FOUR CONTEMPLATIONS THAT TURN THE MIND TOWARDS THE DHARMA: FIRST CONTEMPLATION PRECIOUS HUMAN BIRTH

When contemplating precious human birth, we must reflect on the preciousness of a life possessing the following characteristics:

A human birth with all one's sense intact,

A birth where one's mother/father/care giver protects, cleans, 

feeds, educates, and loves us as an infant and a youth. 

A birth in the land where the Dharma exists. 

A birth where one has met a qualified teacher. 

A birth with leisure time to do spiritual practice. 

A birth where one experiences disgust with cyclic existence (samsara). 

A birth where one realizes no object of the senses has any lasting satisfaction. 

These thoughts lay the foundation for the next three contemplations.