The Purpose of Life

I’ve heard many people say that at some point in life they’ve wondered – “What is the purpose of life?”

For some people, the desire to search and find the “meaning” never actually arises. For some others the “purpose of life” is such a daunting question that they find themselves in a state of anxiety or depression whenever the “big question” surfaces. Others still take comfort and refuge in solutions presented by modern religions, which supply very simple and ready-made answers to the big question, but which also demand an unwavering belief in some mysterious agency outside the individual.

But there are some people who never feel satisfied with externally supplied answers to the question “What is the meaning of life?” They have a desire to know the meaning of life for themselves; they want direct experience.

Tens of thousands of years ago there were also people who yearned for the direct experience of “the meaning of life.” In India and Central Asia these people were called yogins, munis, rishis, and siddhas. They experimented with the mind, the body, and it’s energy for countless generations, passing on their accumulated knowledge so that each successive generation could delve still deeper into the question- “What is the purpose/meaning of life?”

Eventually these pioneers of the Dharma established within their direct experience – the purpose of life. This flame of Ultimate Awareness has been transmitted in unbroken succession in the many non-dualist traditions of India and Central Asia, giving rise to Kashmir Shaivism, Dzogchen, Orthodox Daoism, Buddism, and Upanishadic Yoga.

It could be said that practicing the Dharma in our tradition of the Tantric yoga of the Mahasiddhas is really the transmission of the answer to the question of the purpose and meaning of life. In our tradition, an individual is introduced to the concept of the Ultimate Reality (meaning of life) by his or her Guru and then the individual is challenged to confirm this experience as their own. Having confirmed this through his or her own direct experience (as opposed to belief and speculation) the individual must then learn to continue in unbroken fashion in this experience which has been identified as the “meaning of life.”

So, what can we say about the purpose of life then?

The purpose, or meaning, of life is imperishable and unsurpassable. At the core of each person’s experience the truth of the Universe’s eternality resides. It is this “beyond time and form” experience that has been described as “nirvana” – or the enlightened state beyond any limitations of concept or form. However, from the perspective of our tradition as yogins, we must directly experience this understanding of life’s purpose (of who we are) and ultimately not accept anyone’s – even our guru’s- explanation as a substitute for our own self-knowledge.

We, as Tantrik Yogins, experience a direct realization of this Ultimate “meaning” of life and then carry that onwards to transmit to future generations of seekers. This is why we constantly remind ourselves that:
As Swami Rudrananda said, your god is the thing you think about incessantly; it is the thing you hold onto the most that you worship. It can therefore be said that many people today worship temporal things – such as money and status – that can never give a full answer to the question, “What is the meaning of life?” Let us look more closely at these two examples.

Money: some people worship money. But even large accumulations of money eventually run out or get lost through stock market crashes, currency fluctuations, and poor investment strategies. Exerting a tremendous amount of energy to make money does not put one any closer to experiencing the purpose of life because that money is an impermanent experience.

Status: some people worship status. The ancients thought that to be immortal was to perform great deeds as a hero and be remembered forever. But great heroes of even just a few thousand years ago -such as Achilles and Hector- are already being forgotten. Their great prowess, deeds, and fame are certainly not going to be remembered forever. Even Lord Buddha predicted that what he was teaching would only last so long before it was swallowed up by the “Imperishable.” Eventually Jesus, Buddha, Mohammad, Moses, Abraham, Confucius, etc. will all be forgotten. No matter how famous and powerful or influential we become or in what sphere of life (political, social, athletic, spiritual) – it will come to an end. Period. So the search for status cannot be the purpose of life.

In cultures that are no longer inspired by and structured upon the Dharma – such as the United Sates – fame and wealth have become the main expressions of the purpose of life. Unfortunately, since the search for eternal peace and happiness through the acquisition of money and fame is futile – the people in these cultures suffer an epidemic sickness of the soul.

We can see a microcosmic example of this situation in Hollywood actors who exemplify the worship of money and status. Americans love their actors and many youths look up to them as role models. With a few notable exceptions, these icons of fame, wealth and beauty (which many Americans are influenced by) are a total mess. They suffer from extreme “sickness of the soul” manifesting as drug addiction, sexual addiction, serial failed marriages, and often suicide or early death.

But Hollywood actors are not the only example of how worshipping temporal and perishable things like status and money are ultimately unsatisfying, for businessmen and industrialists are no different. In the stock market crash of the early 1900’s many people were so devastated by the loss of money and status (their idea of the purpose of life) that they literally leapt out of the windows of their high-rise offices to their deaths.

Now, with the American dollar plummeting, construction stagnant, foreclosures sky rocketing, banks going out of business, unemployment rising, etc., the people who have made their purpose of life the quest for money or status are once again experiencing confusion, pain, sadness, and desperation as their money (a temporal experience) evaporates into thin air (back to the Imperishable source).

It is especially important in difficult times like these to remember that the purpose of life for yogins is to seek the Imperishable spirit within, and thereby know the true meaning and purpose of life itself.

May all Beings be free of delusion.

May all Beings know the eternal peace of their true nature.

Original Posting: June 2008

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