“But I want to help people now, 

not sometime in the future.”

Upon learning that our primary goal is to seek birth in the Pure Land in this lifetime and come back to help people afterward, we might protest “I want to help now!” While our wish is admirable, our abilities are limited. And so in trying to help, our efforts can prove mistake ridden and clumsy. We realize there isn’t much we can do to help others. A further complication is that our life can end at any moment.

As someone recently said, “If we don’t attain birth in our current lifetime—what a waste.” 

To not waste this life, we need to focus. How? 

We can ask ourselves: What is my ultimate goal? How much time will I devote to my practice and learning? Will this be enough to accomplish my goal? Am I honestly doing everything I can to progress? What inspires me to practice or study when I’d rather do something else? What is the one book or recorded talk that I can really get into by listening to or reading regularly? 

And perhaps the ultimate question: How much time do I have left in this lifetime?