will naturally bring a feeling of joy and a deep appreciation of our human life with its great potential. By meditating on the value and rarity of our precious human life we will develop a spontaneous and continuous desire to take full advantage of it. This virtuous wish naturally leads us to correct spiritual paths and holds us back from entering wrong paths. Therefore, developing the wish to take the essence of this precious human life is said to be the key that unlocks the door of Dharma. It is also said to be our best friend because it influences us powerfully to use our life in the best way.
This section has two parts:
1 The eight freedoms
2 The ten endowments
the eight freedoms
Four of the eight freedoms are freedoms from being born in a form that is not human:
1 Freedom from being born as a hell being
2 Freedom from being born as a hungry spirit
3 Freedom from being born as an animal
4 Freedom from being born as an ordinary god
An explanation of ways to develop conviction, if we do not already have it, that past and future lives exist, and that there are other realms or conditions of existence apart from the human realm, will be given in detail below. For the purposes of this meditation it is enough to have faith, or at least to keep an open mind.
It is impossible to be born as a human being without first creating the cause, just as it is impossible to gather a good harvest without first planting the seeds. Nothing, not even an atom, arises without causes and conditions. What is the cause of being born human? The cause is to be found in our own mental actions. There is no lawgiver who exists outside ourself and decrees ‘You will be human’ or ‘You will inhabit hell.’ Furthermore, we cannot take a particular form of life merely by preferring it, for who would ever prefer to be born in hell? As explained in the Condensed Perfection of Wisdom Sutra, the main cause of a human rebirth is the practice of moral discipline. It cannot be said, therefore, that human beings will always be born again as human beings or that animals will always be born again as animals. The form of life we take depends upon the quality of our own actions.
Although it is difficult to prove by logical reasoning alone the precise relationships between particular actions and their effects, it is quite easy to understand the relationship between actions and their effects in general. The ripened effect of any action is to be born in a state of existence that is similar in nature to the action itself. The ripened effect of any virtuous action is to be born in a fortunate state, such as that of a human being or a god; and the ripened effect of any non-virtuous action is to be reborn in an unfortunate state, such as that of an animal, a hungry spirit or a hell being.
All the beings who now inhabit the lower realms of existence have at some time in their countless past lives practised moral discipline. As a result they carry within their minds the potentiality to be born human and to practise moral discipline again. Similarly, in this life and in our past lives we have committed countless destructive actions, and so we carry within our mind many potentialities to be born into a life that is not human and to repeat our destructive actions over and over again. Thus we need to meditate in order to appreciate fully the good fortune that we now enjoy and to develop a heartfelt determination to make the most of it while we can.
freedom from being born as a hell being
We meditate:
The body and environment of a hell being give rise only to intense pain and so it is impossible for such a being to listen to, contemplate, or meditate on Dharma. When I experience even slight physical pain I cannot listen to Dharma, read Dharma books, or sit down to meditate. Yet beings in hell experience much greater torment than I could ever experience as a human being, and they experience pain constantly for almost incalculably long periods of time. How fortunate I am not to have taken rebirth as a hell being.
freedom from being born as a hungry spirit
We meditate:
Beings who take rebirth as hungry spirits experience constant hunger and thirst. When I am feeling hungry I cannot give much thought to my spiritual practice and I cannot develop much interest in listening to or reading Dharma. Yet hungry spirits experience extreme hunger and thirst all the time and so they never have the freedom or the wish to practise Dharma. How fortunate I am not to have taken rebirth as a hungry spirit.
freedom from being born as an animal
We meditate:
Although some animals, like dogs, are clever at finding food and can be taught to obey our command, it is impossible for them to train their minds in the stages of the path to enlightenment because animals suffer from great confusion and stupidity. Even if we try to encourage them to meditate they are completely incapable of comprehending our advice. Our spiritual instructions are like wind in their ears. How fortunate I am not to have taken rebirth as an animal.
freedom from being born as an ordinary god
We meditate:
Long-life gods experience only two gross minds – one when they realize that they have taken heavenly rebirth and the other when they are about to die. The rest of their life is spent in a state that resembles sleep in which they become like mindless stones, perceiving nothing. Although their lives are long, these gods cannot reap any benefit from them by practising Dharma, and when they die they are born again in one of the lower realms.
Gods of the form realm other than long-life gods also lack the freedom to practise Dharma because they spend their whole life in a state of solitary tranquillity. They never experience suffering as we do, and they never see the sufferings of others, and so they have no way of developing realizations of renunciation, great compassion or bodhichitta. Some gods, such as the gods of the desire realm, spend their whole life engrossed in distractions and so they never develop an interest in Dharma, and when they die they are thrown into lower realms. Since from the point of view of Dharma, rebirth as an ordinary god is totally meaningless, how fortunate I am not to have taken such a rebirth.
There was once a doctor called Kumara who followed his Spiritual Guide, Shariputra, with great devotion. Even if Kumara was on an elephant, as soon as he saw Shariputra he would immediately dismount and pay homage. When he died he took rebirth as a god of the desire realm. Shariputra knew of this by means of his clairvoyance and he decided to visit his disciple to see if he could continue to instruct him in Dharma. When Shariputra entered the pleasure garden where this god was now playing, his former disciple merely waved at him from a distance and then withdrew into the company of the goddesses who were his playmates. Shariputra did not get the chance even to greet his former disciple, let alone to offer any spiritual advice.
The remaining four freedoms are freedoms from being born as a human being in conditions that either prevent or seriously impede spiritual practice:
5 Freedom from being born and remaining in a country where there is no religion
6 Freedom from being born and remaining in a country where there is no Buddhadharma
7 Freedom from being born and remaining with mental or physical disabilities
8 Freedom from holding wrong views denying Dharma
freedom from being born and remaining in a country where there is no religion
We meditate:
If
