We must understand that our present existence did not come from nothing, but we have had other lives before. After death also, this life will not be consumed without residue, like a candle, but we shall take other types of existence. Our situation is samsara, a continual round of rebirths – from a human existence we go to a god existence, then become an animal, and so on, always dying and taking rebirth in one or other of the three samsaric realms, the Realm of Desire, the Realm of Form, and the Formless Realm. We have no power to decide where we shall go, but are driven helplessly to our next destiny by the defilements and karmic imprints in our mind.
It is our actions (karma) that govern the type of rebirth we take. Bad actions lead us, although we do not desire it, to rebirth in the realms of woe; practising the Dharma will lead us to fortunate destinies. It depends solely on our actions, good or bad – we are not free to choose. Since most of us have a large accumulation of negative karmic imprints, the chances are that after this life we shall enter an ill destiny. While we are here in this very special human existence, we must be fully conscious of its value.
There are periods when no Buddha comes to the Earth to give teachings; but at present the teachings of the Buddha are available in this world. We should rejoice in this opportunity.
Then, there are many human existences even on this Earth where the teachings of the Buddha are present, which allow no possibility of meeting these teachings. Such an existence, however well-off one is, is of no great use. But we are actually able to receive the teachings.
The possibility of access to the teachings does not in itself make one’s existence valuable, for there are people who live in a Buddhist country and may even sleep next to the Sutras but have no interest in the Buddha’s teachings. If one has a whole library full of Buddhist texts, but does not want to put them into practice, one is no better than a library mouse. But we have a certain interest in the teachings and wish to practise them for ourself.
Another favourable condition we have is that we are not lacking any of the senses – we can see our teacher, and hear what he says.
All this, though good, is not sufficient. If we did not have a teacher with personal experience of the Dharma who could explain it to us, it would be like having a field with nothing to plant in it. However, not only are we human beings, in a place where the Buddha’s teachings exist, but we have found a teacher who can explain the teachings.
In addition, we are not all alone, but have the support of others practising similarly. We are not on the point of dying for lack of food and shelter, but have the material necessities of life, so we are free to practise the Dharma.
This is just a brief explanation of the meaning of the text so that you can contemplate on it. It is important to analyse this teaching in direct relation to oneself, otherwise it can be of no real benefit. We have to recognize that our present state of existence is quite extraordinary in that so many conditions favourable to the practice of Dharma have come together all at once.
If we go into town we can see many other human beings, but we should ask ourself how many of them have the special circumstances described here, such as meeting the teachings of the Buddha and having a Spiritual Friend. Most of them are not in a position to come into contact with the Dharma, because of their mental attitude: they do not accept it. We should try to be conscious in this way of the preciousness of these special circumstances, wherever we are.
Our remarkable present situation has not come about accidentally, without cause. The principal cause is that we have practised Dharma before this life and so received the inspiration of the Three Jewels. It is good that we have attained this rare opportunity, but it does not last long and we cannot see where we are going to go afterwards. We must therefore be careful not to waste it while we have it, but use it well by engaging in the practice of Dharma, setting our mind firmly in a positive direction right now. To spend such an existence in trivial actions, motivated by greed and hatred, pursuing good food and a pleasant situation, getting attached to some people and fighting with others, so accumulating only causes for bad rebirths in the future, is really not worthy of it.
Source: Geshe Rabten. The Essential Nectar: Meditations on the Buddhist Path. An explanation of the Lam rim text of Yeshe Tsondru entitled The Essential Nectar of the Holy Doctrine, and the text itself. Editing and verse translation by Martin Willson.
