The Human Birth ? An Extremely Rare Opportunity

Spirituality
#1

?Durlabham manusam janma, tadapya dhruvam arthadam? - The human form is reached by many pains, but a life by which God can be attained is still more difficult to get.
~ Saint Prahlad

Although the cause of death is most often listed as being due to some disease, accident, or old age, most human beings die by suicide. Why? Because most waste this precious and extremely rare opportunity for Self realization: the human birth.

A human body is one of of some 8.5 million lifeforms, up from the unicellular organism, into which a soul can incarnate. It is only achieved when there is a perfect balancing of karmas, and is, in fact, the best form of incarnation for the rapid exhaustion of such karmas. It is because a human life is fraught with so many obstacles, tests, trials, and sufferings, that one can spiritually progress and evolve very, very rapidly in such an incarnation.

Yet despite this fact, most waste this extremely rare and precious opportunity. A human life that is spent merely sleeping, eating, and procreating is no better than the life of an animal. As Lord Krishna told Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita, one who does not try and attain Self Knowledge (God realization) simply comes to the body for the bearing of the sorrows of birth and death ? for the exhaustion of karmas. He verily ?kills the self by the self.? This is tantamount to spiritual suicide. The reality is that there are countless souls in the spirit plane awaiting the opportunity for a human birth ? even those births which would result in great challenges and suffering. Yet there exists only a limited number of bodies on the earth plane at a given time. One takes for granted what pains have been suffered for this rare opportunity ? an opportunity that may not come again for a very long time.

Know, however, that absolutely no effort made towards the realization of one?s true nature is ever wasted or in vain. Lord Krishna assures us of this. Even if ten minutes of meditation is all one can manage daily, even this is good and will aid in one?s journey towards the Goal?even into the next life. Indeed, he promised that one who engages such efforts simply picks up where he left off in the next life, and is even born in a spiritual family as a result of this momentum. Great merit is gained via sincere and honest efforts towards God.

On this holy Easter Sunday please remember:
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

  • Mathew 6:3

~ Vastha Yogi

#2

A life embracing writing and I agree that human life is precious. But for many, what you have introduced above is totally inconceivable. Life is hell for many of us and an effort toward individual self-realisation is not encouraged in our social systems. I tend to think that Krishna’s teachings do not correspond to our age, at least, directly. We need a new spiritual incarnation, an avatar exclusively for this age.

Still, I myself move toward the goal, somewhat slowly, but by forever intuition and wisdom.

#3

[QUOTE=Aerial;58412]

Although the cause of death is most often listed as being due to some disease, accident, or old age, most human beings die by suicide. i[/QUOTE]

Wow! What a statistics! Do you mean a real suicide or just very slow “killing” of the body by poor care?

#4

[QUOTE=CityMonk;59414]Wow! What a statistics! Do you mean a real suicide or just very slow “killing” of the body by poor care?[/QUOTE]

Because a human life is an extremely rare opportunity and inevitably ends in death, it is considered by some to be tantamount to suicide if not utilized for its true purpose: the realization of one’s true Nature.

#5

"it is considered by some to be tantamount to suicide if not utilized for its true purpose: the realization of one’s true Nature. "

Existence is so vast, and life is so vast, that it cannot be reduced to a single purpose or a function. To reduce anything down to a purpose is to impose a limitation upon it. It is man’s ego which has been projecting everything in it’s own image, and depending on your own identifications, you will have different ideas as to what the “purpose” of one’s existence is. For one who is a painter, it may be to create as many works of art as possible. For the scientist, it may be to investigate as deeply as possible into the realm of science. For the philosopher- it may be to penetrate the intellect as deeply as possible into the universe. But these are all short-sighted projections of the mind. The fact is that a human being rarely wants to live life with a sense of meaningless, that life is without purpose, that one is drifting in a universe which is indiffernet to his being. Some have become insane because of such ideas, and that was impossible to avoid because they never turned inwards. This can be seen in particular with several philosophers who have been clinging to the idea that life is meaningless.

And they are correct, life is meaningless. But that does not mean that there is nothing in existence which cannot be called divine, which if one comes to a direct perception - is capable of bringing man to a transformation of consciousness, and the freedom that arises out of transformation. It is not that the “purpose” of life is to realize oneself, it is simply that freedom is a natural consequence of enlightenment. And regardless of what one is doing - that is all that one is seeking, one is seeking liberation and happiness. One may be using all kinds of objects as an excuse - God, heaven, wealth, knowledge - but fundamentally that is all that one is seeking. That does not mean that the purpose of life is enlightenment, if enlightenment had a purpose it would be a kind of slavery. It is simply that enlightenment is a natural part of the evolution of every mind.

#6

[QUOTE=AmirMourad;59960]"It is man’s ego which has been projecting everything in it’s own image, and depending on your own identifications, you will have different ideas as to what the “purpose” of one’s existence is…[/QUOTE]

Meditation allows direct experience of ego (I, ME, SELF) this awareness promotes positive modification: control, deconstruction even moving beyond the ego but is elimination possible or helpful?

#7

ray,

To live without the projections of the mind is an impossibility - that is it’s nature. Like a mirror, it reflects. But the problem is not that projections are happening, but that one is unaware of one’s own projections.

#8

[QUOTE=AmirMourad;59960]"it is considered by some to be tantamount to suicide if not utilized for its true purpose: the realization of one’s true Nature. "

Existence is so vast, and life is so vast, that it cannot be reduced to a single purpose or a function. To reduce anything down to a purpose is to impose a limitation upon it. It is man’s ego which has been projecting everything in it’s own image, and depending on your own identifications, you will have different ideas as to what the “purpose” of one’s existence is. For one who is a painter, it may be to create as many works of art as possible. For the scientist, it may be to investigate as deeply as possible into the realm of science. For the philosopher- it may be to penetrate the intellect as deeply as possible into the universe. But these are all short-sighted projections of the mind. The fact is that a human being rarely wants to live life with a sense of meaningless, that life is without purpose, that one is drifting in a universe which is indiffernet to his being. Some have become insane because of such ideas, and that was impossible to avoid because they never turned inwards. This can be seen in particular with several philosophers who have been clinging to the idea that life is meaningless.

And they are correct, life is meaningless. But that does not mean that there is nothing in existence which cannot be called divine, which if one comes to a direct perception - is capable of bringing man to a transformation of consciousness, and the freedom that arises out of transformation. It is not that the “purpose” of life is to realize oneself, it is simply that freedom is a natural consequence of enlightenment. And regardless of what one is doing - that is all that one is seeking, one is seeking liberation and happiness. One may be using all kinds of objects as an excuse - God, heaven, wealth, knowledge - but fundamentally that is all that one is seeking. That does not mean that the purpose of life is enlightenment, if enlightenment had a purpose it would be a kind of slavery. It is simply that enlightenment is a natural part of the evolution of every mind.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for your post.

Sri Ramakrishna used to give a beautiful illustration to his devotees regarding relative existence. He would ask them to consider how a mother lets her child loose amongst the various amusements of the park playground. For a time, amongst so many playthings, the child gets lost in play, momentarily forgetting its mother. But the mother worries not, for she knows that the child will get tired of the toys, and will once again long for nothing but to return to her. Divine Mother, he would say, allows us to roam free amongst the multitude of distractions that comprise this maya, or divine play, but ever ready to receive us with open arms when we are ready to return.

Each of us is at different stage in the exhaustion of our thirst for worldly enjoyments and experience. When, owing to the repeated sufferings of life, we realize that worldly enjoyments are fleeting and cannot bring us true happiness, then at that stage the purpose of our life indeed becomes Self-realization.

So in that sense, life is never meaningless. We are either busy having an experience (as in a dream), or focused on our return flight to the Divine. Many a sage has described maya as none other than the ?self-experiencing of the ininite.?

Thanks again for sharing.
Namaste

#9

[QUOTE=ray_killeen;60042]Meditation allows direct experience of ego (I, ME, SELF) this awareness promotes positive modification: control, deconstruction even moving beyond the ego but is elimination possible or helpful?[/QUOTE]

Hello:

Yoga says Ego as an aspect of identification with body must be and can be eliminated, since it is the first limitation encountered in the progress towards Yoga.

Regards, anand

#10

Aerial,

”Sri Ramakrishna used to give a beautiful illustration to his devotees”

As most illustrations, they are intended to be helpful rather than transmit the Truth.

”But the mother worries not, for she knows that the child will get tired of the toys, and will once again long for nothing but to return to her. ”

How can you return to that from which you have never been separated ?

”When, owing to the repeated sufferings of life, we realize that worldly enjoyments are fleeting and cannot bring us true happiness, then at that stage the purpose of our life indeed becomes Self-realization.”

It appears that way from the short-sighted lenses of the ego.

”Many a sage has described maya”

All descriptions are Maya. And the very idea of Maya is itself another illusion that is to be emptied out.

#11

If you empty everything out you might as well get total amensia. Then everything will be emptied. If we did not have language and concepts we would be animals.

#12

[QUOTE=Surya Deva;60142]If you empty everything out you might as well get total amensia. Then everything will be emptied. If we did not have language and concepts we would be animals.[/QUOTE]

Dear Friend:
I think, an aspiring yogi wishes to empty out the samskaras that draw him towards the senses.

Once free from such fetters, a yogi can remain in divine communion and attain all that is there to “know”. His “Buddhi” will function, rather than “manas”.

Regards, anand

#13

[QUOTE=Anand Kulkarni;60147]Dear Friend:
His “Buddhi” will function, rather than “manas”.
Regards, anand[/QUOTE]

Buddhi is an evolute of Pradhana and like Pradhana, it is jada.

The Purusha strives to detach itself from pradhana and its attributes and evolutes.

A Yogi has to even get rid of mahat, the buddhi.

Can you imagine living without mind and intellect. think about it.

#14

Dear Amir,

You are a misguided missile, which thinks it has pierced the target.

your idea of enlightenment is like mistaking the rope for a snake.

And you always pop up like the unwanted Ad , derailing meaningful discussion.

#15

[QUOTE=prasad;60317]Buddhi is an evolute of Pradhana and like Pradhana, it is jada.

The Purusha strives to detach itself from pradhana and its attributes and evolutes.

A Yogi has to even get rid of mahat, the buddhi.

Can you imagine living without mind and intellect. think about it.[/QUOTE]

Dear Friend:

From the four aspects viz. “manas”, “buddhi”, “chitta” and “ahamkara”, normally it is only the “manas” that is referred to as mind.

When “samskaras” thin out, “manas” is progressively marginalised. Pl correct me if I am wrong. I would be grateful.

regards, anand

#16

[QUOTE=prasad;60317]

Can you imagine living without mind and intellect. think about it.[/QUOTE]

When Arjuna, the ace-archer, was asked the same question, he stated without hesitation, ?I see the eye of the fish.? And Guru Drona exclaimed with delight, ?Shoot!? and Arjuna?s arrow unwaveringly pierced right through the eye of the fish.

#17

Human life is rare or not rare as a matter of context. In comparison to the universe, or the entire world, yes it is rare. In the context of human being, not so rare. In fact, quite prolific (I’ve added a few souls myself with little effort :slight_smile: ). If you refer to expands awareness, then I agree many human exist to eat, drink, emit, and fuck. But, the paradox is that without these activities we would cease to exist. What would you have us do? We are animals who, with the advanced development of our amazing tool - the brain - put processes in place where we didn’t need to spend all our time looking for food or protecting ourselves. Now, we can sit around and think. Think about who we are? why are we here? What is our purpose? What makes me happy? The notion of enlightenment and godliness are creations of the mind. This is not reality. Reality is eating, drinking, emitting, and fucking.

#18

It could be so 3,000 years ago when human population was limited.

But now we’re six billion people on earth. And as we destroy our ecosystems, no other life form than human will be possible soon for every incarnated soul.

I exaggerate, of course…

#19

prasad,

"You are a misguided missile, which thinks it has pierced the target.

your idea of enlightenment is like mistaking the rope for a snake."

That is precisely what enlightenment is, an idea. And all ideas about it are misguided. That you are clinging to the idea that “Purusha”, of which you have no direct experience and which remains just a blind assumption, can be separated from “Prakriti”, which also you have no idea as to it’s nature as you have not experienced it’s full range of energy, is just a hallucination of a school which insists the dualism of existence. That is the Samkhya philosophy, and the philosophy of dualism is just as a much a one-sided understanding of things as the philosophy of non-dualism. Truth is not a dimension to be understood through the mind, and neither is so called “enlightenment”. Either you know it or you do not know - but there can be not speculation about it. And if there are any words about the matter - they are nothing more than tools and techniques to help you realize the space.

#20

[QUOTE=AmirMourad;60376]prasad,

That is precisely what enlightenment is, an idea. And all ideas about it are misguided. [/QUOTE]

That’s what i said, You are enlightened equals you are misguided.