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Clarke Scott is a fully ordained Buddhist monk trained in the Tibetan tradition. A student of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Clarke has received personal instructions—direct one-to-one instructions—on Madhyamaka philosophy and meditation from His Holiness. Recently Clarke moved to Tasmania to pursue a Ph.D in Buddhist philosophy from the University of Tasmania.

Is my life worth living?

In Buddhism there is the notion of a rebirth that provides us with a wonderful opportunity to change the course of our lives forever. Traditionally this is called a perfect human rebirth endowed with leisure and fortune. We have the leisure to practice and this is very fortunate indeed. Of course this topic is set within the context of a number of Buddhist beliefs including rebirth, karma, nirvana and so forth. Buddhism assert we have had limitless past lives. In some of these past lives we were born as humans, and in others we were not so lucky. A human rebirth in which one has meet the teachings of the Buddha and sees the value of these teachings is a perfect human rebirth.

A human life gives us the opportunity to read books on Buddhism, go to lectures and engage in meditation retreats. In terms of the different specifies of animals on this planet, this can only be done by humans. So our lives are precious and should not be taken for granted nor wasted by excessive meaningless activities. Is there a need for relaxation? Sure, go and enjoy yourself with friends and so forth. But not at the exclusion of study and meditation.

Buddhism asserts that we have the power to change our life, and that we not simply a victims of circumstances. The world that seems to throw itself at you, is in fact co-created by you, and so you can change your world by changing your mind! The intention behind of the subject of leisure and fortune is presented in order to motivate you, to get you to realize just how precious this opportunity is, and to help you develop the state of mind that says:

My life is immensely meaningful, I have a rare and wonderful opportunity to free myself from ignorance and to be of the greatest benefit to other living beings. I hereby make the determination to practice dharma now!

Many people think, ok this sounds good but, I’m too young or busy or I simply don’t have the time as I have a family. I will practice…just not now…I will start when I retire. So ask yourself which will come first, retirement or the next life? Given that none of us really know when this life will end. Surely we can spend 30 minutes a day meditating on the path to enlightenment!

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