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Contemplate that human rebirth is indeed rare and difficult. Human plane is endowed with opportunities for us to decide our future life form.

When we look at living beings around us, the contemplation becomes clearer. Stray animals are always seen around the neighborhood. They never stop looking out at sense objects, be it something edible to fill their stomachs or anything suspicious that could potentially harm them. Their minds never have a moment of rest. They cannot pause, reflect and choose their paths. We definitely do not want to return to this state.

Look further away, we see passerby awaiting for traffic to be clear for crossing. There are some who obediently abide to traffic rules. Yet, there are also others who totally disregard the red pedestrian traffic lights, continue to run across the road and cause shocking surprises to vehicle drivers. There are also people who decide to be different and jump queue when everyone is standing in line patiently waiting for their turns to board the bus. Why are these people behaving like this? Do they not understand social responsibilities?

And I recall this "Despite an Arahant who has uprooted all bonds of desire and released themselves from rebirth, his part habits from previous existences when he was not yet an Arahant are still innate." This was the case for Thera Pilindavaccha, who gained liberation but continued to address other persons using unpleasant words. Buddha explained that the Thera was a highly respectable brahmin in his five hundred previous existence. His habit of calling other people 'rascal' was ingrained in him but he definitely meant no harm nor evil intent.

To this, I can now relate why there is such a group of people who don't abide to rules. They probably stayed too many lifetimes in realms where rules (that is common to human realms) don't exist. They simply fail to see that the rules should be followed. When I come across people who are really pleasant and angelic, I tend to imagine that they must have come from higher realms.

Now that I ponder upon this and realize I should make good use of this lifetime especially when Dharma has not decay. One human life that we are now in, does not come easily. Human life is so precious that in tantrism, it focuses on intense concentration and induction through special rites in the hope of accelerating the attainment perhaps even in a single lifetime. Nonetheless, regardless of choice of path (as long as it is of Buddha's teaching), one should make full use of this human life to overcome one's innate bad habits, uproot the three poisons and follow Buddha's footprints.

Contemplate that human rebirth is indeed rare and difficult. Human plane is endowed with opportunities for us to decide our future life form.

When we look at living beings around us, the contemplation becomes clearer. Stray animals are always seen around the neighborhood. They never stop looking out at sense objects, be it something edible to fill their stomachs or anything suspicious that could potentially harm them. Their minds never have a moment of rest. They cannot pause, reflect and choose their paths. We definitely do not want to return to this state.

Look further away, we see passerby awaiting for traffic to be clear for crossing. There are some who obediently abide to traffic rules. Yet, there are also others who totally disregard the red pedestrian traffic lights, continue to run across the road and cause shocking surprises to vehicle drivers. There are also people who decide to be different and jump queue when everyone is standing in line patiently waiting for their turns to board the bus. Why are these people behaving like this? Do they not understand social responsibilities?

And I recall this "Despite an Arahant who has uprooted all bonds of desire and released themselves from rebirth, his part habits from previous existences when he was not yet an Arahant are still innate." This was the case for Thera Pilindavaccha, who gained liberation but continued to address other persons using unpleasant words. Buddha explained that the Thera was a highly respectable brahmin in his five hundred previous existence. His habit of calling other people 'rascal' was ingrained in him but he definitely meant no harm nor evil intent.

To this, I can now relate why there is such a group of people who don't abide to rules. They probably stayed too many lifetimes in realms where rules (that is common to human realms) don't exist. They simply fail to see that the rules should be followed. When I come across people who are really pleasant and angelic, I tend to imagine that they must have come from higher realms.

Now that I ponder upon this and realize I should make good use of this lifetime especially when Dharma has not decay. One human life that we are now in, does not come easily. Human life is so precious that in tantrism, it focuses on intense concentration and induction through special rites in the hope of accelerating the attainment perhaps even in a single lifetime. Nonetheless, regardless of choice of path (as long as it is of Buddha's teaching), one should make full use of this human life to overcome one's innate bad habits, uproot the three poisons and follow Buddha's footprints.

According to our lecture notes prepared by Prof Andrey Terentyev, human rebirth is so rare and difficult to obtain and so we should not misuse this extremely precious opportunity. That’s why it is so important to follow the teachings of Buddha.What do you think? Please share your thoughts. Thanks

Compare this to the quotation from Santideva on page 125 of The Great Treatise:

If I do not cultivate virtue
Even when I have the chance to do so
What virtue will I cultivate in a miserable realm
Completely confused and suffering?