" As long as you, like most people, fail to recognize the true value of human existence you will just fritter your life away in futile activity and distraction. When life comes all too soon to its inevitable end, you will not have achieved anything worthwhile at all. But once you really see the unique opportunity that human life can bring, you will definitely direct all your energy into reaping its true worth by putting the Dharma into practice.
If you make use of your human birth in the right way, you can achieve enlightenment in this very lifetime. All the great Siddhas of the past were born as ordinary people. But by entering the Dharma, following a realized teacher and devoting their whole lives to practising the instructions they received, they were able to manifest the enlightened activities of great Bodhisattvas. "
~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche
Commentary by Jerome (20th April 2017):
Today I met an old lady who tried to commit suicide by jumping off the ledge of the corridor outside her flat. Luckily, her daughter stopped her in time. I listened to her story. Her husband and her used to own more than 100k worth of cash, an apartment flat and lots of jewellery. This amount of money was hard-earned money she accrued from decades of hard work and thriftiness. After her husband passed away 2 years ago, she slipped into depression. She started to have memory loss and eventually was diagnosed with dementia. She lived with her son and her daughter-in-law.
Instead of taking care of her, her son left her alone in his house in the day. The couple also colluded by asking her to transfer the ownership of the flat under their name which she did. They also stole her jewelleries and withdrew all the cash in her bank account. Not a single cent was left. When she found out about what they did, she was so heart-broken that she wanted to commit suicide.
Listening to her story, I felt so sorry for her. Many people spend their whole life chasing after money, fame, lust, honor and various materialistic goals. Some even claim to do it on behalf of their children. In fact, the real gift to their children is to instill proper moral cultivation, spend more quality family time with them and to practise the dharma on their behalf. Inheritance may not necessary be good for your children. There is a chinese saying that family inheritance will not last beyond three generations. The first generation fought hard to accrue them. The second generation enjoy the hard-earned cash and the third generation depletes all the inheritance on luxurious goods.
If one donate their money to charitable causes, one's children will receive the merits of their parent's charitable behaviour (family honor, philantrophic family, etc). If one meditates, one will cultivate an upright and gentle character and instill proper moral character in their children. If one will to chant, one's ancestors and children will be blessed by gods and Buddhas (or any other supreme celestial beings you respect)
Honor, fame, money, lust and other materialistic goals will come to end one day. Use them wisely and rightly. Do not be their slaves. In this way, you will live the most fruitful life with no regrets.
Reference:
Nyingma Masters - https://www.facebook.com/NyingmaMasters/photos/a.664868596951329.1073741828.661664957271693/1030225903748928/?type=3&theater
Jerome is a Buddhist practitioner that has learnt from Theravada, Mahayana and Tibetan traditions and is still learning! He first learnt meditation and Dharma from Theravadan monks and practitioners in the lineage of the Arahant Venerable Amatha Gavesi Maha Thero from Sri Lankaramaya Buddhist temple in Singapore. Then, he completed a Diploma in Buddhism from the Buddhist and Pali College in 2016. He also learnt from Zen Master Wu Jue Miao Tian (85th Zen Patriach) from the LingJi lineage in Taiwan in 2014 - 2015. Subsequently, he learnt from Garchen Rinpoche from the Drigar Thubten Dargye Ling tradition (Tibetan) and attended annual Om Mani Padme Hum and Om Ami Dewa Hrih retreats from 2015 till date. Currently, he is a disciple of Master Jin Bodhi (Mahayana) from Bodhi Meditation in Singapore and is an active volunteer there. Master Jin Bodhi is his main Dharma teacher. Jerome feels that Buddhism is not a religion but is a practical way to reduce our life's problems. The essence of Buddhism is not in the books or sutras but in the way we apply it into our lives. Having understood some aspects of Buddha's teaching, he wants to give back to the society and hopes to share his insights with everyone who has the affinity with him.
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