Excerpts
“Buddhist texts reveal that being born a conscious, rational, sentient being is truly unique. If you miss the opportunity offered to you in this life it could be a very long time before you get another chance to come back. Life offers you the opportunity to grow spiritually and to improve the heaven you will go to. It offers you the opportunity to liberate your soul and to reach Nirvana.”
“What is Nirvana?”
“It is eternal bliss, a freedom from Reincarnation. It is the destination beyond heaven. Reaching Nirvana is the sacred purpose of life.”
“If you are trying to understand how unique the opportunity of life is, then imagine a needle sticking out of the ground with its sharp point facing the sky. A mega dust storm approaches, its raging winds sweeping billions of dust particles along with it. After the winds die down and calm returns, one single particle of dust lands on the tip of the needle. You have less chance of being that particle of dust than of being born a conscious human being. You are born, some fourteen billion light-years after the Big Bang, into a universe that is still expanding. Finding your way amongst millions and billions of galaxies, you finally land on a planet in perfect proximity to our sun, neither too hot nor cold; it’s just plain perfect. It has a perfect mix of water and oxygen and supports an incredible diversity of life, a Garden of Eden that has evolved over 4600-odd million years. Your life, consciousness and rationality, with all its opportunities and responsibilities is an incredible gift - sometimes so incredible that it’s difficult to comprehend and be present to. For most people, I think, the gift is just too big and too special to experience, so they just stick their heads in the sand and avoid any thought of death and the afterlife. But there is a way in which you can come to understand this gift. If you are looking for the meaning of life then you should consider exploring that path.”
“Your soul is patiently sitting right in front of you, waiting for you to wake up. It continuously calls to you, but for reasons of the Ego, most people simply cannot hear and do not trust the voice. Most people attempt to cross the gap just before they die but by then it’s hopelessly too late. On the other hand, meeting your soul is simple – all you have to do is start believing that the possibility is real and then make a commitment to the process. The rewards are marvelous.”
“In the distance the Oliphants River appeared, carving a giant groove into the surrounding hills. This was not an aggressive or rushed introduction, but a mature, patient, bold statement, claiming its place in time. Making its way through countless reed beds it forged inexorably ahead. Then, as if it were a giant brush stroke, it took a lazy corner and came into view. Over time the floodwaters had overshot the turn and deposited a large sandy beach in the corner. Confidently, the river then picked its way through myriads of sand bars and islands before cascading through in a series of noisy rapids en route to the sea. Large trees grew on the banks, green grass fringed the waters’ edge but where the flood plains met the hills, the vegetation became dry and brown, stretching up to the summit of the hills on either side of this proud river.”
