The thought of impermanence, the inevitability of transformation and death, changes how you relate to everything. It is important to be mindful of it. Passing moments become days, passing days become months, passing months become years, and passing years soon turn into the passing of our very lives. There are so many things we all want to experience and do in our lives, but so little of it gets accomplished. Think about how many years can go by without even finishing one book you have set aside to read! Life is like that. It simply passes without you noticing. Since this particular life is so precious, we shouldn’t waste our time following the whims of our wandering minds. Not knowing how long we will live and with no assurance of a good future rebirth, we must value the precious time we have right now and not waste it.
The dharma teachings explain in detail what a precious human life is. It is by no means a mere generalization. Rather, the precious human life means precisely you. You can practice the dharma and so your life is precious: you have the freedom to pursue the dharma; you have time to attend dharma lectures; you have the intellect to understand the meaning; and, you are physically able to do the practice. It makes you realize how lucky you are.
This traditional story provides a good metaphor for the preciousness of our human existence: a beggar once found a very large ruby on the road. He did not know he could get a lot of money in exchange for it. He went about every day begging for food when all the while the ruby sat in his pocket. In the end, he died a beggar. He did not use the ruby so it was worthless to him. This very simple story drives home the point that, if you do not realize how inconceivably precious your life is now, it is as good as a ruby hidden in your pocket.
You should call to mind that suffering is the maturing and passing of bad karma. Like everything else, negative karma is also impermanent—it will eventually run itself out. Since the results of your own actions always ripen on you, it is better to deal with them now, as best as you can, and be done with them.
If you can step away from self-clinging for a while, and try to reflect deeply, you will discover that there is another mind. This mind gives a fresh attitude, one that is diametrically opposed to self-centeredness. It is an open mind that replaces habitual self-concern with a genuine concern for the well-being of others. This mind of loving kindness is the very cause for you to break free of self-clinging mind.
A mind bent on benefiting others is a fertile field where virtues grow in abundance. Virtue, in any context, connotes an honest good, free of any harm. Implicit in the meaning of “good” is usefulness and benefit to others. Kindness, generosity, and patience, for example, are universally recognized virtues that benefit others.
The reason we feel gratitude toward all sentient beings is that they provide us with never-ending opportunities to cultivate these virtues. Not only do we practice taking their suffering as our own, but in our daily encounters with them we are granted a precious chance to put our virtues into practice. When they behave in a self-centered way, we can cultivate patience, kindness, and generosity and when they behave in a virtuous way, we can cultivate sympathetic joy and make the wish to become as selfless as they. In either case, we owe our successful training to our encounters with all sentient beings and, therefore, feel gratitude toward them. Because they allow us to cultivate virtues, sentient beings are the direct cause of the perfect state of enlightenment.
Meditation must not be undertaken with the expectation of experiencing results. When results are experienced, they must not become objects of attachment. If meditation practice is goal-driven, or if results become an object of attachment, the practice itself will be spoiled. Your meditation will be one more bad habit, and not produce the lasting result of insight into the empty nature of mind and phenomena.
For meditation to be effective, it must not be undertaken with worries about whether one is qualified, will experience results, or if the practice is worthwhile. Similarly, one must not have expectations about realization, results, and experiences. For meditation to be effective, the mind placed in meditation must be uncontrived.
One should also not grasp at the results of meditation. Many things can arise, positive and negative. One may experience sickness or bliss, suffering or clarity, powerful good dreams, powerful bad dreams, or no dreams at all. The point is, to seek out results or be attached to whatever you believe are the results of your practice is compulsive, deluded behavior. It is critical to abandon your expectations in order to allow the practice to work.
According to the Buddhist view of impermanence and karma, nobody knows when he or she will die. In any case, you cannot help but to recognize the fact that in this world it is not easy to do as you please and to do everything you want to. It is hard to find time for many things. We have to study when we are young, then look for a job to support ourselves and our families. But, if you really engage with these teachings and try to train your mind, this is like the best savings for the future. For those who have already retired from your jobs, the teachings and practices contained in this book are my highest recommendation for you to meaningfully use the remainder of your precious human life. Whether you achieve enlightenment in one life, like Chekawa Yeshe Dorje, or after this life, or after many lives, this practice will carry you through as many lifetimes as it takes as a successful bodhisattva, free from the suffering of samsara and finally enable you to achieve enlightenment.
