First,
We contemplate the six thoughts of samsara in terms of ourselves and really looking at our lives and seeing that these six describe our actual situation.
So first is that there's no certainty in our lives.
We want things to be predictable,
Schedule-able,
Plan-able,
Consistent,
And yet there's no certainty that any of that will happen.
We can't control all the causes and conditions that make things occur.
So think about,
Make some examples in your life of uncertain situations and how they relate to the dukkha,
The unsatisfactoriness of samsara.
Really feel that they're unsatisfactory and you want to be free of this kind of fault,
Of lack of certainty.
Second,
In samsara there's no satisfaction.
There's so many things that we want,
That we crave,
That we seek,
Not only material possessions but emotional states,
Status within society,
And so on.
And yet we work so hard to get these things,
And yet even when we get them there's no satisfaction.
The mind always wants more,
Wants better.
So again,
Think of situations in your life where this is your experience.
Then the third and the fourth go together.
In samsara we have to die and leave our body repeatedly,
Not the most fun thing,
Not something we look forward to.
And then after that we have to be reborn repeatedly into a new body,
Into a new situation where we don't understand what is happening to us,
What is going on around us.
We're really at the mercy of whatever conditions we're in,
Whatever people are around.
So having to die and be reborn repeatedly,
Again and again,
Without end,
If we don't practice.
And then fifth,
We change status repeatedly.
So in the vastness of samsara,
Sometimes we're born in the upper realms,
Sometimes in the lower realms,
Sometimes in a comfortable situation,
Sometimes in a very unfortunate one.
So there's no certainty there.
We continually change our position in samsara.
It's not like we consistently go upwards.
And then even within one life,
We get used to having a certain position or a certain status or whatever in society whereby people treat us in a certain way and we have certain benefits or certain disadvantages.
And then that doesn't stay stable either.
We can be rich in one part of our life,
Poor in another part,
Healthy in one part,
Unhealthy in another.
We have lots of friends during one part of our life and feel quite deserted in another part.
So we're constantly changing position or status,
No certainty there.
We're going to constantly adapt to different situations and circumstances.
And then last,
There's no reliable friends,
Nobody who's going to accompany us on our life's journey,
No matter how many people are around us at one particular time.
Because we're born alone and we die alone,
Even if we're surrounded by other people.
Yeah,
The experience of birth happens to us alone.
Our experience of birth,
Our experience of death,
Of aging,
Of anything is our experience alone.
And none of our friends can really understand it.
They cannot change the situation for us.
Because we're experiencing the result of our own actions.
So when thinking of the six,
Then you develop a very strong feeling,
An aspiration to be free of samsara.
So now think that all other living beings,
The ones you like,
The ones you don't like,
The ones you don't know,
They're all in the same predicament as you are.
And aspire for them to be free of samsara and to be free of the uncertainty,
The lack of satisfaction,
Having to die repeatedly and take rebirth repeatedly.
May they be free of the constantly changing status and being without friends that accompany you as you are born,
As you die,
Who can take your experiences away from you and the awful ones away from you and give you pleasant experiences.
To see that in terms of everybody else around you,
They're all in that situation.
And then think,
Wow,
It'd be wonderful if they could be free of samsara as well.
And then based on that wish for everybody to be free of samsara,
Then aspire to become a fully awakened Buddha so that you can bring that about.
