In Buddhist cosmology, there is a teaching about six realms of existence. At the bottom is the hell realm where beings live in perpetual suffering. Next is the hungry ghost realm, followed by the animal realm, human realm, jealous god realm and, lastly, the realm of the gods. Of the six, it is said that the human realm is the optimal one to experience full awakening because it has both sorrow and joy. Those in the heaven realm, filled with light and devoid of suffering, are not motivated to go beyond the rounds of rebirth.

I write this at a time when, like many, my heart is heavy with sadness and concern. Although there are other tragic conditions happening on our planet, the current crisis in the Mideast is affecting me in both a disorienting and tender way. Seeing the atrocities committed by terrorists, I wonder how it is that humans can be so lacking in humanity. And there is great sadness over the response of overwhelming force and destruction with so many innocent people caught in the middle. I do my best to hold it all skillfully.

In this research on happiness, Martin Seligman, the father of Positive Psychology, discovered that the greatest fulfillment comes from identifying our strengths and offering them to others in spirit of contribution. Shantideva, the author of The Guide to the Bodhisattva’s Way of Life, similarly said that the miracle of awakening “lifts us above poetry into the wealth of giving to life.”