Intermediate and Advanced Levels of Motivation

Review

We have been speaking about the graded stages of the spiritual path, where we are trying to basically broaden and expand our motivation starting from a smaller scope until it becomes full. In this way, each stage builds upon the previous one.

We also saw that there are two ways of going through this development. We can follow a Dharma-Lite version, with which we are concerned with improving this lifetime and making our lives a bit better. For most of us, this is where we need to begin. However, the traditional presentation does not even consider this level because it assumes belief in rebirth with no beginning and no end. Real Thing Dharma, like the real thing Coca-Cola, is speaking of this development within the context of rebirth.

We saw that the initial level motivation, as with all levels of motivation, has an aim, a reason for attaining that aim and an emotion behind it that drives us to achieve that goal. In the initial stage, we are looking to improve our future lives, ensuring that we continue to have a precious human rebirth so that we can continue developing ourselves to reach the greater goals. We realize that it is difficult to achieve the ultimate goals in just this lifetime. It takes a long time and a lot of hard work. The reason to try and continue having better rebirths is so we can continue on the path.

That is what we plan to do when we achieve this goal of a precious human rebirth. We are not talking about going to heaven in our next lifetime and just having a good time. Within this scope, the emotion that drives us to seek better rebirth is dread of having a worse rebirth. Within these worse states, we would have no opportunities to work on ourselves and improve. But, we have confidence that there is a way to avoid this. We discussed this in terms of safe direction, or refuge. This direction is basically to try and completely stop forever all the limitations and negative aspects that accompany our mental activity, especially in terms of our behavior. In addition to this, we want to act in constructive ways. We do this within the context of appreciating the opportunities of this precious human life that we have, and with the understanding that we will definitely lose this at the time of death. Death will come for sure and we have no idea when this will occur.

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