Whether life is purposeless or whether there is purpose of life, these questions always creep in human mind. Because human mind keeps on attaching purpose to everything it does. Human mind keeps on giving definitions to whatever it does. Human mind is so full of information that it cannot keep itself off definitions. Intellectuals keep on inventing purpose of life. Mind is abound with intellectual information. The more the information, the more the inventions, more new meanings and more definitions. If truth is told as it is, mind will go on defining that which the undefinable.
To the intellectual mind who is great scholar, philosopher, professor, writer the question that always haunt is about existence of God and about purpose of life. Both are intellectual questions. So the mind starts defining the purpose of life and existence of God with limited understanding.
It once happened to Zen master Bokuju. A great scholar philosopher travelled a long distance to meet Bokuju. He asked the master: “Does the God exist?” Bokuju told him to take rest for a while as he would make tea for him. Bokuju prepared tea and brought tea kettle. He started pouring tea into the cup. He continued to pour tea even when the cup was overflowing. The scholar asked Bokuju to stop because cup is already overflowing. Bokoju said empty your cup to receive some tea. Your mind is overflowing with information and to get to the truth you need to empty it.
Religions either teach us meditation or prayers. In meditation and prayers, we empty the mind. We try to turn mind into a no-mind state. In the no-mind state when the mind is empty, you are ready to take it. Truth can dawn on you then. You can understand the truth as it is—naked. When we walk on the path of understanding the truth which is that-which-is as a first step you have to empty your mind. Because scholarly knowledge is the biggest hindrance in getting there. Scholarly ego that you are a writer or a philosopher or a university professor is the bane of your life. Because you know that you don’t know but you think that you know about it.
Knowing by knowing is different from knowing about knowing. All these scholars know about truth because it is written in their religious books. But they don’t know the truth. They have not lived the truth. Truth is not like written words of those books. That’s the difference. Therefore you have to empty your mind. Therefore the path to understanding begins when you accept by your totality that you know nothing—the journey of truth begins then.
Scholars keep on attaching purposes to the life because their mind cannot live without purpose. In purposeless purpose mind becomes no-mind. It cannot accept the fact that life happens beyond purpose because in that state ego disappears.
Scholars keep on thinking that God must be a sadist because he created jealousy, anger, hatred, misery. God should have given all humans love, compassion. Why did he give darkness when light was needed by all?
Your anger can flower your compassion. In misery and sadness you get to understand happiness. Life exists in existence and death also exists in existence. Life is simply an extension of moment to moment and in them our being exists in existence.
But we have deeply forgotten that life is part of existence. Our life is part of existence in which everything exists. We have forgotten. So we understand life only in the context of death. In fact we are one with that-which-is. We are that-which-is. But when we think that we are different than that-which-is, the misery starts, the mind starts taking shape. In mind ego is bred. Ego wants to go on great expedition. In great expeditions and journeys ego can live. Then when we want to find the truth, it is like being in the truth at the same time wanting to explore.
Like whole life, you keep on collecting money and your mind thinks that you collect money to live in peace and happiness because you can purchase peace and happiness. But the moment you have collected enough you understand that there was no purpose that money can actually buy. You again become dejected and try to find the purpose. It so happened that a man who had earned great wealth threw all that wealth at feet of a saint and asked for happiness and peace. Saint picked up bags and rushed. Man began wailing and prayed that if he could get all his wealth back he would be happy. After some time saint appeared and gave the bags back to him. Man became very happy again. In fact what you have already got, you don’t value it and you value only what you don’t have or you value it once it is taken away from you.
Ego believes in doing. It takes pride in being the doer. Buddha does not do anything. He is a non-doer. Even when he says something he says that because of compassion towards you. Buddha said, “Appa Deepo Bhavo” (Be a light unto yourself). We are living in darkness. We say that we were living in dark ages. No, we are living in dark ages. We need ‘light’ to end this darkness. But Buddha is referring to the ‘light’ that you are born with. You are the ‘light’. Therefore there is a word called ‘enlightenment’. You have never lost that light. Be the source of light that you already are and it is there in you and to attain to the source of light that you already are is what Buddha asks us to be. Be the source of light that you already are.
The author is a spiritual coach and an independent advisor on policy, governance and leadership. He can be contacted at arunavlokitta@gmail.com.
