Dear friends...

Just what is the "purpose of life"?

There are many different opinions on the subject. The following are
some that I can think of now...(no particular order as such)

- life sucks! its a cruel joke

- life is strife

- life has no purpose! its a random event

- the purpose of life is to keep busy ("don't just sit there, do
something!")

- the purpose of life is to be and see ("don't just do something,
sit there!")

- the purpose of life is simply to live

- the purpose of life is to get by

- the purpose of life is to struggle to survive

- the purpose of life is to stop asking boring questions and have a
good time

- the purpose of life is to keep up with the latest
(news/fashions/technology...)

- the purpose of life is to eat, sleep and be merry

- the purpose of life is to make lots of money

- the purpose of life is to be accepted and appreciated by others

- the purpose of life is to be famous

- the purpose of life is to be humble

- the purpose of life is to see the world

- the purpose of life is to seek within

- the purpose of life is to stop seeking

- the purpose of life is to stop becoming and start being

- the purpose of life is to have lots of fun and pleasure (while one
can)

- the purpose of life is to be powerful and able control to
people/things

- the purpose of life is to go with the flow

- the purpose of life is manifesting abundance and fulfilling all
ones desires

- the purpose of life is to have as many experiences as possible

- the purpose of life is to live sustainably and in harmony with the
earth for the benefit of all future generations

- the purpose of life is to preserve the family/cultural lineage and
tradition

- the purpose of life is to serve the nation

- the purpose of life is to always keep learning

- the purpose of life is personal growth

- the purpose of life is to be efficient/ competent at what you do

- the purpose of life is to understand life

- the purpose of life is to gain knowledge

- the purpose of life is to live and let live

- the purpose of life is to just be oneself

- the purpose of life is to purify oneself

- the purpose of life is to burn off karma

- the purpose of life is to find the purpose of life

- the purpose of life is to live a life of purpose

- the purpose of life is to leave a legacy

- the purpose of life is to eat when eating, sleep when sleeping

- the purpose of life is to learn to live fully - in the now

- the purpose of life is to learn to be truly happy and make others
happy

- the purpose of life is to care

- the purpose of life is to share

- the purpose of life is to dare

- the purpose of life is to learn to inwardly smile...come what may

- the purpose of life is to serve wholeheartedly, without attachment
to results

- the purpose of life is to understand life

- the purpose of life is to discover "Who am I?"

- the purpose of life is to learn the laws of life/nature/the
universe

- the purpose of life is to understand how everything is
interconnected

- your life purpose is where your values, talents and passions meet

- the purpose of life is to learn love and forgiveness

- the purpose of life is to accept, forgive and learn (AFL code!)

- the purpose of life is to do the work that one is passionate about
(or atleast interested in!) and always...to have a heart of love

- the purpose of life is to fully exercise and develop all ones
faculties/capacities for the highest benefit of all beings

- the purpose of life is to love what is!

- the purpose of life is to surrender to the Divine and be an able
instrument

- the purpose of life is to grow in wisdom and compassion

- the purpose of life is to learn to let-go of attachment

- the purpose of life is to be enlightened

- the purpose of life is to heal oneself and heal the world

- the purpose of life is to see things as they truly are

- the purpose of life is to seek ultimate truth

- the purpose of life is to distinguish truth from falsehood;
reality from illusion

- the purpose of life is to go beyond the ego

- the purpose of life is to go from sel-fish to self-less to no-self

- the purpose of life is to put an end to discontentment

- the purpose of life is to learn to count ones blessings and abide
in gratitude

- the purpose of life is extinguish the fires of greed, hatred and
ignorance in ones heart

- the purpose of being born is to learn hoe to stop being reborn! (-
Ajahn Chah)

- the purpose of life is to escape from the cycle of rebirths/samsara

- the purpose of life is to stay in samsara to develop ones
spiritual perfections and serve living beings (bodhisattva)

- the purpose of life is to consciously evolve from human to Divine

- the purpose of life is to learn to live happily and dying
peacefully

- the purpose of life is to realize that you were never born and
will never die (...'cos all that is subject to birth and death is
not really you or yours anyway)

- the purpose of life is a mystery!


Whew! Thats quite a list. And I bet there are an infinite other
possible life purposes. The point is to find one that is meaningful
and inspiring to oneself.

I spent some time recently doing an interesting exercise called "How
to discover your life purpose in about 20 minutes"
(www.stevepavlina.com). Its essentially just this much:

1) Take out a blank sheet of paper (or type on your computer)
2) Write at the top, "What is my true purpose in life?"
3) Write any answer that comes to your mind. It doesn't have to be a
complete sentence. A short phrase is fine.
4) Repeat step 3 until you write the answer that makes you cry.
This is your purpose!

(note: don't give up even if this process takes more than 20 min.)


So I tried this and I came up with the phrase, "Being like a sun,
serving is such fun, spreading delight, then merging into light".
(Well, I confess I didn't really cry once I wrote that, but I did
feel really tingly all over!)

Then I decided to elaborate on that succinct phrase and came with a
poem which I'm pleased to share with everyone (maybe my secret
purpose of life is to be a great poet! )... I hope it inspires you
to clarify your own life purpose and vision so that your
mission/goals/priorities are aligned with your highest/truest
calling.

"Being a Sun, Loving Everyone"

The purpose of this life
Is to fill the world with light
Being like a sun
Loving everyone

When wisdom dawns from silence
All actions glow with love
Then shadow "I" well seen
The universe is clean

All of us are one
And serving is such fun
Dark oceans of despair
The light of love ray-pairs

The greatest work of art
Is life lived from the heart
And the wisest brightest way
Is to bathe in light all day

Till oceans are ray-filled
Till shadows lurk nowhere
Till every single heart
Is a sparkling jewel of art

Live life spreading delight
Then merge back into light
Being a sun
Loving everyone!



May you all be happy and well! May your life glow with meaning,
purpose and your unique genius...for the benefit of all beings!!

Peace

Nyanasanti

PS: when you get a chance, please check out the site www.wanttoknow.info ... not
only does it have some advise on finding one's life's purpose, it has some
pretty startling information that has been hidden from general public and that
everyone ought to know

...be positive, be happy