Have you ever given thought to how precious life is? As humans, unlike any other life form, we have the mental capacity to understand the sources of happiness and consciously create them.

We have the capacity to understand the sources of suffering and consciously eliminate them.

We have the capacity to create a precious life of enduring serenity, happiness, wisdom, love, and freedom. We call that human flourishing. It is a uniquely human possibility.

Here we are together, you and I. How incredibly fortunate. We have the time, resources, soundness of mind and body, teachers, and teachings—all available to us, right now right here.

How often does it happen that all these factors come together at the same time? How often does it happen that we actually have the opportunity to step into a larger life of health and personal fulfillment?

We have that possibility today and in the days and weeks ahead. It is not the mere fact that we exist that is precious, but rather that we have the opportunity right now to take a turn inward and become fully alive to life and all its possibilities, and that opportunity may not come again in this lifetime.

For a few minutes reflect with gratitude on the precious possibilities now available to you.

Source: “The Four Preliminaries for a Successful Meditation Practice” by Elliot S. Dacher, M.D.

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For a PDF copy of “The Four Preliminaries for a Successful Meditation Practice” by Elliot S. Dacher, please click here.