This life, or next life?

I really think that I am very lucky. Born in a good family, surrounded by good friends, good companion. Materially, I never lack of anything. And mentally, emotionally, I also have enough.
Thus, when I contemplate, I can see that I am really very fortunate. Then, I realize 1 thing, I must have done a lot of wholesome Kamma in my past lives. Otherwise, I wont be like what I am today.

Well, Actually, to be born as a human being is not easy thing. Look at our surrounding, how many animals are there? How many humans are there? Like what Buddha said, most of the beings will reborn in the lower realms. So, now that we are a human, we have to appreciate. We must not waste our precious time doing useless things, things to lead to more greed, anger and delusion.

It's not easy of course. However, we have to try our best. It is said that the pure Dhamma will only able to last 5000 years after Buddha's Parinibbana. Until today, 2500 years have gone. This mean that today, pure Dhamma is still exist. This is our chance. We have to really practice, sincerely practice in this very life. Don't wait till next life, but this life, today, right now, this second, this moment. This lifetime might just be our last time to practice. See, we don't know what we are going to be next life. If we are not Stream-Entry yet, we can still be reborn in lower realms, like animal realm, hell, or ghost. Or maybe we can be a human again, or maybe Deva or Brahma realm...We could just be in one of these realms. If we are lucky to be a human or Deva or Brahma, maybe we can still have chance to practice again. But there is no guarantee. And thing will turn worse if we are in the lower realms in the next life. All we will have is suffering, and the chance to practice is very little. Moreover, once one is in lower realms, it is very hard to go to higher realm. Until the time one has the chance to be reborn as a human again, 5000 years might pass already. See? After that pure Dhamma doesn't exist already. Then we have to go this birth-death cycles again and again, again and again.

Some people think that this doesn't matter, some thinks that there will still be future Buddha mah! Yeah, of course there will, but firstly, do we want to suffer again and again until that time? Secondly, can we guarantee that we are goin to be in the future Buddha time as human or higher, and has the condition to realize Dhamma?
Actually, I think that this is what I or maybe we, had been thinking in our past past past lives. That time, when we have the chance, we thought that we are just goin to practice "next time" and "next time" until we are today.

So, lets this life become the real "next time" from our past lives. Let's use the incredible chance we have this life. Don't bother about the future, and practice our best in this very moment.
You know, as long as we can still breathe, we can still practice. There are no too old or too young. There proper time is now. Let's DO it!

Breathe! You are alive!

Should I meditate or develop more merit first? Let's hear what Ajahn Chah has to say

When we follow our own views on practice, our own opinions about the Dhamma, we can never see clearly what is right and what is wrong. We don't know our own heart. We don't know ourselves.

Therefore, to practice following your own teachings is the slowest way. To practice following the Dhamma is the direct way. Lazy you practice; diligent you practice. You are aware of time and place. This is called "developing the heart."

If you indulge in following your own views and try to practice accordingly, then you will start thinking and doubting a lot. You think to yourself, "I don't have very much merit. I don't have any luck. I've been practicing meditation for years now and I'm still unenlightened. I still haven't seen the Dhamma." To practice with this kind of attitude can not be called "developing the heart." It is called "developing disaster."

If, at this time, you are like this, if you are a meditator who still doesn't know, who doesn't see, if you haven't renewed yourself yet, it's because you've been practicing wrongly. You haven't been following the Teachings of the Buddha. The Buddha taught like this: "Ananda, practice a lot! Develop your practice constantly! Then all your doubts, all your uncertainties, will vanish." These doubts will never vanish through thinking, nor through theorizing, nor through speculation, nor through discussion. Nor will doubts disappear by not doing anything. All defilements will vanish through developing the heart, through right practice only.

~Ajahn Chah~

Quoted from: Bodhinyana ~ The Training of the Heart http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/chah/bodhinyana.html#training

This is message sent to me by my sis few years ago.
Enjoy.
With Metta