Lama Zopa Rinpoche

graduated path of the higher capable being, where the focus is actualizing bodhicitta, the mind that
wishes to attain enlightenment in order to free the numberless sentient beings from the
oceans of samsaric suffering and bring them to peerless happiness, the full state of the
omniscient mind. We can then free numberless hell beings, numberless hungry ghosts,
numberless animals, numberless human beings, numberless gods, numberless demigods and
numberless intermediate state beings.
Therefore, this perfect human body we have achieved is so precious, more precious than a
wish-granting jewel. It requires an incredible amount of merit to be able to find a wishgranting
jewel, which is much more precious than diamonds, sapphires or gold. If we ever
found one, whatever we wished for in this life—material needs, comfort, all the helicopters,
Rolls Royces, elephants or diamond palaces we could ever want—would be effortlessly
obtained.
However, with a wish-granting jewel alone we cannot purify past negative karma and we
cannot be assured of a higher rebirth as a god or human being, because a human rebirth
comes only from pure morality—not just morality but morality kept purely. Even the most
miserable human existence, such as a porter on an Indian train, doesn’t come from broken
morality but from pure morality. Therefore, a human body is extremely rare and a perfect
human rebirth is even more rare. It’s like a dream, like some impossible thing has somehow
happened. It’s inexpressible.
With a wish-granting jewel we cannot get a higher rebirth but, by taking refuge and
practicing morality using this perfect human body we now have, we can. Then, by practicing
the higher training of morality, the higher training of concentration and the higher training
of wisdom, we can free ourselves from the oceans of samsaric suffering and attain nirvana,
the blissful state of peace.
We have already received this perfect human rebirth, so we can generate compassion for all
sentient beings, attain bodhicitta and go on to achieve full enlightenment. Therefore this
precious human body is much, much more precious than a wish-granting jewel or a whole
sky filled with wish-granting jewels. Even if we owned that amount, its value would be
nothing by comparison; it could meet only the material needs of this life. All those wishgranting
jewels could not bring us all the different levels of happiness up to enlightenment,
but this perfect human rebirth can.
For example, Milarepa didn’t have even one rupee, even one dollar. He ate nothing but
nettles. One day, when a thief came to rob him, Milarepa invited him to eat but there were
only nettles. The thief asked for some chili to spice up the nettles, so Milarepa put in some
more nettles and said, “This is the chili.” Then the thief wanted some salt, so Milarepa added
more nettles and said, “And this is the salt.” He had nothing else. Before he met his guru
Marpa he had practiced black magic and killed many people and animals by making a house
collapse on them. However, because he had received a perfect human rebirth he was able to
transform his mind and attain enlightenment in that very lifetime.
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