action, has another property: it cannot be seen by one who does not have good, healthy eyesight and a pure, immaculate body. If anyone, being imperfect in these two respects, wanted to look at this precious stone, he would certainly lose the sight and mind that he has. As for me, being somewhat versed in the art of medicine, I see that your eyes are unwell. Therefore, I am afraid that you will not lose the sight that you have. As for the king's son, I have heard that his eyesight is already well established, and therefore I would not be afraid to show him this treasure. I hope that you will not ignore my words and will not want to deprive your master of such a thing."