I fervently prostrate to you, my root guru and the buddhas who pervade the three times.
You have revealed the cause and effect of positive and negative actions,
Which are infallible in their true nature, and by your undefiled path of reasoning
Have brought all beings to perfect and satisfactory enjoyment.
What is “life”? The dictionary states that life is the period between birth and death, but if we were to ask various people, they all would have their own ways to describe it. Destitute people who live in dilapidated homes would say that life is full of suffering. Those who indulge in liquor and drugs day and night would define life differently, saying, “Life is too short and we must enjoy it before we die.” Divorced people who are left with children would describe life as unfair. The sports lover would say, “Life is just a game.” Aristocrats might say that life is nothing but luxury. A patient in an emergency ward might describe life as torment and that it’s better to die. Different religions might have different ways of explaining it. And some people might even describe life as being just like the waxing and waning of the moon—the moon waxes till the full moon day and then it just gradually wanes away. Therefore, since there are so many different definitions of life from different people, why don’t I give my own explanation about life?
Among the lives of the six realms, I will describe the importance of human life. The Buddha said,
Life is impermanent like lightning in the sky;
The death and birth of beings are like watching a dance.
So, we must understand what are the most essential things for us to do within this human life. It is the only chance we get to benefit others and make ourselves truly human by refraining from doing unwholesome acts. Otherwise our life is filled with selfishness, greed, ego, and so forth, and we are dominated helplessly by these and forced to follow after them, creating unnecessary problems that make our lives so complicated. The problems in families, villages, states, nations, and in the universe are created by such ignorance.
In life everyone wants happiness but we don’t know the cause of happiness and end up indulging in doing wrong things. For example, one who desires wealth and gets involved in robberies creates the suffering of going to prison. The world is full of selfish desires. People do whatever they like to fulfil their own desire but if we observe carefully our desire never ends until we reach our deathbed. Desire is like an elephant attached in mud that dies sinking in it. The Buddha said, “Contentment is the supreme of all wealth and possessions.” Therefore, if we practice contentment in life, our world will not be in danger of global warming and having its natural resources decline; rather, it will sustain generation after generation where our future children will have the same opportunity to enjoy the gifts of their ancestors.
In life, there is no destiny that we cannot fulfil; one can even cause flowers to bloom in the Sahara desert if one is willing. Now the stage of birth is over and only death is left; before death arrives, it’s essential for us to cultivate good merits by doing virtuous actions. So, “if we want to obtain good results, we need to cultivate the best actions”—it is obvious for all of us that good deeds are always rewarded with good results, and bad deeds with bad results. Thus our planet would become a heaven if we humans lead lives that are harmonious with each other. If we are to live harmoniously, we need to have a sense of brotherhood and sisterhood. Finally, life is nothing but the reflection of one’s characteristics. May all beings achieve happiness and live happy life at all times!
By Jangchub Wangdi
9th Year, NNI
