The status of life as a human, at first is seen as very important. It is not intrinsically marked by extremes of happiness or suffering, but all the states of consciousness in the universe, from hellish suffering to divine joy to serene tranquility can be experienced within the human world.
Humans can be seen as highly favored, in that they have an immediate reason to seek out the Dharma and yet also have the means to listen to it and follow it. Among the lower realms, Pretas (aka hungry ghosts), and dwellers in the Narakas (Buddhist hell(s)) are gripped by pain and fear, and can only endure their lot but cannot better themselves. Animals are intellectually unable to understand the Dharma in full. The way of life of the Asuras is dominated by violence and antithetical to the teachings of the Dharma. Most of the Brahmas and Devas simply enjoy reaping the fruits of their past actions and think that they are immortal and forever to be happy and so they don't try to practice the Dharma. When their past karmas have all had their result, these devas will fall into lower worlds and suffer again. The lowest sorts of devas deal with strife, love, and loss just as humans do, but even so they lack the spur of imminent mortality that can lead humans to seek, not merely a better future life, but an escape from saṃsāra altogether. However, there are stories of beings in these realms deciding to practice and reaching enlightenment.
For this reason, life in the world of humans is known as "the precious human rebirth". Born close to the pivot point of happiness and suffering, humans have a unique capacity for moral choices with long-term significance.
The human rebirth is said to be extremely rare. The Majjhima Nikaya (129 Balapandita Sutta) compares it to a wooden cattle-yoke floating on the waves of the sea, tossed this way and that by the winds and currents. The likelihood of a blind turtle, rising from the depths of the ocean to the surface once in a hundred years, putting its head through the hole in the yoke is considered greater than that of a being in the animal realm, hungry ghost realm or hell realm achieving rebirth as a human. This is because, according to the sutta, in these realms there is no Dhamma (Sanskrit Dharma), no practicing what is right, no doing what is wholesome, and no performing of merit. However it is generally implied that if one is already living as a human they will continue to be reborn in the human world based on good works and so they will be one again and again as long as they are moral and good in the ways described in Buddhist rules regardless of whether or not they are Buddhist themselves. The idea is that one must be good and moral because falling below the human realm is dangerous as the odds of one becoming a human again with any great frequency is slim.
For this reason, Buddhist teachers say that one's present condition as a human should be valued very highly, and not allowed to slide by, as the combination of existence as a human and the presence of a Buddha's teaching may not come again for a very long time. Any human, in this view, who is in a position to learn the Dharma, would be remiss to not take advantage of it. This view also stands in contrast to those who would claim that, if one is to be reborn multiple times, there is no need to worry about one's actions in this life as they can always be amended in the future; rather, there is no assurance that in a long series of lives one will ever obtain the right circumstances for enlightenment, so it is important to seize the day.
With regard to a fortunate human life, Pabongkhapa Déchen Nyingpo said: "Instead of feeling so much regret when we lose our money, we should develop regret when we waste our human life."
"Bhikkhus, you should be good at contemplating and observing your mind. So why? The mind is tainted by greed, anger, and ignorance. Bhikkhus, because the mind is upset, all living beings are upset. If the mind is pure, all living beings are pure." "Saṃyukta Āgama·Two Six Seven"
Rough food: daily meals such as tea and rice.
Touch food: the feeling caused when the three elements of root, environment and consciousness are combined.
Thought food: hope.
Identify Food: Identify and Acquire.
The above four “foods” are collectively known as the “Four Foods”or ”catvāra āhārāh ” and are the basic sources of support that sentient beings need to maintain life.
Greed for these four foods will produce suffering. It's like a house facing north and south, with windows on the east wall and all wall on the west. When the sun rises in the east, sunlight shines on the west wall.
Without craving for these four foods, there will be no suffering. It's like a house facing north and south, with windows on the east wall and no walls on the west. When the sun rises in the east, sunlight shines in the void outside the house. Nothing to climb.
- "Saṃyukta Āgama 376"
Overcome greed, anger, and delusion, and have no mental troubles at all, and no attachment to this life or the next.
Brahmavihara
Benevolence, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity, these four words are included in the couplets on plaques in many temples, because they are the fundamental method of self-interest and altruism in Buddhism. Benevolence, compassion, empathetic joy and equanimity together are called the four immeasurables or four infinite minds.
Because of benevolence, you will not cause harm to all sentient beings. The difficulty is that all these sentient beings also include former enemies。 Even if someone wants to harm you, you can show compassion to them without distinction, and you can put aside your resentment and pray for happiness and health for them.
Because of compassion, you never tire of giving up in compassion for all sentient beings. "It's like the same individual is feeling compassion", the pain of all beings is my pain. Including your own enemies. Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is a kind of universal salvation who listens and saves suffering regardless of identity; Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva also vows to go to hell to save all sentient beings in hell from suffering, and vows not to leave any one behind.
Because of empathetic joy, you have no jealousy when you see those who practice goodness. Empathetic joy refers to the state of mind of being happy, which is relative to jealousy. Especially those with whom we have conflicts of interest, we must be able to rejoice and admire their good deeds and achievements.
Because of equanimity, there is no love or hatred in the favorable and unfavorable circumstances. This equanimity means equality, which is relative to "differentiation". To practice immeasurable equanimity means to treat relatives and enemies equally, not to distinguish between good times and bad, not to love or hate, and to deal with them with a normal mind. And, extend this mentality to all environments and all living beings.
As long as we still have personal judgments about likes and dislikes, we will be merciful to some sentient beings but not others, and we will be happy with some sentient beings but not others. Even if we can be compassionate to many sentient beings, as long as there is one sentient being that is not within the scope of our care, it is not immeasurable, and it is not the infinite mind and conduct of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas.
Birth and death are the four stages in Buddhism that all living beings go through in their life—birth, old age, sickness, and death, which represent the beginning and end of life. And these two stages are exactly when the previous life connects with the next life. And this endless cycle of life and death cannot be interrupted until the affliction of ignorance is eliminated through the practice of Buddhism.
Classification of Birth and Death: Segmented Birth and Death and Variable Birth and Death
Staged birth and death (or divided birth and death) refers to all sentient beings who have not yet realized the ultimate fruit of liberation - "Arahat fruit", including ordinary people and Buddhist practitioners who have realized the first fruit and even the third fruit of liberation, because they are still entangled by the troubles of ignorance. Bound, unable to enter the Nirvana without Remaining, still having the seeds of the three realms of the hereafter, so unable to escape from the Three Realms and the Six Paths of Life and Death, and constantly being born in the Three Realms life after life, and then reborn again after expiration of life span and retribution. The phenomenon of continuous and repeated life and death is divided into stages, so it is called staged birth and death.
The variation of life and death refers to the Bodhisattva above the first ground of Mahayana Buddha Bodhi, or the two-way practitioners who have obtained the way of liberation and have proved the ultimate fruit of liberation-"Arhat". The state of enlightenment is no longer subject to reincarnation in the three realms, so it is not subject to segmented life and death. Although there will be no seeds born in the three realms, there will still be changes in the seeds, so it is said that there will still be birth and death. But the variation of life and death can only be eradicated at the Buddha's place.
The most cultivated man can forget himself; the cultivated man who is unfathomable does not build merit; the cultivated sage does not establish fame.-Zhuangzi
Not clinging to one's own nature, not clinging to the essence of things (recognizing that all things are as fleeting and empty as lightning and dewdrops) can give rise to great kindness and compassion, and will not produce stingy thoughts or violations of precepts. The heart will not be angry, will not slack off, will not have random thoughts, and will not be ignorant. The original text is from "Mahaprajnaparamita Sutra Volume 1. Xi Ying Pin 3"
The bodhisattva mahasattva who practices emptiness in this way can generate great compassion. Bodhisattva-mahasattvas who practice correspondence in this way will not be born with a mind of stinginess, a mind of violating precepts, a mind of anger, a mind of laziness, a mind of confusion, and a mind of ignorance.