A sense of being fortunate.

A happy feeling and also feeling appreciative of life as it is.

A joy.

This arose after a practice session.

What is this joy about?

Out of the countless beings in existence, I am a human who have heard the Buddha Dharma and is practising it.

It is really a rare opportunity to be human. Really.

There must be zillions of sentient beings in the universe, including those that we aren’t aware of.

The animals and insects that we know of, are already countless. In Buddhism, we believe that we can be reborn as an animal or insect too.

Out of all the various form of beings, we are human. That is rare.

The human form is precious because Buddha appear in this form and taught humans. Therefore records of his teachings are preserved in the human world.

Out of the billions of human beings, we have encountered Buddha Dharma. There are many humans who have not even heard of Buddha.

Only 10 percent of the human population are Buddhist.

Out of these 10 percent, how many will actually practice mind training? Or are practising Buddhist.

In reality, practising Buddhist are extremely rare. So rare that thay are cherished by gods.

By making an effort to practice daily, we become part of that group of rare humans. Just as precious gems are rare stones, likewise we are precious human beings.

Not because we are born better than others but because of our deeds. By observing precepts we are precious. By cultivating compassion, loving kindness, appreciative joy and equanimity, we are precious. By practising mindfulness and concentration we are precious.

So we are fortunate.

May all be well and happy.