The Precious Opportunity of Human Life
Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju
The Rarity of Human Life
Teachings from Teacher Practitioner Xia Lianju: recorded and transcribed by Namo Amituofo’s disciple, Venerable HaiZe.
17 November 2023
The sutras tell us that losing a human body and then regaining it is an incredibly difficult task. It is as rare as the soil remaining on one's fingernail after scooping up a handful of earth from the ground.
Imagine you reach down and scoop up a large handful of soil. As you lift your hand, most of the earth falls away, returning to the vast ground. Only a tiny, almost imperceptible amount remains beneath your fingernails. This tiny amount represents the rare opportunity to regain a human body after having lost it. The vast amount of soil that fell back to the earth represents the countless beings who, once they lose their human form, cannot easily return to it.
The First Breath of Suffering
Consider how this human body is formed within the mother's womb. Over the course of ten months, the fetus gradually grows and develops. It is only when the internal organs are fully formed and matured that the child is capable of surviving outside the mother's body.
Upon birth, the infant's skin and pores make their first contact with the air. This sudden exposure causes a sensation of sharp pain throughout the entire body, which is why the newborn cries out. From the very moment a life arrives in the human world, the first experience it encounters is suffering. It is only after this initial cry that the long journey of life truly begins.
The Path of True Cultivation
The preciousness of obtaining this human body lies in the fact that our heart and spirit reside within it. Because we possess this physical form, we are able to engage in practice. We use this temporary vessel to engage in True Cultivation, which is the only way to elevate the quality of one's spirit.
We must strive to:
- Continuously elevate the quality of one's spirit.Engage in purification, and then more purification.Remove defilements and attain purity.
Only when we are completely free from all traces of defilement is there a possibility of becoming an awakened being.
The Vow to Save All Beings
The value of becoming an awakened being is immense. It is through this state that we can:
- Spread the teachings to help more beings become awakened.Widely proclaim the name of Namo Amituofo and the wonders of the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.Establish a spiritual Pure Land within our hearts, mirroring the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Our deepest hope is to alleviate the fear that beings feel regarding birth, aging, sickness, and death. We wish to help them transcend these states, eventually helping them leave suffering behind and find happiness through rebirth in the Western Land of Ultimate Bliss.
Namo Amituofo
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About the Author
Hsiang Kuang Pure Land Buddhist Centre
Contributed to Pure Land Buddhism knowledge library