Week 5 Summary Diagram
Related Diagrams
The Topics
Precious Human Life
In the lamrim, there are three basic outlines to the precious human life:
- Recognizing the eight freedoms and ten fortunes ("the leisure and endowments")
- Considering the importance of our precious human life
- Recognizing the rarity and difficulty of attaining a precious human life
The Eight Freedoms
The eight freedoms are eight states that we are free from being born into, states which would make it very difficult to practice the Dharma. The purpose of contemplating these is so that we feel how truly precious our life is and, as a result, make good use of it.
The Ten Fortunes
The ten fortunes are the ten richnesses or good qualities we have, things that make it possible for us to learn and practice the Dharma
The Seven-Limb Prayer
This prayer ("Reverently I prostrate with my body, speech, and mind…") is done for two purposes:
- To purify negative karma
- To create positive potential (merit)