Dalai Lama Foundation Study Circle Montreal

WHY DO WE REJOICE?

After the bodhisattva vow we say, “Now my life is fruitful. I have obtained a precious human existence. I rejoice.” Why do we rejoice? We rejoice because we have taken refuge and made a commitment to reach Buddhahood for the sake of all beings. Once we have done this, everything we do becomes meaningful, and once we have acknowledged this, we rejoice.

Why is it important to rejoice? If we do not really appreciate the value of what we are doing and are not happy about it, then we may regret having taken the bodhisattva commitment when difficulties arise. If we are not really aware of the goodness of what we are doing then when difficulties arise, little by little our enthusiasm for the practice, our faith, and our diligence will decrease. However, if we rejoice in the goodness of what we are doing, we will be aware of just how valuable our practice is and we will be very happy. Once we are in this state of mind, then whatever we are doing can only get better. We will want to do it more and more. It is not suitable to regret good things that we have done, or good things we are about to do. So the importance of rejoicing is that it will reinforce our interest in the practice and our desire to practice.