The Ten Advantages

The Five Individual Advantages

To be born a human, in a central land, with all one’s faculties complete,
Without a conflicting lifestyle, and with faith in the Dharma, in other words,

• in general, to have obtained a human body; and in particular:
• to have been born in a central land in which the Dharma is propagated;
• with all one’s faculties—the five sense doors and so forth—complete, so that one is fit to understand what to adopt and what to avoid;
• without a conflicting lifestyle, in which one would commit, for example, crimes with immediate retribution; and
• with faith in the Buddha, the source of everything that is virtuous, and
in his excellent words, the sublime Dharma.

Since these five have come together in oneself and are favorable conditions for accomplishing the Dharma, they are referred to as individual advantages.

To be free of the eight states of no opportunity and to have the five individual advantages is crucially important.

The Five Circumstantial Advantages

A Buddha has come, he taught the Dharma,
His doctrine has endured, it has a following,
And they are kind-hearted and altruistic.

In other words,

• even though the coming of a Buddha in the world is even rarer than the flower of the udumbara, a Buddha has appeared in the world at this time;
• he taught the sacred Dharma, the way to liberation;
• his teachings have not disappeared but still endure;
• there are also individuals who follow and practice those teachings;
• they are able, moreover, to compassionately guide other beings.

Since these five are comprised in other streams of being and are favorable
conditions for accomplishing the Dharma, they are referred to as
circumstantial advantages. In the sutra we read:

“Advantage” is to know the nature of the mind, one’s mind being thus endowed with the authentic truth.

A human body like this, complete with the eighteen freedoms and advantages, is difficult to find: to obtain it is even more amazing than a blind pauper’s finding the greatest of precious gems.

For this reason, having obtained a precious human body after going round and round in the six realms of existence, you should be immensely joyful and make every effort to practice the sublime Dharma. A sutra that teaches the freedoms and advantages says:

Just as it is for a blind man to find a precious gem at a crossroads, so it is for beings wandering in cyclic existence and blinded by the cataract of ignorance to find a human birth—a source of tremendous joy. Strive constantly, therefore, to accomplish the excellent Dharma.

And the Great Omniscient One says:

Friends, to find the gemlike essence, the body with the freedoms and advantages,
From among the six classes of beings is extremely hard.
Like a blind man finding a treasure of jewels,
Rejoice and accomplish benefit and happiness.

Dudjom Rinpoche - A Torch Lighting the Way to Freedom