The Buddhist tradition speaks of a precious human life endowed with freedoms and opportunities(1) that make spiritual awakening possible. The Christian tradition likewise speaks of life as a gift entrusted to us by God and sustained by grace. Together they invite us to recognize the extraordinary privilege of being alive, conscious, capable of love, and able to respond to the call of compassion. The value of human life lies not merely in what we possess, but in the opportunity it provides to awaken, serve, and participate in the healing of the world.
- Gelek Rimpoche, Odyssey to Freedom, #17-18.
To embrace human life is to recognize the freedoms and endowments that support spiritual growth. We are free, at least to some degree, from conditions that would completely overwhelm us with suffering, ignorance, or distraction. We possess faculties that allow us to reflect, learn, pray, meditate, and serve. The Bodhisattva sees these conditions as rare opportunities for cultivating wisdom and compassion. The Christian sees them as gifts of grace entrusted for faithful stewardship. Gratitude naturally arises when we understand how many causes and conditions have converged to make this moment possible.
And, since they accomplish what is meaningful...,
If I do not take advantage of them now,
How will such a perfect opportunity come about again?
- Shantideva, Bodhisattvacaryāvatāra, I(4)
Shantideva reminds us that favorable conditions should not be taken for granted. Time, health, understanding, spiritual community, and access to transformative teachings are all fragile. The awakening mind, which Christians may recognize in the self-giving love revealed by Christ, flourishes when these conditions are used well. Every day presents opportunities to deepen compassion, to release selfishness, and to contribute to the welfare of others. A precious life reveals its value through practice.
let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely,
and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us....
- Hebrews 12:1
The cloud of witnesses includes all those who have walked the path of transformation before us: Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, saints, prophets, and faithful practitioners whose lives testify to the possibility of awakening. Their example encourages perseverance. The weights that hinder us may be greed, resentment, fear, complacency, or attachment to self-centered concerns. As these burdens are gradually released, the heart becomes more available to the movement of bodhicitta, the awakening mind of universal love.
A precious human life is both a gift and a calling. Through the freedoms that remove obstacles and the endowments that provide support, we are given a rare opportunity to grow in wisdom, compassion, and service. Remembering this, we may aspire to use every thought, word, and action as an offering for the flourishing of all beings, following the examples of the great witnesses who have gone before us and contributing our own small part to the healing of the world.
(1) The Dalai Lama gives a brief summary of the "eight freedoms and ten endowments" of a "precious human life" at beginning of Chapter 4 of his Refining Gold. A detailed description is given at the beginning of Chapter 2 of Gampopa's Jewel Ornament of Liberation.