Understanding cause-and-effect, cultivating merits and wisdom

This life is utterly short. Lives of mankind are like a running stream. One comes after another. One leaves after another. For the longest time, we are caught up in this turning of living and dying. We live and die, and vice versa. We have no idea how long have we been wandering in this world.
 
But, everything is impermanent. No one is immortal. All phenomena are transi-ent. They arise and vanish. Our body is impermanent and our mind flickers. Everything is constantly changing along with impermanence. Do not place all your hope on this lifetime with mundane  pursuits. As well, the span of this life is uncertain. Those who don’t understand Dharma only see one lifetime without the concept of future lives. After learning Buddhadharma, we’d know that there are past, present, and future lives. Thus, our life is also called, “Karma of the three times”.
 
“Karma of the three times” refers to past causes and present results. The same principle applies: present causes are future results. Keep in mind that one’s life has a past and a future. Seeing our current situation, we can know the causes we’ve sowed. In order to create a future of good health, beauty, fortune, and peace, we know what to do for this life. This is called, “activities of life”.
 
Arhats possess supernatural powers of levitation and to travel underground. Wherever an arhat dwells, one can move heaven and earth. However, the worst case scenario for an arhat is returning to reincarnation. Why so? As an arhat enters a womb for rebirth, one would forget all the supernatural powers. Yet, a bodhisattva is courageous to enter reincarnation again. How so? A bodhisattva has paved the path for lifetimes to liberate any sentient beings who cross path. She’d guide them to Buddhadharma. Bodhisattvas like to be with sentient beings and make positive connections. That way, they can teach beings how to practice and attain Buddhahood. So, even if a bodhisattva takes rebirth, spontaneous Dharmic connections would be made again through  spiritual friends to carry on the Buddha activity.
 
While we obtain this short span of life, we must cherish it instead of wasting it. Manage our life properly for future felicity and happiness. Dharma practice is the management of one’s life throughout cyclic living and dying. We must care for beings, dedicate ourselves to serve them. Our surroundings are our subjects of cultivation and companions in life. They are our connections, our fortunes, lifelines, and fields of merit and wisdom. For our lifetimes of felicity and happiness, we must cultivate. This is our activities of life.