The 6th Step: Properly Setting Oneself
Up in Life
A merchant will be rich depending on good location,Investment, and management.
A gardener will be rich depending on good soil,seedlings, and management.
A layperson who lives in a suitable environment, and has accrued merits in the past, but does not continue to do good deeds will lose his merit, no longer be supported by his environment, and will depart from this life early.
Therefore, before one uses up his previously accrued merit, one should work on accumulating new merit.
Life-Goal in Three Levels
The methods deemed necessary to properly establish oneself is to divide one's goal in life into three levels.
1. One's life-goal at the primary or ground level. This means one should be determined
to establish himself financially by earning an honest living.
2. One's life-goal at the secondary or sky level. In preparation for the next world, one should be determined to do his best at accumulating merit. The fact is that as long as one's defilements remain, he must be reborn in the Round of Existence or Samsara.' Merit, indeed, leads one to a better life and realm.
3. One's life-goal at the tertiary or above-the-sky level. In preparation for Nirvana,² one must aim to rest his life on the practice ofmeditation in order to eradicate all defilements and to follow the path of the Lord Buddha and His Teachings.
Any layperson that can hold fast to these three levels of life-goal throughout his life time will be known as the one who has established himself properly.
