CHAPTER 3

OPPORTUNITY..VIETNAMESE TRANSLATE ENGLISH BY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.

Imagine a yellow yoke floating on an immense ocean. At the bottom of the sea there is a blind turtle swimming alone, it rises to the surface every hundred years. How rare is it for a turtle to float to the surface and stick its head into the hole in the yoke? The Buddha taught that having a rebirth as a precious person is even more rare than that.

It is known that even the gods wish to be human, because that is the best form of existence to practice Dharma. There are about five billion people in this world. Their limbs, brains and bodies are exactly the same. But if we try to see if all mankind has a chance to practice, then we will see a huge difference. We are free of adversities that hinder Dharma practice, adversities such as rebirth with wrong views, rebirth as animals, hungry ghosts, a being in hell, a God of love. pleasure, or making it difficult for people to hear the teachings, or to be born in a place where there is no Dharma. Other adversities are born in a barbaric land where the thought of survival burns all human power, or is born in an era without Buddha's appearance.

On the positive side, we are endowed with many things that make it possible to practice Dharma. For example, we are born to be able to receive teachings and to be born in a land of Dharma teaching. We do not commit any formidable crimes and have enough faith in Buddhism. Although we were not born again in the world when Buddha was alive, we met teachers who could trace the lineage of the teachings they received in any way starting from the Buddha. The Dhamma remains stable and develops thanks to practitioners who follow these teachings. We also live in an age where there are good benefactors who give monks and nuns the requisites for spiritual practice, such as food, clothing, and shelter.

The Buddha's teachings benefit many thousands of sentient beings, by practicing them to attain supreme realizations and to eliminate delusions in the mind. But if we are reborn as animals or sentient beings in hell or hungry ghosts (described in chapter 5), the presence of Dharma in this world will not help us. For example, Buddha Shakyamuni was born in India, achieved omniscience and turned the wheel of Dharma three times. If we had the precious human life at that time and were led by the Buddha, our present destiny would be completely different, and now, we may have escaped rebirth. But things were not like that, and until now, his teachings were of no benefit to us. Fortunately, we are not born in the lower realms, but just talking about rebirth in a human form and not being attached to the reincarnation of non-human beings is not enough. Suppose we are reborn in a place where the Dharma is developed, but if we are born with absolutely no spiritual energy then Dharma will not be of any benefit to us. Physical defects do not hinder the practice of Dharma, but the mind is incompetent and cannot do anything. Even if we don't have flaws, if we were born into a community where people deny the law of cause and effect, our perception is full of wrong views. But not for us. If we are reborn in times without the Buddha Dharma, then we will not have a path of mind transformation to end suffering. But it is not so. We should realize that we have been fortunate to be reborn at an age when the Buddha's teachings exist. We should reflect on this, how happy it is to be fortunate to be free of such disadvantages. When we think that way, we will finally realize that we have a unique human body. If we consider that in such a detailed way, we will eventually realize the true meaning of life. We will decide to make a very powerful vow to strictly practice the Dharma. If we consider that in such a detailed way, we will eventually realize the true meaning of life. We will decide to make a very powerful vow to strictly practice the Dharma. If we consider that in such a detailed way, we will eventually realize the true meaning of life. We will decide to make a very powerful vow to strictly practice the Dharma.

It is known that the teachings of Shakyamuni Buddha will last five thousand years. If we are reborn after that time, we will no longer benefit from Dharma. But we have been reborn in this world in a lifetime of clarity when the Buddha's teachings still exist. If you want to transform your mind, you must be convinced to use the full advantage of your life as a human being.

Until this moment, we live our lives, eating, sewing, finding accommodation. If we continue in the same way, just eating to live, what does that mean for our lives? We all have a precious human body, but there is nothing to be proud of. There are countless other forms of life on the planet, but no species is infatuated, indulgent in human destruction. Humanity threatens all life on the planet. If we allow compassion and an altruistic attitude to guide our lives, then we will be able to accomplish great things - something that other forms of life cannot do. If we can use this precious human body in a positive way, then it will have lasting value. Then human life will become truly precious. However, If we use our human power and the brain's ability in negative ways to torment people, exploit others and cause destruction, our human life will be a danger. to our future self as well as others right now. If used in a negative way, human life will be capable of destroying everything we know. On the contrary, it may be the source to become Buddha.

So far we have not progressed much in our spiritual progress. Ask yourself, “What good deeds have I done up to now; What practices have we used to subdue the mind and make us confident in the future? ” If you do not find anything that can give you a certainty about your future fate, then, everything to eat and drink to sustain your life so far is almost a waste. Wait. As Shantideva's eighteenth-century Indian poet said, our birth was only to bring pain and hardship to our mother, it was not used for any other purpose.

Shantideva said that such a precious human body was obtained, but I was foolish not to meditate and accumulate virtue. If I were still lazy due to laziness, I would be bound by repentance and great concern about the sufferings I would endure in the lower realms of samsara. If we have such a precious human life and waste it, it is like going to the land of jewels and returning to nothing. Reflect on the fact that all the great masters of the past have accomplished enlightenment in one life - Nagarjuna, Asanga, and the great Tibetan teachers like Milarepa - there is only one human life just like us now. The only difference between us and them is that we lack their initiative. By meditating on rarity, we get our lucky chance,

Although a dog lives in a developing French region, the dog cannot benefit from that. Animals are also strongly ruled by delusions and are not as capable as we are to choose between different types of behavior. They are more easily immersed in bad actions and thoughts such as resentment, desires, and more difficult actions. If I were reborn as an animal or any other form of samsara in the lower realms, how would I have the lucky chance to practice the Dharma? It will be very difficult to accumulate virtue, and I will constantly accumulate virtue so that even after death, I will be reeling in a chain of reactions of incessant rebirth in the lower realms of samsara. If it is true that even a momentary negative action has the power to create rebirth in the lower realms for countless lifetimes, then, because of the countless evil deeds I have accumulated in the past, how can I doubt that I will have to be reborn in the lower realms? Once you are reborn in the lower realms, even though the karma that causes that rebirth may be exhausted due to the sufferings you suffer, there is hardly any hope for you to escape. those lower realms, because in a vicious circle, you will let go of bad deeds, and they will cause another rebirth in the lower realm. Having contemplated the difficulty of such a person's life, and contemplating the foolishness of wasting it, you must decide to make the best use of your life by practicing the Dharma. How can I doubt that I will have to be reborn in the lower realms? Once you are reborn in the lower realms, even though the karma that causes that rebirth may be exhausted due to the sufferings you suffer, there is hardly any hope for you to escape. those lower realms, because in a vicious circle, you will let go of bad deeds, and they will cause another rebirth in the lower realm. Once you have reflected on the difficulty of such a person's life, and contemplate the foolishness of wasting it, you must decide to make the best use of your life by practicing the Dharma. How can I doubt that I will have to be reborn in the lower realms? Once you are reborn in the lower realms, even though the karma that causes that rebirth may be exhausted due to the sufferings you suffer, there is hardly any hope for you to escape. those lower realms, because in a vicious circle, you will let go of bad deeds, and they will cause another rebirth in the lower realm. Having contemplated the difficulty of such a person's life, and contemplating the foolishness of wasting it, you must decide to make the best use of your life by practicing the Dharma. you will let go of unwholesome deeds, and they will cause another rebirth in the lower realms. Once you have reflected on the difficulty of such a person's life, and contemplate the foolishness of wasting it, you must decide to make the best use of your life by practicing the Dharma. you will let go of unwholesome deeds, and they will cause another rebirth in the lower realms. Once you have reflected on the difficulty of such a person's life, and contemplate the foolishness of wasting it, you must decide to make the best use of your life by practicing the Dharma.

Buddhists often say that our ordinary human life here requires a uphold of pure precepts in a previous life as an earlier cause of it. Moreover, especially in order to have a human body with the ability to practice the Dharma, it is very important that even a virtue needs to be complemented by other actions such as generosity (generosity) and wishes. vows in the previous life. If you look at this, you will find that very few people have all these elements. By thinking about the rarity of the cause of having a human body, you will realize how difficult it is to have such a precious human body. And if you compare human life with other types of being, like animals, animals and insects are far more crowded than humans. Right in human life, one's life with the privilege of being leisurely and the opportunity to practice Dharma is truly rare. If you understand the importance of this precious human life, all other perceptions will come naturally. If one has gold in hand and throws it away and then begs for gold to be added tomorrow, that person will be a clown. Similarly, although we may be old and weak, our ability to practice the Dharma is far higher than that of other beings. At least we can recite the mantra OM MANI PADME HUM of the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Even if a person is near death, he still has the power to think and cultivate good thoughts. If one has gold in hand and throws it away and then begs for gold to be added tomorrow, that person will be a clown. Similarly, although we may be old and weak, our ability to practice the Dharma is far higher than that of other beings. At least we can recite the mantra OM MANI PADME HUM of the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Even if a person is near death, he still has the power to think and cultivate good thoughts. If one has gold in hand and throws it away and then begs for gold to be added tomorrow, that person will be a clown. Similarly, although we may be old and weak, our ability to practice the Dharma is far higher than that of other beings. At least we can recite the mantra OM MANI PADME HUM of the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Even if a person is near death, he still has the power to think and cultivate good thoughts.

The activities of the Buddha - from the beginning are the fostering of his desire to help others to his accumulation of merit and the attainment of his final Enlightenment - all done for the benefit of sentient beings . The happiness of sentient beings is divided into two categories: transient happiness, the attainment of a favorable rebirth, and ultimate happiness, the attainment of liberation and the omniscient state. All teachings associated with the achievement of a favorable future rebirth are thought to belong to the narrow scope category. When we talk about our ultimate goal, there are two types: liberation from suffering, and omniscience. All teachings related to the practice of achieving personal liberation are those of the medium range. For this purpose, practitioners of the medium range enter into the practice of discipline, meditation, and wisdom, and then, eliminate delusions and attain liberation from suffering and rebirth. All the teachings that outline the techniques for achieving the Enlightenment of Buddhahood, including the Sutrayana and the Mantrayana, are those relevant to the practitioners of a large scale. One who is on a large scale is a person whose mind is motivated by great compassion for all sentient beings, and who wants to attain Enlightenment to benefit others. Thus a group can only think of a future life; These are people of small scope. Those in the second group are not only concerned with the next life, but can think of something far more than liberating from rebirth; These are the average people. However, there are those who are not only concerned with their own well-being, but also more courageous.

Tsong-kha-pa said that although we divide the practice into three categories, the practice of the initial range, the medium range, and the large scale, the two previous ranges are included in the The practice is of a large scale, because they are like the preparations for the practice of a large scale. When we train our minds to realize the importance of human life and its rarity, we decide to use the benefits of this life. Our body, united by flesh, bones, and blood, is like a banana without a core, and is the source of all physical suffering. Therefore, we should not be too concerned with our bodies. Instead, following the example of the Great Bodhisattvas, we should make our human birth meaningful and use our bodies to benefit sentient beings.

In other words, precious and rare opportunities are all around us, we should be aware of their value. We have obtained this precious human body, endowed with these characteristics. If we waste it, only engrossed in trivial concerns and actions, sadness. Once you realize the value of a precious human body, it is important to decide to take advantage of it and use it to practice the Dharma. Otherwise, there is almost no difference between our human life and the life of animals. END=NAM MO SHAKYAMUNI BUDDHA.( 3 TIMES ).GOLDEN AMITABHA MONASTERY=VIETNAMESE BUDDHIST NUN=THICH CHAN TANH.AUSTRALIA,SYDNEY.25/5/2020.