Entries Tagged 'Meaning of Life' ↓

The following excerpts are the heart of my free e-book Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life.

The meaning of life is to realize that you a divine being who is here to express its divinity in this world. You are more than who you think you are. You are endowed with a spiritual self in addition to your human self. In other words you have a dual nature; a human self that is your body, emotions and mind, which most of us primarily identify with, and a spiritual self that we also call the soul, spirit, higher self or consciousness, which most of us believe in but have no understanding of. We may think that we are a person who has a soul and the point of the soul, if there is any, is to be our “body” when we’re walking around in heaven talking to everyone we know who has died. But the truth is that we are the spiritual self who is using the human self to express itself in this world.

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, Jesuit priest (1881-1955)

And what does the soul want to express, in other words, why are we here? The soul wants to use the human self to express the divine qualities of love, wisdom, joy, peace, goodwill, generosity, forgiveness, integrity, harmony, etc. as much and as completely as possible in this world during this lifetime. Truly realizing that you are this eternal, immortal spiritual self who is using the human self is the start of enlightenment and expressing the soul’s divine qualities in everything you say, think and do is the meaning of life and the reason you’re here.

Why is this the meaning of life? This is the meaning of life for at least two reasons. First it’s because through this process divinity finds its full expression. It is brought from potentiality to actuality and is therefore complete. It’s like an inventor who takes an idea from his mind, which would unfulfilled if left there, to a physical product that is used by and benefits another. Second, the increased ability of the spiritual self to express divinity through the human self in this world survives the death of the human self. In other words it’s the soul that learns how to better express itself through the human form during the course of a lifetime. The spiritual self then brings this improved quality of character (the origin of the word character is enduring marks) into its next human lifetime. This is the only thing that endures and survives a lifetime. All things of the human self (e.g. possessions, identity, accomplishments, experiences, etc.) end no matter what the immature, ignorant human self cares to believe. All things of the spiritual self live on because it is an eternal, immortal force created by God.

For more about this including some “proof” to support these ideas please read Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life.

Please feel free to add your thoughts, comments and questions below. I am also particularly interested in hearing about what you know of the soul…not a definition…not an opinion…but what you really know - your intuitive understanding - of the soul.

Cheers,

Brendan

The Adventures of Pinocchio, Carlo Collodi’s 19th century tale about the trials and tribulations of a wooden puppet (the original story not the Disney version), provides a neat explanation of the meaning of life specifically addressing who we are and why we’re here.

Who We Are

Pinocchio perfectly symbolizes our dual nature; our material self and our real self. Of course Pinocchio’s material self is as a wooden puppet. Our material selves aren’t made of wood (although I love the English phrase of describing someone who’s not to intelligent as being “thick as two planks”) but we are made of physical, emotional and mental material that combine to create our body. This is the material self that you’ve come to know and love complete with all its sensations, habits,likes, dislikes, thoughts, habits and attitudes. But there’s more to us that this body.

These ideas were first mentioned in the free report Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life which you can get by Clicking Here…

Pinocchio transforms into a real boy after going through many trials and eventually learning to control himself and express his more virtuous traits. Just so we have a real self that seeks to express itself through a disciplined material self. This real self is the most noble, compassionate and wise part of us. It is the soul or spirit which was created in God’s image. We are designed to realize that this is our true identity. In fact we need to know that we are not material selves who have a soul but rather we are souls who have a material self through which we act in this world.

Why We’re Here

Pinocchio redeems himself by the end of the story by first controlling his natural tendencies then expressing the divine qualities of his real self. Through the majority of the story Pinocchio is belligerent, lazy, dishonest and indifferent. He is always shown the error of his ways and promises to change but he most often repeats the same mistakes. Similarly we often succumb and robotically react to the downward pull of the natural tendencies of our material self to be lazy, annoyed, depressed, impatient, gluttonous, indifferent and ungrateful. When we do this it’s as if we’re becoming more material (i.e. more dense) as symbolized by Pinocchio when he’s being dishonest and his nose grows.

By the end of the story Pinocchio has control of his material self’s natural tendencies and he starts to express the noble qualities of his real self as he is courageous and strong when he saves his father and himself from the belly of the shark and he is compassionate, diligent, patient, selfless, determined, purposeful and productive when he works as a farmhand and provides for his father. After a few months of this he wakes up one morning to find himself in a nice new house, lot’s of money in his pocket, his father’s health restored and he is transformed into a real boy! Just so, we are here to express the noble divine qualities of spirit through our material selves. We are to build our character so we are more loving, kind, beautiful, wise, tolerant, cheerful, peaceful, courageous and productive. These are some of the divine qualities that our real selves are here to convey. By doing so we are redeeming the world, fulfilling the divine plan and shining our light.

As since the improved ability of the real self to better express this divinity in the material world is the only thing that survives death - it is truly the meaning of life!

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

Welcome to the download and discussion page of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life.

If you haven’t already, please use the form or link below to subscribe by email or RSS to future articles designed to help you with your personal and spiritual growth.

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When you get your first email or feed you will notice at the bottom it a link to download your free copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life that looks like this -

Let’s Discuss! Please feel free to use the comment form below to comment, question, critique, add or otherwise be a part of a process to help all of us grow in our understanding of the mysteries of life and to ultimately help us all lead inspiring lives!

Thank you,

Brendan

Imagine it’s 1543 and you’ve been taught all your life that the sun revolves around the earth. You believe it, in fact you know it to be true because it makes sense. If you stood at a horizon, a beach for example, you would see the sun “swing around” by first coming up in front of you than going down behind you. But along comes Nicolaus Copernicus who started to think that perhaps the universe was actually heliocentric (i.e. sun centered) and, from his book “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres”, you are suddenly introduced to the idea that the earth revolves around the sun! Think about what a complete change in perspective that is. The big round ball that you live on is not stationary in space but is moving around another big round ball. More importantly the earth is not the center, and by implication not the most important feature, of the then-known universe.

This new idea is such a dramatic change in world perspective that it could lead to asking two life-changing questions; “what other fundamental ideas do I hold that are completely wrong?” and “what is the primary focus (i.e. the center) of life?” We now understand much of the operations of our solar system but these two questions are relevant today because most people currently hold a fundamental idea that is completely wrong and they do not understand who or what is the primary focus of life. Most people see themselves as the “center of the universe” and that God or the soul, if they exists, are suppose to revolve around them! These people need a complete change in perspective! Metaphorically it’s as if they never learned that the Earth revolves around the Sun. Just as the Sun gave us life and sustains our lives, the Divine Source, both God transcendent and immanent, is the center of life which we’re suppose to revolve around.

What does it mean for us to revolve around the Divine? It means that we are here to express the higher divine qualities of love, joy, peace, goodwill, courage and wisdom on earth and thereby shine our light. These qualities are the divine archetypes that God used to create and sustain the world. They are meant to be integrated into our character. Why? Because they are the only thing that last (character means enduring marks). Throughout it’s lifetimes the Higher Self retains this improved ability to express this divinity.

We make the mistake of acting as if the universe revolves around us when we are solely focused on our security, prestige, appearance pleasure and possessions. In effect we are attached to the material world and figuratively are “stuck in the muck”. There is no light in this sort of limited focus.

Contemplate the following passage from Copernicus’ book, “On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres” and consider it’s perfect analogy with the Sun representing the divinity that is the real you and the earth representing the human self that is suppose to be governed by the divine.

At rest, however, in the middle of everything is the sun. For, in this most beautiful temple, who would place this lamp in another or better position than that from which it can light up the whole thing at the same time? For, the sun is not inappropriately called by some people the lantern of the universe, its mind by others, and its ruler by still others. The Thrice Greatest labels it a visible god, and Sophocles’ Electra, the all-seeing. Thus indeed, as though seated on a royal throne, the sun governs the family of planets revolving around it.

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

Today’s (4/9/07) Sunday Reading are just the following four short but powerful lines from John, Chapter 10, verses 27-30:

Jesus said:
“My sheep hear my voice;
I know them, and they follow me.
I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.
No one can take them out of my hand.
My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all,
and no one can take them out of the Father’s hand.
The Father and I are one.”

Now there’s a lot to discuss in these short lines but I just want to focus on the key line that is the main issue through the whole chapter; “The Father and I are one.” These words literally prompt his critics to attempt to stone him for blasphemy.

Was Jesus into self-aggrandizement when he said “the Father and I are one” and later in the same Chapter, “the Father is in me and I am in the Father”? In other words did Jesus literally mean himself, the man, Jesus of Nazareth when he uses the personal pronouns “I” and “me” or did he mean something more? I suggest that he meant something more than his temporary, human self when he says these truths. He is referring to his divine self. His eternal, immortal soul which is the true child of God. Jesus is holy, a word derived from whole (which implies two selves), meaning He fully united his spiritual self and human self. He perfectly expressed his divinity through his human self while on this earth.

Why didn’t Jesus use more precise language to explain this idea? He did. He was using the language of his faith. His use of the personal pronouns I and me is related to the language used by God at the burning bush in response to Moses’ question of who should I say you are and God replies “I am who am” and “tell them I AM sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14). The use of personal pronouns corresponds to the idea of individual divinity.

The important point of this is that you also have a divine self and in fact you are the divine self who is expressing itself in this world. In this Chapter of John when accused of making himself a God Jesus answered “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, “You are gods”?”. In other words Jesus was teaching us that we are also divine.

Critics and unthinking people will incorrectly assume that I am suggesting that we are God. We are not the One, transcendent God who created and sustains heaven and earth. We are the immanent god, a figurative child of God, who is simply seeking to express divinity on this earth. We are similar in kind but not in degree to God. Just as a thimble full of the ocean is similar in kind to the entire ocean but in no way can it sustain the whole planet as the ocean does.

Our divine self is but a spark of the eternal flame. And, although the spark leaves the flame, it is forever “of it” and it can never be otherwise. In this sense the spark and flame are one just as you and the Father are one.

For further exploration of this idea please see the next article; “When Two Become One“

Your house was not built from the bottom up, it was built from the top down. I know what your thinking, “what? of course my house was built from the bottom up…they started at the basement or foundation then worked their way up.” “Do you think they propped up a roof then added the floors under it?”

No, figuratively speaking, your house was built from the top down because it all started with a non-tangible idea in the minds of the architect and builder for the design and structure of the house. This thought is not physical and in a sense is “higher” than things of the concrete material world. It is the essence of your house. It is what guided the construction of your house. It is what continues to influence the functionality of your house. Further, this non-physical idea fulfills the deeper meaning behind all dwellings, namely the protection that allows us to function.

If you can understand that your house was started by an abstract idea then you can see that you were also founded by an intangible energy. So, what is the abstract, intangible idea that formed you, that energizes you and that guides you? It is the soul! This is the divine energy that had the idea of you and that wants to express itself through you. Figuratively it is higher than your physical body so it is at the top. It is what came first. It is the very essence of who you are. Finally, this intangible essence that is your true self fulfills the deeper meaning behind humanity, namely the expression of God’s divine qualities for the redemption of this world.

Why does God allow evil, suffering, tragedy and other assorted bad things happen to good people? According to the Centers for Disease Control, during 2002, there were approximately; 28,000 infants deaths, 17,000 homicides and 100,000 accidental deaths. Officially, 2,986 innocent people were killed by terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. If you’ve allowed your spiritual growth to be hampered or stopped because you can’t reconcile the question of how an all-loving, all-knowing, all-powerful God can permit these to happen, then you’re suffering from what I call the ultimate spiritual hang-up.

Hung-Up

What’s a spiritual hang-up? Well, first, in general, a hang-up is something that keeps you stuck and prevents further progress. Examples of physical objects that get hung-up include a record that skips (remember LP’s?), computers that “freeze up” and a car that won’t “turn over”. A spiritual hang-up is an attitude, belief or thought than hinders your spiritual development. For example, you may believe that that there are stupid, negative and evil ideas in some of the world’s Holy Books. You might feel that there are stupid, negative and evil people who are, or were, leaders of the world’s major religions. You might think that religions are useless because the people who go to Church, synagogue, mosque, etc. are the very same people who do bad things in the world. These spiritual hang-ups may thwart your spirituality; however, they may be overcome or at least put aside as you also recognize that there are loving, positive and healing messages in the Holy Books, there are may religious leaders, past and present, who have done constructive things in the world and many worshippers have become better people by attending services.

The Ultimate

This “how-can-God-allow” question is the ultimate spiritual hang-up because, with it, you have a greater chance of completely closing off the source - God - and the resulting idea of the inner divinity that’s within you (that is you). The confusion over this question can totally block off any further evidence and understanding of a loving God. It locks you into limited, concrete thinking when the idea and concept of God requires broader, abstract thinking. The limiting line of reasoning goes like this; God is suppose to be omniscient, omnipotent and loving however terrible things happen to innocent people, therefore God must be “allowing” it otherwise He/She/It would use Their power to stop it, since it’s not stopped He/She/It must not care or doesn’t exist, either way, all praying, worshiping and believing is worthless so I’m not going to bother.

Types of Tragedy

To answer the question “how can God permit (fill in the blank)?”, we have to start by recognizing three types of tragedy; man made, mysterious, and innocent bystander.

1. Man-made tragedies are when a person or a group hurts, kills, steals, rapes another person or group.
2. Mysterious tragedies are those that seem to have no explanation or cause and effect completely innocent people. Examples of this include infant death, disease and handicap and the sudden illness or death of a relatively young person.
3. The innocent bystander tragedy includes the illness or death of innocent people during war, climatic events (e.g. earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, etc.) and major catastrophes (e.g. Titanic, Hindenburg).

How Can God Allow Pain, Tragedy, Suffering and Evil?

With this background we can now address the specific question of “how can God let these tragedies happen?” First, God “allows” the man-made tragedies to occur because they are built into the fundamental structure of how we are created and put on this earth and they are one of the main methods used to increase our understanding of life. To fully explain this, permit me to give a quick meaning-of-life summary. We have two selves; a divine self and a human self. The divine self is abstract, impersonal and detached. The human self is concrete, self-centered and attached. The divine self is following the command of God to redeem the physical, emotional and mental planes of the world. It does this by investing itself in this very material and thereby incarnating in the earth plane. The issue is that this physical, emotional and mental material has a life of its own and it, rightly so, seeks greater comfort, security, pleasure and self-preservation, while avoiding pain, and all with the least possible effort. The divine self works gently “behind the scenes” working to raise and refine the quality of the material it is incarnated in so that eventually the human self is responsive to the divine self. The divine self intends to express its divinity, namely, love, joy, peace, wisdom, compassion, goodwill and vitality, through the human self and thereby redeem the world and fulfill God’s plan.

When a person or a group hurts, kills, steals, rapes another person or group the lower, human self of the aggressor has a very limited view of life and is simply looking for greater comfort, security, pleasure and self-preservation, while avoiding pain. From simple muggings and assaults to the extreme acts of Hitler and Osama bin Laden, all aggressors are acting in their own interests and desires however misguided and ignorant. The divine self of each aggressor has not been able to turn the lower self around to see life from a broader perspective. However the divine self retains the lessons learned during an incarnation and applies them to the next incarnation thereby increasing its ability to take command of the human self. This spiritual evolution is all a part of God’s unfolding plan and these man-made tragedies are to be seen in a wider perspective and are not to be taken personally.

Next, God allows the mysterious tragedies, however difficult to endure, because they are also opportunities for a greater understanding of life but they also have a better ability to facilitate the greater expression of a particular aspect of divinity. For example, being born or becoming blind, deaf, handicapped, or deformed are heightened opportunities to perfect the expression of strength, courage, endurance, perseverance and optimism (did you know Helen Keller wrote a book title Optimism?). Similarly, pre-mature diseases help to increase these and other divine ideals and they also help us realize mistakes in our self-expression. This later point is explained by Edward Bach, the creator of the Bach Flower Remedies, in his 1931 book “Heal Thyself – An Explanation of the Real Cause and Cure of Disease”;

“Disease is in itself beneficent, and has for its object the bringing back of the personality to the Divine will of the Soul; and thus we can see that it is both preventable and avoidable, since if we could only realize for ourselves the mistakes we are making and correct these by spiritual means there could be no need for the severe lessons of suffering. Every opportunity is given us by the Divine Power to mend our ways before, as a last resort, pain and suffering have to be applied. It may not be the errors of this life, this day at school, which we are combating; and although we in our physical minds may not be conscious of the reasons of our suffering, which may to us appear cruel and without reason, yet our Souls (which are ourselves) know the full purpose and are guiding us to our best advantage. Nevertheless, understanding and correction of our errors would shorten our illness and bring us back to health. Knowledge of the Soul’s purpose and acquiescence in that knowledge means the relief of earthly suffering and distress, and leaves us free to develop our evolution in joy and happiness.”

Finally, God allows the innocent bystander tragedies because they are part of the larger growth and development of humanity. This type of tragedy differs from the two above in that the victim does not go through any obvious period of growth and learning. However it’s important to remember that the body of humanity is also working on increasing its ability to express divinity. Wars, climatic events and other catastrophes are opportunities for humanity to correct its mistakes and express greater love, compassion, peace, wisdom, forgiveness and tolerance. The individual victims of these events who either die or are injured play a heroic part in the unfolding of the divine within mankind.

Conclusion

God allows pain, suffering, tragedy and evil simply because it’s a part of His Divine Plan for increasing divinity and thereby redeeming and refining this world. To understand this Plan, we need increase our wisdom and understand and place all tragedy into a larger perspective. Tragedies need to be recognized as opportunities for growth.

A critic may say that I’ve just gone through a worthless, long exercise since I’ve only managed to give God all the credit for the good events of life and no blame for the bad. I would respond with a brief passage from Alexander Pope’s poem “An Essay on Man”,

All Nature is but Art, unknown to thee;

All Chance, Direction, which thou canst not see;

All Discord, Harmony not understood;

All partial Evil, universal Good:

And, spite of Pride, in erring Reason’s spite,

One truth is clear, Whatever is, is Right.

Marty Nemko, a career coach, author and radio talk-show host in the San Francisco area, who has very practical career and educational advice that I highly recommend, wrote a very personal article titled “What the Hell is the Meaning of Life”. This article is the conclusion (here is the first) of a seven part series in response to Marty’s question.

Marty wrote,

“Here’s my current thinking, highly subject to revision. It comes down to being nice to everyone possible: look for opportunities to give heartfelt praise, a kind letter to a long-long friend, an unnecessary gift, etc. Don’t expect anything in return–you too often won’t get it. Take pleasure in the giving itself. That approach to life will ensure you do some good, it doesn’t require Herculean effort, and you will feel good no matter how other people respond.”

Your “current thinking” about being nice and giving praise is good advice however when you say “don’t expect anything in return – you too often won’t get it”, you sound a bit defeatist. As you say, be nice, kind and express goodwill however also remember to be optimistic, enthusiastic and always focus one the best within others. Don’t despair if they don’t respond ideally.

Finally, you ask, “how do you wring the most from life?” Broaden your perspective. You are more than what you think you are. Working with life from a higher, spiritual perspective, as discussed in Part 1, is the only true satisfaction you can have. It’s what lasts. The potential for this exists for all of us regardless of our wealth, prestige, gender, race or health. After all the sun shines for everyone, right?

I want to give Marty the “last word” on the question of the meaning of life and I recently visited his website and found this recent entry on his blog which mirrors some of my comments in my article “The Meaning of Life: Rise and Shine”(which he hadn’t read before he wrote the following), and, along with all of what Marty writes is solid, sound advice. Marty wrote,

“Today, my client, Evan Wright, asked me, “How do you get so much done?” Here’s what I said: It starts with the spiritual. The meaning of life to me is defined primarily by how much I contribute to the world. If I act merely to give myself pleasure, my life has made little difference. So, I rarely procrastinate; work is not only what I should do, but want to do.”

Marty Nemko, a career coach, author and radio talk-show host in the San Francisco area, who has very practical career and educational advice that I highly recommend, wrote a very personal article titled “What the Hell is the Meaning of Life”. This article is the sixth (here is the first) of a seven part series in response to Marty’s question. In this article I’ll address relationships from a spiritual perspective.

Marty wrote,

“Many people find the meaning of life through relationships. While I have a decent marriage, I’m not sure the meaning of life, at least for me, fully resides there. And my only child, who is an ardent employee of The Diversity Industry, refuses to talk to me, in large measure because of my views on reverse discrimination. So, I won’t, as so many parents do, find life’s meaning through his children.”

Relationships, like work, are another prime way for us to express our inner divinity and are therefore a major part of the meaning of life. From a limited perspective, relationships are seen as self-serving leading one to ask, “what am I getting out of this relationship?”, “how is it benefiting me?”. Further these people feel that if they are not “getting anything” out of the relationship that it’s always the other person’s fault due to what they are or aren’t doing. From a broader perspective, relationships are opportunities for us to be “other focused”. They are ways for us to contribute to each other’s growth and express peace, goodwill, love and wisdom. Each of us are part of the body of humanity and we are all connected at the spiritual level. We should identifying with this connection and treat other with the respect and compassion due children of God.

When relationships hit a “rocky road”, a higher perspective is truly needed. For example, regarding your specific issue with your daughter, if your problem really is about your views on reverse discrimination I would suggest that you ease up on this issue with her. Assuming you’re right, and I think you are as discussed in Part 5, look at this from a higher perspective and realize that it will all work out in the end. It’s all a part of a divine plan that will work out as it always has and always will. Whatever is, is right. I’m not suggesting that you stop trying to correct this “diversity problem” through your work, I’m just suggesting that you don’t have to convert your daughter or anyone of your personal relationships. But if you’re already following this advise, you’re not trying to convert her, and she’s putting up the resistance because you address this issue in your work, realize that she’s an adult who’s learning and growing. As much as you may want to simply impart your wisdom on her to ease her path through life, the enlightened approach is to allow her to realize lessons on her own. These are the types of lessons that last and deeply enrich a person. Finally, if you can’t reconcile, know that there’s no spiritual requirement that a parent-child relationship stay intact physically, but the emotional, mental and spiritual bonds can never be broken.

Next is the issue of religious faith but more particularly the question of how can an all-powerful, all-loving , all-knowing God allow evil and all the tragedies of our lives to occur? Marty wrote,

“Many other people find the meaning of life in religious faith. But I can’t find meaning in a God that would, for example, allow thousands of babies to be born every year with horrifically painful diseases and then die months later leaving bereft parents.”

This is what I call the “Ultimate Spiritual Hang Up” and it’s so common a belief that I’ve addressed it more thoroughly in a separate article called, The Ultimate Spiritual Hang Up”.

Next time – the conclusion to Marty’s question “What the hell’s the meaning of life?”

Marty Nemko, a career coach, author and radio talk-show host in the San Francisco area, who has very practical career and educational advice that I highly recommend, wrote a very personal article titled “What the Hell is the Meaning of Life”. This article is the fifth (here is the first) of a seven part series in response to Marty’s question. In this article I’ll address the issue meritocracy from a spiritual perspective.

Marty wrote,

“I particularly value meritocracy. I believe that more good accrues from ensuring a meritocracy than nearly anything else. 30 years ago that would have meant dismantling the ol’ white boy’s network. But alas, today, the ol’ boy network has largely been replaced by the Diversity Industry, all-powerful and hell-bent on ensuring that women and minorities get slots in colleges and employment even when less qualified.”

I agree with you. Diversity is considered politically correct but meritrocity is superior because it is spiritually correct. From a lower, material perspective diversity seems right. Of course we should all just “get along” and any attempts to force this diversity along seems appropriate. However, it’s in the forcing that the diversity industry makes the mistake. By forcing, the diversity crowd actually causes an imbalance resulting from the resentment of the discriminatee and the false achievement of the discriminator.

From a spiritual perspective, diversity for diversity’s sake is unnecessary and unsound; after all, do you see forced diversity in nature? Meritocracy is how the natural world and the divine plan work. We are blessed with the potential to express unlimited amounts of love, wisdom, joy, compassion, peace, strength and courage. But we’re not given the ability to perfectly express these qualities. We’re not given the ability to perfectly express any talent or skill. We have to work at it just like anything else. We have to earn what we have.

Even though you are correct in your endorsement of meritrocracy, you’re attitude about is seems too militaristic or fundamentalist. Although you don’t want to let the diversity crowd “walk all over” the “silenced majority”, put it in a higher perspective and, while you continue to make your points, trust that what will work out is correct and that God’s divine plan will ultimately prevail, as it always does. With this loftier perspective you can allow the diversity crowd, including your daughter (of whom you say, “And my only child, who is an ardent employee of the Diversity Industry, refuses to talk to me, in large measure because of my views on reverse discrimination”), to have their opinions. Look at it as an opportunity to develop and express tolerance, goodwill, and peace. You can have mature discussions about it but don’t let it degrade into pettiness and positioning. Let them be “right”.

Next time – are relationships and/or religious faith the answer to the meaning of life?

Marty Nemko, a career coach, author and radio talk-show host in the San Francisco area, who has very practical career and educational advice that I highly recommend, wrote a very personal article titled “What the Hell is the Meaning of Life”. This article is the fourth (here is the first) of a seven part series in response to Marty’s question. In this article I’ll address the issue of prestige from a spiritual perspective.

Marty wrote,

“Next, I tried prestige: got a PhD from Berkeley, became a professor. But in my social science field, I often felt like an emperor with no clothes. So much social “Science” is poorly substantiated, politically motivated theory. My students ate it up but I felt I was often feeding them ersatz food.”

This idea of trying to find meaning from prestige is similar to the issue of noble work mentioned earlier. Again it implies that it’s not work that you truly want to do but rather you’re only doing it because you expect society to stroke your ego when you tell them about the initials after your name and what you do. This is not a proper perspective. Your personality is the only part of you that’s concerned with prestige. It’s hoping that with prestige comes safety and security. This seems logical from the personality’s perspective but there is no true security from this…it’s empty and vapid. True prestige is a result of understanding and expressing the divinity within you. It is a spiritual prestige that comes from being a shining example of true love, wisdom, beauty, peace and compassion (see “The Meaning of Life: Rise and Shine”). Spiritual prestige follows from your service and contribution to humanity. However, this prestige is not recognized publicly nor is it desired to be recognized that way. It’s an inner knowing and acknowledgment that results in “J-O-Y” after your name rather than any other initials. And from what I can tell you are providing good advice and seem to truly want to help people and this is worthy of divine prestige.

Next time – is meritocracy the answer to the meaning of life?

I was going to call this “How to Live Forever” but I chose “How to Avoid Death” because the idea for this article came when I heard Rush Limbaugh talking about an article titled “Test Helps You Predict Chances of Dying”. As reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, this test asks, “What are your chances of dying within four years?” It is based on data involving 11,701 Americans over 50 who took part in a national health survey in 1998. Researchers used 12 risk factors to predict when the participants will die. It turned out to be roughly 81 percent accurate and can give older people a reasonable idea of their survival chances. However, as the article indicates, “it (the test) isn’t foolproof”! By this they mean that this test isn’t perfectly accurate, particularly for younger people, and it doesn’t include family history. But this quote can comically imply that the test doesn’t help you avoid death. We’re all going to die. Or are we? I suggest that you can avoid death.

How can you avoid death? By having a particular realization. What’s a realization? It’s when you learn what’s, well, real! It is more than being aware of or accepting an idea. You’ve heard people say, “I don’t think, I know.” A realization is a knowing, a certainty. You absolutely know it to be true. For example, do you think you love your children or do you know it? Do you feel that being honest is the right way to behave or do you know it? Do you guess that it’s good to be kind to others or do you know it to be true?

So what’s the realization you need to have to avoid death? As I discussed in my articles “The Meaning of Life: Rise and Shine” and “What’s the Meaning of Life, A Response, Part 1”, it’s that you have a part of you that is eternal, divine and immortal. This part of you was created in God’s image; in other words it is the God immanent, as opposed to the God transcendent. We refer to this divinity by many names including the higher self, real self, true self, soul, Christ consciousness, Buddha consciousness and spirit. This self is distinct from your “human” self, which is the combination of your physical, emotional and mental bodies. The aggregate of these bodies is who we think we are. However these bodies are temporary and finite. Because we primarily identify with this lower self we suffer, are confused, undisciplined, depressed, and incompetent and fear death.

But to complete the realization, and truly avoid death, we need to understand that we don’t have a soul, we are the soul, who uses the lower bodies to express its divinity in this world. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955), a Jesuit priest said, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” Of course your lower self will die, but this divinity within you, your real self, lives on.

One way to truly “get” this realization is to contemplate the following exercise as adapted from “Active Meditation” by Robert Leichtman and Carl Japikse, the best book about meditation on the market. They refer to it as the detachment drill and it’s a way of detaching from your attachment to your lower self (the personality) and realigning yourself with the more subtle realms of life and your higher self (the soul). It is used primarily as a prelude to meditation. Find a quite spot and take a few moments to review the following in your mind as you sit in a relaxed position.

Detachment Drill

I have a physical body, but am something greater than the physical body. The body is important to me – it allows me to act in the physical world and be productive. The body can be tired or rested, sick or healthy, but I am able to observe these changes in the physical body – and even direct them. My higher self, the real me, is greater than the conditions of the physical body. It is the source of vitality within me.

I have emotions, but am something greater than my feelings and emotions. The emotions are important to me – they help me express goodwill and interact with others. They can be sad or happy, selfish or cooperative, but I am able to observe these changes in my emotions– and discipline them. My higher self, the real me, is greater than the state of my emotions. It is the source of love and benevolence within me.

I have a mind, but am something greater than my thoughts and memories. The mind is important to me – it enables me to make sense of life and express my talent and wisdom. The thoughts are sometimes destructive, sometimes constructive, but I am able to observe the changes in my thoughts– and guide them. My higher self, the real me, is greater than my thoughts. It is the source of wisdom and intelligence within me.

I have a personal will, but am something greater than this will. The will is important to me – it gives me motivation and intention. My intentions are sometimes defensive, sometimes purposeful, but I am able to observe the changes in my will – and use the will wisely. My higher self, the real me, is stronger than my personal will. It is the source of divine intention within me, and thus the true source of my personal authority.

My life also brings me many experiences, which allow me to learn and grow and serve. Sometimes I overreact to my experiences, and let them control me; at other times, I control them. But I am able to observe these experiences, see their value, and use them profitably. My higher self, the real me, is greater than my experiences.

Who am I? I am not my body, nor my emotions, my mind, my personal will or my experiences, although I do have these things and they are valuable. I am the higher self, a center of pure love, wisdom and power.

This is my true identity.

As you contemplate this over time you will realize that you are this divine self, who uses the physical, emotional and mental vehicles for a relatively short period, they eventually die out, but the real you lives on. In this sense you’ve learned to “avoid death”.

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

Marty Nemko, a career coach, author and radio talk-show host in the San Francisco area, who has very practical career and educational advice that I highly recommend, wrote a very personal article titled “What the Hell is the Meaning of Life”. This article is the third (here is the first) of a seven part series in response to Marty’s question. In this article I’ll address the issue of work, and noble work, from a spiritual perspective.

Marty wrote,

“Then I tried noble work—teaching in the inner-city. But the problems those kids faced were so big, so multi-dimensional, that despite my trying hard, very hard, I felt I wasn’t making much difference.”Later he wrote “I’ve been trying the values route: focusing on what did I most value: work. To that end, I decided to be a career counselor. I believed that helping people find right livelihood would make my life feel meaningful. But now, 18 years and 2,400 clients later, despite a 96 percent client satisfaction rate and the San Francisco Bay Guardian naming me “The Bay Area’s Best Career Coach,” that feels empty too.”

You separately mention noble work and work. Your discussion of “noble” work implies that it’s not work that you truly want to do but rather that your doing because you’re “suppose to” according to society or your family. Obviously this is not the right attitude toward proper work. However your discussion of “regular” work and your accomplishments are from a higher perspective! Work is one of the main places where we’re meant to express goodwill, competence, wisdom and peace. We’re meant to serve humanity and contribute to it’s growth and one of the main ways to do that is through work. You are doing that! You provide great practical advice and guidance for people particularly in the areas of career and education. Your are “shining” as I discuss in my article “The Meaning of Life: Rise and Shine!”

I have to mention your comment about how your services may negatively influence another and, by extension, society since it’s a perfect example of how you’re looking a life from a limited perspective. You wrote,

“Even when a client lands a good job, I too often wonder if my efforts to package my client yielded a net negative to society: some more deserving person, who couldn’t afford a career coach, didn’t get the job.”

From this perspective you “see” how your services may negatively influence another and, by extension, society instead of “seeing” that from a broader perspective that these other people are guided and influenced by their benevolent Higher Self and that what is meant for them will be…maybe the job they would have gotten but for your client with your influence would have been a terrible disaster for them, maybe they’ll find their own “Marty Nemko”…maybe they’ll totally change careers and do something they’ve always really wanted to do…who knows….the point is that they’ll be “OK” in the end.

Next time – is prestige the answer to the meaning of life?

Marty Nemko, a career coach, author and radio talk-show host in the San Francisco area, who has very practical career and educational advice that I highly recommend, wrote a very personal article titled “What the Hell is the Meaning of Life”. This article is the second (here is the first) of a seven part series in response to Marty’s question. In this article I’ll address the issue of money from a spiritual perspective.

Marty wrote,

“When I was a teenager, I thought money was the answer. So, I took after-school jobs, and tried to buy my way into contentment: clothes, nice car. That didn’t do it.”

You can’t buy your way to an understanding of life. From a lower perspective, i.e. the personality’s, the pursuit of money is an attempt to achieve comfort and security. We want to avoid pain and gain pleasure and acquiring money seems like the way to do this. However from a higher perspective, i.e. the soul’s, these attempts are futile because it’s only the personality that is only temporarily satisfied with a surplus of money. True satisfaction, comfort and security comes from knowing that your true self is eternal and immortal and that we’re all a part of the benevolent, divine plan that created and sustains us.

True wealth comes from a recognition of the abundance of divine life. There is no end to the wisdom, joy, love, peace, courage, grace and beauty that are available to you. You say that you can’t use these qualities to put food on the table? You can when you learn to infuse your life with this divinity. For example if you apply wisdom and love to your work, rather than look at it as drudgery, you’ll intuit it’s purpose and importance, think about how to best perform it, generate enthusiasm to perform it and act to the best of your abilities. When you do this you’ll stand out from the crowd and there will always be demand for your services to humanity.

Next time – is work or, in particular, noble work the answer to the meaning of life?

To help with your spiritual growth and as a follow-up to my articles, “The Meaning of Life: Rise and Shine” and “What’s the Meaning of Life?, A Response, Part 1”, the following are four summaries of spiritual understanding that I’ve come across over my years of study. They were written in 1931, 1944, 2004 and 1981, respectively. The first is an excerpt from Edward Bach’s Heal Thyself, the second is part of Aldous Huxley’s introduction to the Bhagavad Gita, the third is a part of Ken Wilbur’s article at Beliefnet.com. and the fourth is from Leichtman and Japikse’s “Active Meditation”. As you read these notice the similarities between them and the overall spiritual themes being taught.

Edward Bach wrote in Chapter 2 of Heal Thyself the following “fundamental truths”:

“The first of these is that man has a Soul which is his real self; a Divine, Mighty Being, a Son of the Creator of all things, of which the body, although the earthly temple of that Soul, is but the minutest reflection: that our Soul, our Divinity Who resides in and around us, lays down for us our lives as He wishes them to be ordered and so far as we will allow, ever guides, protects and encourages us, watchful and beneficent to lead us always for our utmost advantage: that He, our Higher Self, being a spark of the Almighty, is thereby invincible and immortal.

The second principle is that we, as we know ourselves in this world, are personalities down here for the purpose of gaining all the knowledge and experience which can be obtained through earthly existence, of developing virtues which we lack and of wiping out all that is wrong within us, thus advancing towards the perfection of our natures. The Soul knows what environment and what circumstances will best enable us to do this, and hence He places us in that branch of life most suited for that object.

Thirdly, we must realize that the short passage on this earth, which we know as life, is but a moment in the course of our evolution, as one day at school is to a life, and although we can for the present only see and comprehend that one day, our intuition tells us that birth was infinitely far from our beginning and death infinitely far from our ending. Our Souls, which are really we, are immortal, and the bodies, of which we are conscious are temporary, merely as horses we ride to go a journey, or instruments we use to do a piece of work.

Then follows a fourth great principle, that so long as our Souls and personalities are in harmony all is joy and peace, happiness and health. It is when our personalities are led astray from the path laid down by the Soul, either by our own worldly desires or by the persuasion of others, that a conflict arises. This conflict is the root cause of disease and unhappiness. No matter what our work in the world-bootblack or monarch, landlord or peasant, rich or poor-so long as we do that particular work according to the dictates of the Soul, all is well; and we can further rest assured that in whatever station of life we are placed, princely or lowly, it contains the lessons and experiences necessary at the moment for our evolution, and gives us the best advantage for the development of ourselves.

The next great principle is the understanding of the Unity of all things: that the Creator of all things is Love, and that everything of which we are conscious is in all its infinite number of forms a manifestation of that Love, whether it be a planet or a pebble, a star or a dewdrop, man or the lowliest form of life. It may be possible to get a glimpse of this conception by thinking of our Creator as a great blazing sun of beneficence and love and from the center an infinite number of beams radiate in every direction, and that we and all of which we are conscious are particles at the end of those beams, sent out to gain experience and knowledge, but ultimately to return to the great center. And though to us each ray may appear separate and distinct, it is in reality part of the great central Sun. Separation is impossible, for as soon as a beam of light is cut off from its source it ceases to exist. Thus we may comprehend a little of the impossibility of separateness, as although each ray may have its individuality, it is nevertheless part of the great central creative power. Thus any action against ourselves or against another affects the whole, because by causing imperfection in a part it reflects on the whole, every particle of which must ultimately become perfect.”

In the introduction to the Bhagavad-Gita translation by Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood, Aldous Huxley wrote the summary of his Perennial Philosophy:

“First: the phenomenal world of matter and of individualized consciousness–the world of things and animals and men and even gods–is the manifestation of a Divine Ground within which all partial realities have their being, and apart from which they would be non-existent.

Second: human beings are capable not merely of knowing about the Divine Ground by inference; they can also realize its existence by a direct intuition, superior to discursive reasoning. This immediate knowledge unites the knower with that which is known.

Third: man possesses a double nature, a phenomenal ego and an eternal Self, which is the inner man, the spirit, the spark of divinity within the soul. It is possible for a man, if he so desires, to identify himself with the spirit and therefore with the Divine Ground, which is of the same or like nature with the spirit.

Fourth: man’s life on earth has only one end and purpose: to identify himself with his eternal Self and so to come to unitive knowledge of the Divine Ground.”

In a Beliefnet.com article titled An Integral Spirituality, Ken Wilbur wrote that most of the great wisdom traditions agree that:

“1. Spirit, by whatever name, exists.

2. Spirit, although existing “out there,” is found “in here,” or revealed within to the open heart and mind.

3. Most of us don’t realize this Spirit within, however, because we are living in a world of sin, separation, or duality—that is, we are living in a fallen, illusory, or fragmented state.

4. There is a way out of this fallen state (of sin or illusion or disharmony), there is a Path to our liberation.

5. If we follow this Path to its conclusion, the result is a Rebirth or Enlightenment, a direct experience of Spirit within and without, a Supreme Liberation, which

6. Marks the end of sin and suffering, and

7. Manifests in social action of mercy and compassion on behalf of all sentient beings.”

The following is from “Active Meditation” by Robert Leichtman and Carl Japikse. It is from the last chapter titled The Western Tradition and the authors describe the following as what should be the goals of those of us on the spiritual path in the West.

1. To make the God within our primary source of enlightenment, growth and creativity.
2. To link the personality with the higher self, thereby producing a spiritualized individuality capable of responding to the forces and qualities of spirit.
3. To ground the life of spirit through the enlightened activities of the personality on the physical plane.
4. To learn and use the skills of devotion, understanding, and obedience to link the personality with all three of the major aspects of divine life – love, wisdom and will.
5. To purify and illumine all aspects of the personality so they become agents of spiritual force.
6. To cultivate the spiritual intuition, by linking an illumined mind with the wisdom of the soul.
7. To nurture a constant awareness of the underlying goodwill and unity in the divine presence.
8. To recognize that it is our duty and privilege to serve the purpose of the soul.
9. To become consciously aware of the reality of the Hierarchy and its plan for the evolution of humanity and civilization – and to assist in implementing it.
10. To become consciously aware of the spiritual groups the higher self is part of – and to learn how we can contribute to the work of these groups.

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.

Marty Nemko, a career coach, author, blogger and radio talk-show host in the San Francisco area, who has very practical career and educational advice that I highly recommend, wrote a very personal article titled “What the Hell is the Meaning of Life”. This article is the first of a seven part series in response to Marty’s question. It’s an introductory article that gives an overview of the “big-picture” spiritual perspective that’s needed before addressing the specific points Marty raises.

The question “what’s the meaning of life” has to be approached from a broad perspective or a higher point of view. The confusion that everybody has with this question stems from trying to “figure it out” from a narrow, limited perspective. A higher perspective is reached by contemplating, in a detached and impersonal way, why we’re here and who we are. I address this in more detail in my article “The Meaning of Life: Rise and Shine” but the following is a brief summary.

First, let’s discuss who you are. This may seem like a ridiculous question. Of course you know who you are. You are your name, age, sex, family, nationality, religion and occupation. This is who you are, right? Well, yes but I’m referring to a deeper understand of self. You are a human being with a physical body that you use to act and get around. But you’re more than just a body. You also have feelings, i.e. an emotional body, which expresses your mood and attitudes. You also have a mind, i.e. a mental body, which you use to think and figure things out. Each of these “bodies” has conscious and subconscious components. The conscious part is what you are aware of at any given moment while the subconscious part is what goes on automatically such as bodily functions and emotional and mental functions like habits and memories. Collectively the physical, emotional and mental bodies are known as your lower self, ego, human self or personality (I refer to it as the personality).

But you are not just this personality. You have a “higher” body that we call the higher self, true self, divine self, real self or soul. It is your inner essence. Your soul is that part of you that was made in God’s image. It’s an aspect of God, often referred to as a child of God or a spark of God. What a wave is to the ocean or a ray of sunlight is to the sun, so the soul is to God. The soul is refined and abstract while the personality is dense, materialistic and concrete.

Why aren’t you more familiar with it? Because it is more subtle and abstract than the personality. For most people the soul operates behind the scenes however it’s there and active whether you’re aware of it or not. Just as you use the physical, emotional and mental bodies to act, emote and think, respectively, you use the soul to intuit. Intuiting is when you think abstractly about what you should do, why you should do it and what it means. It’s what you use to consider the vision, purpose and meaning of your work, marriage, friendships and life. Alas, most of us aren’t familiar this and we drift through life in a sea of confusion.

However this confusion starts to lift when you intuit that you don’t have a soul but that you are the soul. Your real self is as this soul who uses the physical, emotional and mental bodies to operate in this world. Your true self is as this eternal, immortal soul that is here to fulfill God’s plan.

What is this plan? Why are we here? We’re here to express the divine ideals of love, joy, beauty, peace, compassion, courage, wisdom and goodwill in the world. We commonly refer to this as developing and expressing our character. By expressing these qualities we are redeeming and refining the physical, emotional and mental worlds and bringing heaven to earth. Figuratively we are bringing “light” to the world.

With this meaning-of-life background we can now address each of Marty’s specific points about life from a higher, spiritual perspective.

Next time – is money the answer to the meaning of life?

“It’s time to rise and shine” says my wife to my daughters some mornings if they’re being slow and groggy. If she means anything by it she means for them to get up and get going and be good and to do their best throughout the day. But it’s mainly just a meaningless expression, a cliché. A cliché is defined as an “overused expression; a phrase or word that has lost its original effectiveness or power from overuse”. But what’s implied is that the phrase once had an original effectiveness or power. Could there be an inherent meaning and power in this phrase? I think so, in fact I think “rise and shine” is a metaphor for the meaning of life.

The question “what’s the meaning of life?” has a lot of implications and facets but for this article I’ll focus on two related questions; “who am I?” and “why am I here?”. Let’s address each question with the two parts of our “rise and shine” metaphor.

Who are You?

To answer the question “who am I?”, let’s start with what we know. You have a physical body, you have emotions (an emotional body) and you have a mind (a mental body), collectively called your human self, lower self or personality. You act with your physical body, you emote with your emotional body and you think with your mental body. They are analogous to the states of matter in chemistry; the physical body is solid, the emotional body is liquid and the mental body is gas. Think of these bodies going from the bottom (physical) to the top (mind) “rising” in their level of refinement.

But the key insight in addressing the question “who am I?” is that you are more than just these bodies. You also have a spiritual body known as the higher self or soul. The soul is the immaterial inner essence that animates and sustains us. It’s often referred to as “the spark of God”. Just as the activities of the lower three bodies are to act, emote and think, respectively, the activity of the soul is to “intuit” (i.e. intuition). The soul’s scientific analogy is energy (as in Einstein’s E=Mc2 equation). The soul is more refined than the personality but that’s not quite accurate because they’re totally different. The soul is abstract while the personality is concrete. The soul is immortal and infinite while the personality is mortal and finite. In my science analogy the soul is with physic’s energy (abstract) while the personality is with chemistry’s states of matter (concrete).

To rise means to realize this but to truly rise and understand you need to know that you don’t have a soul but that you are a soul who created and uses your physical, emotional and mental body to achieve its purpose. As Pierre Teilhard de Chardin (1881–1955), a Jesuit priest said, “We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.” As the soul you are eternal, that is, you’ve been since the beginning of time and you will always be. You are immortal, that is, you were never “born” and you will never “die”. You are a child of God as Jesus said, “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son (that’s you, your spiritual self, whether you’re a man or woman), so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) God created the soul and the soul created the personality. This process is described in the story of Adam and Eve. God created Adam (the soul) and Adam, since it was his rib, figuratively created Eve (the personality). And thereafter spirit and personality became one. This is what it means to figuratively “rise from the dead” or to be reborn (i.e. “born again”). Again as Jesus taught, “I am telling you the truth, that no one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born or water and the Spirit. A person is born physically of human parents, but he is born spiritually of the Spirit” (John 3:5-6)

Why are You Here?

So “why are we here?”…we’re here to shine! What does it mean to “shine” in a deeper sense? As discussed you are a soul who has a physical, emotional and mental body to use in this world. The soul wants a personality that is productive, disciplined, esteemed, in-control, together, mature, organized. Why? So that it can effectively use it. What does the soul want to use the personality for? To express itself. What does the soul want to express? Love, joy, beauty, goodwill, compassion, wisdom, peace, patience, harmony, courage. Why does the soul want to express these qualities? Because these qualities are divine, that is they are aspects of God, and the expression of them is what redeems and refines the world. Through their expression we enlighten the world and fulfill the purpose of humanity and God’s plan.

Does this seem too easy, too simplistic? It’s not because the personality has a life of its own and clings to it’s old habits, attitudes and thoughts. It also feels the downward pull of the negativity of the collective of humanity (i.e. mass consciousness). To truly shine you have to understand what it means and how it works. For example we’re not just not being dour but rather we want to actually be cheerful and joyful. We’re not just biting our tongue and suppressing anger but actually being tolerate and peaceful. In a seeming paradox, to complete the process of rising you have to descend. This means that you have to bring the divinity that you register abstractly at the soul, down into the mind, emotions and body to complete the cycle. For example if you often get angry with your child you should intuit that you need tolerance. Then you use your mind to think about how to apply it, use your emotions for the proper attitude and your body to actually act appropriately.

So, rise and shine! Know who you are and why you’re here. Think of “rise and shine” as a seed thought for the meaning of life. You’re more that what you think you are. You’re here to do more than what you think your suppose too. As Isaiah said, “Arise, Jerusalem (read children of God, you and me), and shine like the sun; the glory of the Lord is shining on you!” (Isaiah 60;1) And, as Jesus said, “You are like light for the whole world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a bowl; instead he puts it on a lampstand, where it gives light for everyone in the house. In the same way your light must shine before people, so that they will see the good things you do and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

Cheers,
Brendan

P.S. Get an immediate download of your FREE copy of Enlightenment and the Meaning of Life by clicking here.