Original Photo by nsyll available on Flickr.com |
"This free and well-favoured human form is difficult to obtain.
Now that you have the chance to realize the full human potential,
If you don’t make good use of this opportunity,
How could you possibly expect to have such a chance again?"[1]
The first
thought that turns the mind toward the Buddha Dharma is the preciousness of
human birth and the importance of using it well for escaping samsara.
But what is
so special about birth in human form? There are a few elements here. First, the human birth is extremely rare.
Second, human birth is a favorable
balance between pain and pleasure which makes listening and devoting to the
Dharma easier.
To make us
realize how rare is birth in human form Shakyamuni Buddha told the following
parable from the Chiggala Sutra (Samyuta Nikaya):