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.