Why Searching for a ‘Life Purpose’ Robs Life of Its Meaning
“What is the meaning of Life?”
“Why are we Here?”
“What’s my Purpose?”
These existential questions have been pondered and agonized over since Man came to know himself.
Philosophers have philosophized to no end. Poets have poured their Hearts out upon the page. Religious core doctrines attempt to flesh out what this Life is all about. Social media is awash with seminars, retreats, spirit guides- all willing to help us find our purpose in Life.
After all these many thousands of years of contemplation and speculation- we still seem to be utterly confused as to why this Life is to be lived.
We yearn for a purpose, believing that having some specific use- will help to fill the hollowness we feel inside. Something is calling to us. There’s an aching to know- and the mind desperately searches for where it’s meant to go.
Words are spells and can be crafted into magic that makes us believe in what we hear. We ask and we listen and we hope and pray for someone to help us Realize the Truth of this existence.
But I won’t spin a Spiritual yarn for you, because it’s language, words, concepts, the mind’s story…that prevents us from being fulfilled.
So instead of trying to Enlighten you on the meaning of Life, let me be completely honest. Deep breath… Okay, so there is NO purpose or meaning in Life. None. This may seem like quite a letdown! We may initially feel robbed of all Hope and feel the grip of despair start to creep in. A punch in the gut. The very air of this existence bubble we’re caught within feels as though its being sucked away. But bear with me and let me elaborate on why this is the best possible news we could receive…
The mind wanting to know its purpose- is what robs Life of Its meaning.
Nearly everyone believes that “I” am this mind and these are “my” thoughts and my thoughts reside within “my” body. What we fail to Realize is that the mind only takes ownership over an experience and identifies as having had an experience AFTER it has already occurred. Take tripping and falling down for example: You must first begin to fall down before the mind takes ownership of the fall with the thought “I am falling”. This is a simplistic example and taking ownership does only happen a fraction of a second later- but the important point is that it IS later. Mind activity happens AFTER the fact of falling.
So what exactly does this have to do with the meaning of Life?
What wants to give meaning to Life? What wants to know its purpose? I may say it’s the mind- but you may argue and say no, it’s more of a feeling or a desire “within” to know why I’m here. This is where we must understand the paradoxical nature of this Reality. The mind does want to know its purpose and there is also a feeling welling up from within that wants to know. It’s both…
We understand what the mind is, but what’s this inner feeling from deep within that the mind unknowingly obscures?
When this body arrived- there was no “thinking” mind. There was simply an Awareness that Life was moving. Aware of being hungry. Aware of forms moving in front of them. Aware of hot. Aware of cold. Aware of tired. Aware of dark. Aware of light. It is a very rudimentary existence, but remember that when a newborn arrives we also see a certain Light in the child’s eyes… There’s an innocence, a purity, a “direct from the Source” illumination emanating from within them. WITHIN. There’s that word again.
The yearning to know our purpose in Life- is actually a yearning to Realize that same Awareness we knew as a newborn. Our True Self is not this mind that came to be AFTER it was conditioned into existence by society. Our True Self is not this body that is dependent on this same mind taking ownership of its activities.
We are the Awareness of Life and Life Itself. ALL the searching for a purpose and attempts to find meaning by the mind are happenings WITHIN the Awareness of Life moving. That’s why mind can never find an answer to our existential questions. That’s why mind struggles and suffers with its inability to find clarity as to why its here.
Mind is the very obstacle to finding the answer to the question mind asks…it’s paradoxical.
So, what to do? What I have described is the crux of what we come to Realize after a Spiritual Awakening. We Realize that this mind believing in a separate individual existence is an illusion of mind’s own creation. Mind is a happening within a Unitive Universal flow…
If you want to know the meaning of Life- you have to move beyond the mind’s desire to gain an answer. This is why we sit in meditation without expecting any answers. Spiritual books are pointers directing us to let go of the need to ask questions. We must come to learn how to relax into this What Is as It Is experiencing- without needing to follow the mind’s desire to find any answer.
The answer that “Life has NO meaning”- helps us to surrender the mind’s inquisitiveness that obscures the Loving Awareness in which all our questions are asked.
You ARE this Loving Formless Awareness already and to Realize I AM this Awareness and Life is just a happening WITHIN Me- gives Life a Loving Eternal meaning and a simple purpose of just living Life as It comes…
