Buddhism warns of what is called the three lifetimes.” We might think of them as striving, indulging, and paying the terrible price.

In the "first" lifetime, a person strives to be good. Having little, he still gives selflessly. He soothes others’ fears and worries, and remains ever vigilant to their needs. Not interested in praise or renown, his only thought is to help others and, in some way, to ease their suffering. Due to his beneficence, he accumulates good fortune. Over time, he continues to avail himself of the increasing opportunities to help others. And so, as he becomes a benefactor to uncountable people, he accumulates great good fortune.

In the "second" lifetime, due to all his great good fortune, he becomes arrogant. After all, he now has status, wealth, power. There’s much to be proud of. Caught up in personal indulgence, he not only ignores but may even mock others’ suffering. Instead of watching for opportunities to help, he pursues opportunities to wield his power, to awe others, to control. To create fear and to dominate. One with great power and position can wreak havoc on the lives of millions, even billions.

And what of all those people he previously helped? And of a lifetime they have no memory of and would most likely dismiss the very idea of having happened? The seeds of gratitude toward that once thoughtful and generous individual may blossom. Their gratitude can become unshakable, and loyalty knows no limits.

In the "third" lifetime, having squandered his good fortune and created untold suffering, our once selfless and then egoistic individual is reborn in the hell path to undergo the consequences of his actions in that tragically common “second” lifetime.

Today, it can be helpful to recall what Etty Hillesum, a Jewess awaiting deportation to Auschwitz during the Holocaust, wrote, “One moment it is Hitler, the next it is Ivan the Terrible; one moment it is Inquisition and the next war, pestilence, earthquake, or famine. Ultimately, what matters most is to bear the pain, to cope with it, and to keep a small corner of one’s soul unsullied, come what may.”

Amituofo, Amituofo, Amituofo . . .