What does “Building Good Foundations for Life” mean?
These phrase means setting the main goal of life as good and positive with stable foundations and an optimistic future for this life time and others.
Building good foundations = the first “building blocks” in creating true happiness and prosperity in your life.
If a person seeks positive and good aims in their life from the foundations upward and use true knowledge of how to live life in a good and moral way.
Their thoughts and actions will secure them a happy and prosperous future.
What is the goal of life?
1. Primary goal of life
The primary goal of life is aimed to manage an utilization of life for only this life. i.e. somewhere to live, enough food, clean water, access to education, freedom from illness and disease, feeling safe and secure, positive, honest, legal and moral occupations, and all other basic necessities of everyday life.
2. Middle goal of life
The middle goal of life is setting the goal for the next life.
* The aim is at not only trying to have sufficient in this entire life, but also to set future life goals by using every possible opportunity to act in meritorious ways.
* Buddhists belief all good thoughts and actions lead us to more positive and good rebirth for our next life.
* Having stable sufficiency in this entire life is not the true life goal. We should create value for our lives by dedicating oneself to making merit, in order to collect beneficial merit for the next life.
* Our middle goal is an essential factor to succeed in the ultimate goal of life.
3. Ultimate goal of life
An ultimate goal of life is aimed at the highest service for the greater good and for the benefit of everyone.
It means sacrificing and dedicating oneself to studying Dhamma and putting what you have learnt into action.
“Do not insult merits and hurry to step forward following the Buddha’s path. Even though, we help the others a lot but do not forget our own goals especially when we know what our goals are. Then we should hurriedly go for it.”
Anyone who sets themselves up in life in a way that corresponds with these three levels of aim in life is said to be someone who has “set themselves up properly in life.”
The Method of Keeping the Goals of Life Strong:
1. Train yourself to base your actions on understanding and experience rather than “blind faith”.
Two types of belief
* Believing reasonably which is wise; it’s called faith.
* believing without any reasons, excludes wisdom; it’s called foolish.
Four Primary faiths or Confidence
* Confidence in the working of the Law of Kamma.
* Belief in the result of Kamma, the consequences of one’s actions. It is the belief that doing good receives good and alternately that doing bad receives bad.
* Belief in the ownership of the consequences of one’s actions. Good and bad actions will be carried forward from life time to life time with that person forever.
* Belief in the enlightenment of the Buddha.
2. Keep the precepts: try to keep the minimum of five precepts.
3. Having heard much: being diligent in the acquisition of knowledge both spiritual and worldly by listening to many teachings and putting them into practice.
4. Practice giving: being able to sacrifice and being generous for example;
* Donating in order to overcome stinginess. The result of giving is being loved by everyone.
* Let go all our grudges and bad temper by forgiving others and trying to stay calm.
5. Training oneself in meditation: Practice meditation is to practice helping the mind to gain more energy as well as becoming stronger and have more clarity.
Having a clear, energetic and strong mind helps in keeping life’s goal straight forward. Furthermore, it helps us to gain wisdom in setting the goal of life correctly, as well as doing what is naturally wise.
The Benefits of Building Good Foundation in Life
1. To manage life wisely and with maturity.
2. Considered a well prepared person for their death.
3. Considered as a lucky and a good person to everyone.
4. Considered as respectful people with integrity with high respect for the Sacred Triple Gem.
5. Considered as good citizens for the country.
6. Considered as good examples for all generations.
7. Considered as protector of oneself from “hell”.
8. Considered as clever person who is able to use their lives positively and successfully.
9. Considered as a three treasure receiver, such as human treasure, divine treasure and Nibbana treasure.
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