When studying Atisha’s Seven Points of Mind Training it is essential to first train in the preliminaries. One of the first of these is to recognize the preciousness of a fortunate human birth, When one is born into existence as a human being, it is believed to be a great opportunity to practice and develop spiritually. Additionally, it is important to recognize and take advantage of having The Eight Freedoms and The Ten Endowments.
The Eight Freedoms
- Free from being born into a hell realm
- Free from being born into the hungry ghost realm
- Free from being born into the animal realm
- Free from being born a barbarian
- Free from being born as a long-lived god
- Free from being born with wrong views
- Free from being born in a time without enlightened beings
- Free from being born deaf or mute
The Ten Endowments
The Five Endowments Found within Oneself:
- Having been born a human being
- Having been born in a central region
- Having been born with all of one’s faculties
- Being engaged with a proper lifestyle that does not conflict with spiritual practice
- Having faith in the sacred teachings
The Five Endowments Found with External Circumstances:
- An Enlightened Being has appeared
- The Enlightened Being has shared the teachings
- The teachings still exist
- The teachings are practiced
- There are those who are kind-hearted towards others and share the teachings
Credit: https://ravencypresswood.com/2016/03/06/the-eight-freedoms-the-ten-endowments/
Cattāri Brahmavihārā 
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