Few people regain birth as Human!

An Eternal Now SG

Then the Blessed One, picking up a little bit of dust with the tip of his fingernail, said to the monks, "What do you think, monks? Which is greater: the little bit of dust I have picked up with the tip of my fingernail, or the great earth?"

"The great earth is far greater, lord. The little bit of dust the Blessed One has picked up with the tip of his fingernail is next to nothing. It doesn't even count. It's no comparison. It's not even a fraction, this little bit of dust the Blessed One has picked up with the tip of his fingernail, when compared with the great earth.

"In the same way, monks, few are the beings who, on passing away from the human realm, are reborn among human beings. Far more are the beings who, on passing away from the human realm, are reborn in hell.

"Therefore your duty is the contemplation, 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress.' Your duty is the contemplation, 'This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.'"

... "In the same way, monks, few are the beings who, on passing away from the human realm, are reborn among devas. Far more are the beings who, on passing away from the human realm, are reborn in hell... in the animal womb... in the domain of the hungry ghosts.

... "In the same way, monks, few are the beings who, on passing away from the deva realm, are reborn among devas. Far more are the beings who, on passing away from the deva realm, are reborn in hell... in the animal womb... in the domain of the hungry ghosts.

... "In the same way, monks, few are the beings who, on passing away from the deva realm, are reborn among human beings. Far more are the beings who, on passing away from the deva realm, are reborn in hell... in the animal womb... in the domain of the hungry ghosts.

An Eternal Now SG

A scary thought, isn't it? So practice hard... if one directly awakens to the nature of dharma the pathway to the three lower realms are cut off.

An Eternal Now SG

"Monks, suppose there was a man whose life span was 100 years, who would live to 100. Someone would say to him, 'Look here, fellow. They will stab you at dawn with 100 spears, at noon with 100 spears, & again at evening with 100 spears. You, thus stabbed day after day with 300 spears, will have a lifespan of 100 years, will live to be 100, and at the end of 100 years you will realize the four noble truths that you have never realized before.'

"Monks, a person who desired his own true benefit would do well to take up (the offer). Why is that? From an inconceivable beginning comes transmigration. A beginning point is not evident for the (pain of) blows from spears, swords, & axes. Even if this (offer) were to occur, I tell you that the realization of the four noble truths would not be accompanied by pain & distress. Instead, I tell you, the realization of the four noble truths would be accompanied by pleasure & happiness.

"Which four? The noble truth of stress, the noble truth of the origination of stress, the noble truth of the cessation of stress, and the noble truth of the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.

"Therefore your duty is the contemplation, 'This is stress... This is the origination of stress... This is the cessation of stress... This is the path of practice leading to the cessation of stress.'"

An Eternal Now SG

Dhammapada:

Sole dominion over the earth,
going to heaven,
lordship over all worlds:
the fruit of stream-entry
excels them.

An Eternal Now SG

I must say, nobody who has realized the dharma will trade it with anything... even going to heaven is like comparing shit with gold.

Nyorai SG

First pre-requisite for being human is to observe vegetarianism. Because a human must love its surrounding and environment. Being kind with all beings. So vegetarianism is the first credential to become human. And how many actually born a vegetarianism, mostly are born with the traditional knowledge and belief that meat eating is good and healthy.

Do not believe in traditions because they have been handed down for many generations. But after observation and analysis, when you find that anything agrees with reason and is conducive to the good and benefit of one and all, then accept it and live up to it.

lce SG

wat rubbish

An Eternal Now SG

Vegetarianism is good for cultivating compassion but not a requisite for gaining birth as human. Buddha himself ate 5 clean meat.

An Eternal Now SG

To regain human birth one should follow precepts and do only wholesome deeds.

http://www.jenchen.org.sg

The fundamental teachings of Jen Chen (Humanity Vehicle) Buddhism are to observe the Five Precepts and to perform the Ten Virtuous Deeds.

Students of Jen Chen (Humanity Vehicle) Buddhism at the least should endeavour to perform the Ten Virtuous Deeds, for by constantly performing the Ten Virtuous Deeds they not only ensure rebirth in the human realm and even rebirth in the heavens in their next life. As the next step, by cultivating liberation and practising the Bodhisattva Path, they eventually become Buddha.

........

ALL OF us consider ourselves to be good people. It is because there is no universal consensus as to good or evil that the Buddha defines a standard based on the Truth - the Five Precepts and the Ten Virtuous Deeds.

The Five Precepts are to refrain from killing, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct, consumption of intoxicants, and the Ten Virtuous Deeds are to refrain from killing, stealing, lying, sexual misconduct, frivolous and meaningless talk, tale bearing, abusive speech, covetousness, ill-will, perverted views. Violating any of these will land one in the three evil realms of transmigration: realm of animals, ghost and hell.

Observing the Five Precepts and practising the Ten Virtuous Deeds ensure rebirth in the human realm. One who performs the highest grade of the Ten Virtuous Deeds can ascend to heaven. However, this is still not the ultimate because even if one has ascended to the highest heaven - the heaven that is beyond the condition of thinking or not-thinking, and the seeds of evil thoughts sowed in the past mature, one
immediately descends to hell. To attain the ultimate, one must not commit evil deeds. One should not be attached to the good deeds that one has committed either. It is in this way that we liberate from transmigration in the six realms. It is because sentient beings do not have principles that the Buddha sets this standard. digvol4.1-5.jpg (4916 bytes)

There are two kinds of Buddhists: those who have faith in the Buddha, and those who learn from the Buddha. Generally the broad masses believe that Buddha exists, and they also believe in the Dharma spoken by the Buddha. However, a believer in the Dharma may not put them into practice. As for learning from the Buddha, we emulate the Buddha in all his cultivation and deeds. Not only do we take refuge in and form causes with the Three Treasures, we also need to follow the Buddha in renouncing the worldly life and cultivate until we become Buddha ourselves.

sinweiy SG

u learn from Master Chin Kung is it?

remember, he said, Buddha's aim is non-attachment, non-extreme. ordinary people at first have attachment to worldly stuff, but after learning buddhism, they become attached to Buddhism, that's also not right. it's only shifting the target of attachment, not really getting rid of attachment.

TrueReppuzan SG

”... after learning buddhism, they become attached to Buddhism …”

This is mostly happening. Learning, but actually not learning..

Beautiful951 SG

I don't really understand, what does universal consensus mean?

An Eternal Now SG

I don't really understand, what does universal consensus mean?

Means not everyone agrees on what is good and what is evil.

sinweiy SG

Ch'eng-kuan discusses the perfect teaching, the teaching of the

Hua-yen school in the third section, the division of doctrines. He

divides this section into four parts:

I. Non-obstruction in realm of phenomenon;事无碍

II. Non-obstruction in realm of noumenon;理无碍

III. Non-obstruction in both realms of phenomenon and noumenon;理事无碍

IV. Total Non-obstruction in ALL realms of phenomena. 事事无碍

Master Shen Yen and Jing Kong both said 时时是好时，日日是好日, Everytime is a good time, every day is a good day.

Total Non-obstruction in ALL realms of phenomena. 事事无碍 mean 事事是好事, everything are good/pure, there's no more disciminations/notion of anything that's good or bad. just all goodness/pureness. it's also what Pureland/puremind is all about.

Nyorai SG

Look around you, the planet and human. The numbers of disease, animals, big, small & tiny, hungry apparitions, hell beings, and very far exceeded the numbers of human beings. And they all are by nature Buddha in the samsara world. May we vow that may they all become Buddha, shall we all enter complete supremeness in Paradise of Ultimate Bliss, Amitabha!