What is the purpose and meaning of life?

You are here to enable the divine purpose of the universe to unfold.

 That is how important you are!

Eckhart Tolle

                                                                  
He was exhausted and worn-out. Wild berries and bitter shrubberies failed to offer him enough nutrition. His stomach was empty for almost three days….. Slowly he raised, gathered up the residual strength and set out on another hunting excursion. Searching for the prey and wrestling with weather extremities he slinked through the width and breadth of the thick forest. Another day was passing by and sun was nearly setting. However, the great circle of life wanted to give him another chance…..A few feet ahead, a silhouette of a four legged creature emerged- it was an animal that could easily mollify his agonizing pangs. He knew it was his last chance to survive. Having this epiphany in mind, he soundlessly crept through the grass and fiercely attacked the animal with his strong hands and piercing claws; the animal resisted for a while but soon gave up. Audacity finally paid off and the ultimate feast was ready to be devoured! He quickly filled his ravenous stomach with warm and rare meat, drank fresh water from the running stream and lied down on the plush blanket of satin leaves next to the White Aspen tree. His eyes gazed upon the glorious sky and viewed the sparkling, twinkling and breath-taking stars…calmness and serenity of the starry night heightened his awareness and aroused the thoughtful, intellectual mind. A voice whispered in his mind.

Who am I?

What is the purpose of this vast Universe?

And what is my purpose in this infinite Universe??

     Quest for the self- identity and “life’s ultimate purpose” was primarily emerged in the primitive mind and continued its journey through the eras and eons of human evolutions. Philosophers and intellectuals have been searching for life’s big questions and have tried to answer the age-old conundrums in variety of different ways.

 Writer Henery Miller thought that

“The aim of life is to live and to live means aware, joyously,

drunkenly, divinely aware”.

Nobel Laureate Eli Wiesel writes,

 “If to be free is the most important goal of all than to help someone to be free or become free must be the most sublime and rewarding of human endeavors.”

When the same question was asked to Mr. Shunryu Suzuki- founder of Zen center of San Francisco, he answered “asking the question” is the purpose of life.

What is the purpose of life?

"What?” Is the purpose of life.

The purpose of life is to continue to ask questions. Each of us must find our own meaning by recasting the question over and over again, year by year, day by day, and moment by moment…..

How am I living my life?

Is there a conflict between who I am and who I want to be?

How do I envision myself ten/twenty years from now?

Is my family happy and contented? Are my children growing up as successful and satisfied individuals??

How is my spiritual life moving forward??

Am I evolving myself with each passing day??

Am I serving the creator and his creation the way it should be served??

Do I have a thirst of knowing the reality of things around me??

How can I attain a drop of wisdom from the infinite ocean of knowledge???

      Seeking for answers opens our hearts to the mysteries of life. Each of us must find our own meaning by keeping the inquiry alive every year, every day and every moment. Having a child-like wonder, awe and reverence keeps us truly alive and present in each moment.  According to one Zen master

 “Purpose of life is to live every day and every moment with hope and joy, simply appreciating the extraordinariness of the ordinary.”

   We must try to unlock the power of the “present moment” by breaking the old pattern of living in our minds. Past and future are not always required. We should make a habit to withdraw our attention from these two time-zones. Rightly said by Rumi,

 “Past and future veil God from our sight; burn up both of them with fire”.

Meister Eckhart, the thirteenth-century spiritual teacher is in complete harmony with Rumi

“Time is what keeps the light from reaching us. There is no greater obstacle to God than time.”

    By breaking our ties with not so wanted time-zones, staying in present moment and keeping the periodic self-inquiry alive we may come to see more clearly the meaning and purpose of life day by day and moment by moment.