Four things to contemplate

1. We have a great and rare opportunity to do good in the world, to practice a spiritual path, and to uncover our true spontaneous wondrous nature. This opportunity is easily lost, however. It can be lost through death, which comes like a thief in the night, or simply through inaction and distraction. To appreciate the rarity of our opportunity, think about how many life forms there are on the planet. Almost none of them have the cognitive ability to follow a spiritual path, and many of them are relegated to vast suffering and hellish experiences. Think of all the poor lobsters boiled alive in pots. None of them has had the opportunity to practice that we have. Think of all the people in the world who don't have the freedom to practice as they wish. For example, people who must work all day without stop and people living in countries with brutal governments. From this perspective, the number of people who can practice a spiritual path are as rare as a star in daytime.


2. Everything is impermanent. That which comes together must dissolve. In fact, the only two certainties in life are that we will die, and that we don't know when. Since we know that our time is limited, what better time to start practicing a spiritual path than right now!

3. Virtuous actions leads to happiness whereas negative actions (for example the 7 deadly sins) leads to suffering. This is the principle of karma.

4. The objects and people of the world cannot be relied upon for lasting happiness. Thus, if we wish to find lasting happiness, we need to look elsewhere.