Discovering the Meaning of Life
The meaning of life is the perpetual question that has perplexed humanity since the dawn of man's evolution. As one might expect, numerous theories have been suggested as to the real meaning of life. Yet theories and philosophies cannot satisfy our aspiration to know the hidden secrets of life. In essence, the meaning of life is a quest that can only be discovered by the person themselves.
Who am I?
In spirituality we find there is actually only one question that we really need to ask: who am I? If we can know who we are all our problems and uncertainties will be solved. But, to know who we are is much more difficult than we may actually imagine. The natural response is to consider ourselves identified with the body and mind. But the body is perishable, and the mind is a volatile and temperamental collection of transient thoughts. The great sage Ramana Maharshi taught that to discover who we are, we should keep asking the question who am I? However, Ramana Maharshi also taught that the answer would not be another mere collection of thoughts. By constantly asking the question who am I? we seek to dive deep down to where the thought originates from. By asking this question, we come to learn that we are not just our thoughts. At the heart of our existence is the real I, which can decide whether to pursue or reject thoughts. In discovering who am I? we learn that we are not the little I identified with our ego; instead the real "I" is a consciousness far greater than our ego can understand.
"In the ordinary life each human being has millions and millions of questions to ask. In his spiritual life, a day dawns when he feels that there is only one question worth asking: "Who am I?" The answer of answers is: "I am not the body, but I am the Inner Pilot."
Sri Chinmoy [1]
Meditation
The path of self enquiry is a certain type of meditation. It is through meditation that we can go beyond the realm of the mind to discover the spiritual aspect of ourselves. We may find meditation difficult in the beginning, but, through practising concentration and meditation techniques, we eventually learn to stop the mind completely. If we can attain a state of consciousness free of thought, we will look upon the world with a new perspective. Through being unencumbered with thoughts, we discover the limitations of the mind; we also learn of the inner joy that is not dependent on our outer circumstances.
Social Conditioning.
There is great power in social conditioning. The way we are brought up reflects our perspective of life. We tend to feel that what society and our family expect is what we should follow. If we are brought up in one way, we often feel that this must be the best way; people either do not want, or cannot, question the ingrained orthodoxy of life. The great philosophical appeal of Socrates was that he taught people to question everything, even if that means going against the grain of popular opinion. To discover the meaning of life we have to be ready to question and, if necessary, jettison our long cherished beliefs. There is a Zen analogy, that we cannot fill a glass that is already full. If we wish to fill the glass with knowledge, we first have to empty it of our existing beliefs. Similarly, if we empty the mind, only then can we fill it with spiritual knowledge on the meaning of life.
Discovering the meaning of life is a life long process, it cannot be reduced to a philosophical mathematical formula (although 42 was not a bad effort *). The meaning of life is not something that can be forced on others, it is really synonymous with the discovery of our higher self,
References:
[1] Yoga and the Spiritual Life at Sri Chinmoy Library
The Meaning of Life at Sri Chinmoy Library
Off Topic Musings on the Meaning of Life
* In Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, Deep Thought returned an answer of 42.
Who am I?
In spirituality we find there is actually only one question that we really need to ask: who am I? If we can know who we are all our problems and uncertainties will be solved. But, to know who we are is much more difficult than we may actually imagine. The natural response is to consider ourselves identified with the body and mind. But the body is perishable, and the mind is a volatile and temperamental collection of transient thoughts. The great sage Ramana Maharshi taught that to discover who we are, we should keep asking the question who am I? However, Ramana Maharshi also taught that the answer would not be another mere collection of thoughts. By constantly asking the question who am I? we seek to dive deep down to where the thought originates from. By asking this question, we come to learn that we are not just our thoughts. At the heart of our existence is the real I, which can decide whether to pursue or reject thoughts. In discovering who am I? we learn that we are not the little I identified with our ego; instead the real "I" is a consciousness far greater than our ego can understand.
"In the ordinary life each human being has millions and millions of questions to ask. In his spiritual life, a day dawns when he feels that there is only one question worth asking: "Who am I?" The answer of answers is: "I am not the body, but I am the Inner Pilot."
Sri Chinmoy [1]
Meditation
The path of self enquiry is a certain type of meditation. It is through meditation that we can go beyond the realm of the mind to discover the spiritual aspect of ourselves. We may find meditation difficult in the beginning, but, through practising concentration and meditation techniques, we eventually learn to stop the mind completely. If we can attain a state of consciousness free of thought, we will look upon the world with a new perspective. Through being unencumbered with thoughts, we discover the limitations of the mind; we also learn of the inner joy that is not dependent on our outer circumstances.
Social Conditioning.
There is great power in social conditioning. The way we are brought up reflects our perspective of life. We tend to feel that what society and our family expect is what we should follow. If we are brought up in one way, we often feel that this must be the best way; people either do not want, or cannot, question the ingrained orthodoxy of life. The great philosophical appeal of Socrates was that he taught people to question everything, even if that means going against the grain of popular opinion. To discover the meaning of life we have to be ready to question and, if necessary, jettison our long cherished beliefs. There is a Zen analogy, that we cannot fill a glass that is already full. If we wish to fill the glass with knowledge, we first have to empty it of our existing beliefs. Similarly, if we empty the mind, only then can we fill it with spiritual knowledge on the meaning of life.
Discovering the meaning of life is a life long process, it cannot be reduced to a philosophical mathematical formula (although 42 was not a bad effort *). The meaning of life is not something that can be forced on others, it is really synonymous with the discovery of our higher self,
References:
[1] Yoga and the Spiritual Life at Sri Chinmoy Library
The Meaning of Life at Sri Chinmoy Library
Off Topic Musings on the Meaning of Life
* In Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, Deep Thought returned an answer of 42.
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