Thought of the week

When heat, moisture, and fertile soil come together, you do whatever you can to sow grain. When you discover a deposit of gold or silver, you do whatever you can to exploit it. When the crops are ready in autumn, you do whatever you can to harvest them. When you have an escort to accompany you on a dangerous path, you redouble your energy. When you have labor and assistants, you accomplish your tasks. Now that you have a precious human life free of all impediments and endowed with all favorable conditions, apply yourself unrelentingly to spiritual practice!

SHECHEN GYALTSAP (1871-1926)
Excerpts from zhabs dkar tshogs drug rang grol gyi bka' 'bum (The Chariot of complete liberation, oral transmissions of the omniscient ones, instructions for all the preliminary practices of Vajrayana), vol. 7 of "Collected works of zhe chen rgyal tshab padma rnam rgyal," Paro, Khyentse Rinpoche, 1975-1994, pp. 77-8