Drew recently gave a series of talks on Buddhist cosmology. I was able to hear the first and the third talk and was working during the second and unable to attend. For those of you who heard any of these talks, please consider the landscape that Drew presented as you read these words. Remember that Drew was clear that a person can approach these realms as literal or figurative.
A practice from the Tibetan tradition I do faithfully each day for some span of time and then somehow forget is The Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind to the Dharma. Sometimes this is called the Four Thoughts That Turn the Mind from Samsara. Either way, it is about turning the mind in a helpful direction for our brief time as a human being.
The first thought is to reflect on the preciousness of a human birth. As Drew explained, there are realms below our human realm such as the animal realm and hungry ghosts. In these realms or mind states, if viewed metaphorically, we do not have the human consciousness to benefit from the transformational teachings of the Buddha, or probably, from any deep spiritual path. Approaching this from a metaphorical perspective, we can see people who are so consumed with animal-like rage or uncontrolled appetites that the mind cannot even begin to grasp subtle and profound teachings. There are also realms above of the gods and devas where things are too darned good for one to be interested in Buddhist teachings.
You are not one of those people stuck in such lower or higher realms in this life. Let me repeat, you are NOT ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE!
How do I know this and why did I flip out with the all caps and the explanation mark? Because by definition, you are reading this. I am not saying you have come to some great teaching in the form I am presenting it; my presentation could be clumsy and wrong-headed but here you are looking for something. The something you are looking for is very different than what someone stuck in the hungry ghost or animal realm (again, speaking metaphorically) would be obsessed with. You are looking in different places for another type of content than one who is stuck in the lower realms.
Having lived for many decades, I can see that there are people in the human form that seem to have no interest in the bedrock teaching of Buddhism which is to examine suffering and find how we can skillfully cause less suffering for ourselves and others.
The word “precious” in a precious human birth is something we need to recognize, pick up, and work with in our life. A human birth that has one stuck for prolonged periods in a lower realm or has one careening in and out of realms constantly, are not forms of human existence that have begun to come to rest in this space of preciousness.
Knowing the human mind, I’m aware that you could be reading this and thinking “yeah, too stuck in some unskillful realm and I am hopeless.” But another thing Drew emphasized in his talk was impermanence. Everything, including our state of mind or realm is subject to change.
Our job is to manage this ever shifting situation in life to move in a more positive direction where we can be aware, open our hearts, become more skillful, and truly move toward creating less suffering for ourselves and others. First, we recognize that there is this territory, this realm, where the work can be done.
Let me again say that you have some part of your being in that realm because you are reading this, perhaps you have come to talks, you have read books on Buddhism or other spiritual approaches, you’ve watch videos on line - all evidence that there is an element in you that wants to not just live a human existence but to make this span of years noble and precious.
As I said, there are Four Thoughts that turn the mind. I have only given you one. It is enough to start with. I hope to cover the other three in the future. If you are all fired up to explore the other three, a simple Google search will get you to the information.
So where is John, the author of this little piece, in relation to these realms? In and out, here and there, moving back and forth daily, hourly, and sometimes by the minute. My goal is to spend more time on the sacred ground of really seeing and feeling the preciousness of this birth.
In closing, I want to mention the jewel of Sangha. Drew’s talk was a reminder for me to go back to a practice I had neglected. As he used the words “precious human life” a number of times in his talk, a little reminder bell was going off in my head telling me to go back to this practice. Thank you Drew. Isn’t it wondrous how we can be precious for each other?
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