Guest guest Posted June 26, 2004 Report Share Posted June 26, 2004 Namaste, I wanna know purpose,aim,objective of our life. I believe everything in this world do have some purpose...Whats the purpose of our life??? or dont we have any purpose?? now..and i dont think purpose of our life is to help others...and if it is..then whats the purpose of human race?? and whats the purpose of living beings? Please enlighten me....and through some light on this topic.. thanx, regards, amit Mail is new and improved - Check it out! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 26, 2004 Report Share Posted June 26, 2004 Namaste A local church in my area (Northen california) has been sending cards "Got Purpose?" just like the TV Ad "Got Milk?" and the card invites me to a Sunday morning sermon on "Finding Purpose". Maybe you should go to one of those services to discover your purpose! But seriously what do YOU think is the purpose? Are you not happy with your current situation? Maybe the inquiry needs to start from there. regards Sundar Rajan "Say it with pride : we are Hindus" Swami Vivekananda advaitin, abbhay lona <iamabbhay> wrote: > Namaste, > > I wanna know purpose,aim,objective of our life. > I believe everything in this world do have some > purpose...Whats the purpose of our life??? or dont we > have any purpose?? now..and i dont think purpose of > our life is to help others...and if it is..then whats > the purpose of human race?? and whats the purpose of > living beings? > > Please enlighten me....and through some light on this > topic.. > > thanx, > regards, > amit > > > > > > Mail is new and improved - Check it out! > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 26, 2004 Report Share Posted June 26, 2004 advaitin, abbhay lona <iamabbhay> wrote: > I believe everything in this world do have some > purpose. why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 --- David King <public17 wrote: > > I believe everything in this world do have some > > purpose. > > why? This used to be known as the devil's question. It is rooted in duality and imposes itself on a more interesting question 'How?' which will give the intellect some space away from the ahamkara. The next step is then: 'By whose(what) impulse is it that the mind is impelled?' Kena Upanishad A simple word search of the word 'act' in the Bhagavad Gita would also give some clear teaching. Ken Knight ===== ‘From this Supreme Self are all these, indeed, breathed forth.’ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 Amit - welcome to discussions. Yours is a valid question and asking and seeking an answer to that very question formed a basis for higher philosophical inquiry. Now it seems you have already thought about it to a large extent. Before we can have a meaningfull discussion or gather opinions os others, can you tell us what you think is and is not the purpose of life and why? Vedanta addresses only a student of your type, who, having examined his life so far (pariiksha) and concluded that all his pursuits have been in vain since he has not accomplished what he wanted to accomplish - No pursuit can give that what he is seeking far - and to that student only Vedanta advises to approach a teacher - pariiksha lokan karma chitan brahmano ......tad vij~naartham sa gurum evan abhigacchet .. . Clearly the advise is only to a student who has inquired and resolved that none of the pursuits can give what he has been looking for. So you have a company and you are on the right tract. But you need to open up yourself to the inquiry and for that tell us what is in your opinion or belief is the real pursuit and what is not and why? Then there is a basis for discussion. Otherwise you will be hearing others beliefs which may be of no use to you. Hari OM! Sadananda --- abbhay lona <iamabbhay wrote: > Namaste, > > I wanna know purpose,aim,objective of our life. > I believe everything in this world do have some > purpose...Whats the purpose of our life??? or dont we > have any purpose?? now..and i dont think purpose of > our life is to help others...and if it is..then whats > the purpose of human race?? and whats the purpose of > living beings? > > Please enlighten me....and through some light on this > topic.. > > thanx, > regards, > amit > > > > > > Mail is new and improved - Check it out! > > > ===== What you have is destiny and what you do with what you have is self-effort. Future destiny is post destiny modified by your present action. You are not only the prisoner of your past but master of your future. - Swami Chinmayananda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 sadaji, an 'admirable' response to a wonderful question. what is the purpose of Life? or better still , how to lead a life of purpose? "For thirty years I went in search of God, and when I opened my eyes at the end of this time, I discovered that it was really He who sought for me." This is a great topic and Amitji we thank you for starting this line of inquiry specially at this time when we are discussing the Vedas ! it is my pleasure o share the The prameya-shloka with all of you ! The shloka that lays out the nine prameya-s is shrIman-madhva-mate hariH parataraH satyaM jagat.h tattvato | bhedo jIvagaNAH hareranucharAH nIchochcha bhAvaN^gatAH | muktirnaijasukhAnubhUtiramalAbhaktishcha tatsAdhanam.h | hyaxAditritayaM pramANamakhilAmnAyaikavedyo hariH || in shriman Madhava's doctrine Hari (Vishnu) is Supreme The world is true (real) The differences are real The classes of souls are cohorts of Hari And reach different ultimate states mukti (liberation) is the experience of the joy of one's own nature That is achieved by flawless devotion and [correct understanding] pratyaksha (observation), etc., are indeed the sources of knowledge Hari alone is praised in all the Vedas.!!!!!!!!! Sarvam VISHNUMAYAM! (i apologize, advaitins! first comes bhakti then comes Mukthi!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 Dear Advaitins, Let me introduce myself. I am Radhika Vishwanathan, a strong believer of the Advaita philosophy & to the materialistic world, a Biotechnologist & a lecturer by profession. I have been a silent member of the advaitin group for the past one yr. Some of the topics that have been discussed have been really good. Also have been a regular reader of the Saundarya Lahiri interpretations. But the topic on “Purpose of Life” has triggered me to give in my opinion. The same question arose in me last yr when I was working as a summer trainee in one of the top research institutions in India. Is discovering a gene, cloning a gene in different organisms & studying their expression, as a true biotechnologist my purpose in life?? Was I born for this purpose? After contemplating on this, I realized that definitely this is not my purpose. We people in the scientific field take great pride in announcing to the world about our discoveries but seldom do we realize that this is not something new.. It has always been there & we have just made an attempt to get insight into it. Now , we have started accumulating data & when managing this data became a problem, then arose the field of Bioinformatics. So, then is being a Bioinformatician my purpose of life? Definitely not.. We have to realize that these are the tricks played by maya.. One thing every human being has to realize is the fact that the purpose of our life is definitely higher than becoming a doctor, engineer, a scientist etc. We shouldn’t get carried away by our success in materialistic pursuits because this adds up to the already accumulated “I”ness. Once this starts accumulating, then this acts as a major obstacle in understanding the true purpose of life, for which we have taken birth. Only once we have overcome the obstacles like the “E” factor, selfishness, lust…can then can we become true spiritual aspirants understanding the true purpose of life.. which as the Advaita says to realize the Parabrahman & head towards liberation & mukti from this materialistic world. This has been my understanding on the Purpose of Life….I request the elderly people of the Advaitin group to throw some light on this. With warm reagards, Radhika. kuntimaddi sadananda <kuntimaddisada wrote:Amit - welcome to discussions. Yours is a valid question and asking and seeking an answer to that very question formed a basis for higher philosophical inquiry. Now it seems you have already thought about it to a large extent. Before we can have a meaningfull discussion or gather opinions os others, can you tell us what you think is and is not the purpose of life and why? Vedanta addresses only a student of your type, who, having examined his life so far (pariiksha) and concluded that all his pursuits have been in vain since he has not accomplished what he wanted to accomplish - No pursuit can give that what he is seeking far - and to that student only Vedanta advises to approach a teacher - pariiksha lokan karma chitan brahmano ......tad vij~naartham sa gurum evan abhigacchet .. . Clearly the advise is only to a student who has inquired and resolved that none of the pursuits can give what he has been looking for. So you have a company and you are on the right tract. But you need to open up yourself to the inquiry and for that tell us what is in your opinion or belief is the real pursuit and what is not and why? Then there is a basis for discussion. Otherwise you will be hearing others beliefs which may be of no use to you. Hari OM! Sadananda --- abbhay lona <iamabbhay wrote: > Namaste, > > I wanna know purpose,aim,objective of our life. > I believe everything in this world do have some > purpose...Whats the purpose of our life??? or dont we > have any purpose?? now..and i dont think purpose of > our life is to help others...and if it is..then whats > the purpose of human race?? and whats the purpose of > living beings? > > Please enlighten me....and through some light on this > topic.. > > thanx, > regards, > amit > > > > > > Mail is new and improved - Check it out! > > > ===== What you have is destiny and what you do with what you have is self-effort. Future destiny is post destiny modified by your present action. You are not only the prisoner of your past but master of your future. - Swami Chinmayananda Discussion of Shankara's Advaita Vedanta Philosophy of nonseparablity of Atman and Brahman. Advaitin List Archives available at: http://www.eScribe.com/culture/advaitin/ To Post a message send an email to : advaitin Messages Archived at: advaitin/messages advaitin/ advaitin New and Improved Mail - Send 10MB messages! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 advaitin, ken knight <anirvacaniya> wrote: > > > I believe everything in this world do have some > > > purpose. > > > > why? > > This used to be known as the devil's question. Uh oh, I'm in trouble now. ;-) I meant only to explore Amit's (and my own) perspectives on this. > It is rooted in duality and imposes itself on a more > interesting question 'How?' which will give the > intellect some space away from the ahamkara. Ahamkara: Literally 'I-Maker', the 'ego' in Hinduism. Yes. 'What?' and 'Who?' are also useful. > The next > step is then: > 'By whose(what) impulse is it that the mind is > impelled?' Kena Upanishad > A simple word search of the word 'act' in the Bhagavad > Gita would also give some clear teaching. Thank you for your thoughtful insights, Ken. This is a wonderful group I have not visited for a while and wish I had more time to follow your leads. I was reading something on Dzogchen that said in advanced meditation one actually 'sees' the meaning, direction, and purpose in one's journey. It would be wonderful to experience this directly. Otherwise, we are left with different stories about creation and our reasoning (the 'devils' game) which can lead to an existential desert (although I think the Catholics have 'proved' the existence of God . best, dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 Dear Adi-ji Your words reminded me of a Qabalistic poem, which I hope will be OK to share in this group. 2. Men think they seek me, But it is I who seek them. No other seeker is there than myself, And when I find my own, The pain of questing is at an end. The fish graspeth the hook, Thinking to find food, But the fisherman is the enjoyer of the meal (Excerpt from "The Book of Tokens: The Meditation of Tzaddi") best wishes, Peter adi_shakthi16 [adi_shakthi16] 27 June 2004 14:45 advaitin Re: Purpose of Life???? sadaji, an 'admirable' response to a wonderful question. what is the purpose of Life? or better still , how to lead a life of purpose? "For thirty years I went in search of God, and when I opened my eyes at the end of this time, I discovered that it was really He who sought for me." <snip> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 --- adi_shakthi16 <adi_shakthi16 wrote: > (i apologize, advaitins! first comes bhakti then comes Mukthi!) No need for apologies - Shankara says in VivekachuuDamaNi mokshasaadhana saamaagryaam bhaktireva gariiyasi svasvaruupaanusandhaanaam bhaktirityabhijiiyate|| svaatmaanubhava sandhaanaam bhaktiritybhire jaguH|| Of the all the paths for moksha Bhakti is the highest. Contemplation on ones own self is the called Bhakti! Someothers say experience of ones own self is called Bhakti! Hari OM! Sadananda ===== What you have is destiny and what you do with what you have is self-effort. Future destiny is post destiny modified by your present action. You are not only the prisoner of your past but master of your future. - Swami Chinmayananda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 Namaste to all advaitins. On Purpose of life ... All living organisms are driven by the desire for 'Anandam' (joy). 'Joy' is derived in various ways and everything that a living organism does is towards catching more and more of it. Be it removal of hunger, removal of miseries, building wealth, enjoyment of beauty,art,music, sight of a beautiful rose flower etc...there is the desire for joy ....and all such joys are but minute reflections of the great 'Anandam'. Whether we like it or not, whether we know it or not - all of us, thus, are in pursuit of the great 'Anandam' that is 'God'(Chit-ananda-roopa) all the time. Thus, the purpose of life for not only human race but all living organisms is clear. 'What about non-living things?' is a separate topic. Hence, one does not need to undergo hardship to set up a purpose for life. One only has to understand the purpose that is already there. Hope this helps. Best Regards, Raghava ______________________ India Matrimony: Find your partner online. http://.shaadi.com/india-matrimony/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 advaitin, Raghavarao Kaluri <raghavakaluri> wrote: > Namaste to all advaitins. > On Purpose of life ... Namaste, There are a few different ways to tackle this: 1. To explain that the four purposes (Purusharthas) - dharma , artha, kama, moksha - formulated by the sages, are or are not an adequate scheme. 2. Develop a scheme that is superior to the above. 3. Explain the phenomenon of death. 4. The meaning of the idea of purpose (teleology). 5. Why human beings (at least a few) search for a purpose. Regards, Sunder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 advaitin, Raghavarao Kaluri <raghavakaluri> wrote: > Namaste to all advaitins. > On Purpose of life ... > > All living organisms are driven by the desire for > 'Anandam' (joy). > 'Joy' is derived in various ways and everything > that a living organism does is towards catching more > and more of it. > > Be it removal of hunger, > removal of miseries, building wealth, > enjoyment of beauty,art,music, > sight of a beautiful rose flower etc...there is the > desire for joy > ...and all such joys are but minute reflections > of the great 'Anandam'. > > Whether we like it or not, whether we know it or not - > all of us, thus, are in pursuit of the > great 'Anandam' that is 'God'(Chit-ananda-roopa) all > the time. > > Thus, the purpose of life for not only human race but > all living organisms is clear. Namaste Therefore the purpose of life is to go back to the Source of all Happiness. Scriptures say that this Source is the same Source from which everything emanated. So the purpose of life is 'To go back to the SOURCE'! In fact without our knowing it our life-principle (jIva or whatever you want to call it) is always struggling to go back to that source. And this gives us a natural definition of Dharma and Adharma. Dharma is whatever we do in concordance with the struggle of our jIva to go back to its Source. And Adharma is anything that we do or think that is discordant with that struggle to go back to the Source! PraNAms to all advaitins profvk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 > Let me introduce myself. I am Radhika Vishwanathan, a strong believer > of the Advaita philosophy & to the materialistic world, a > Biotechnologist & a lecturer by profession. I have been a silent > member of the advaitin group for the past one yr. Some of the topics > that have been discussed have been really good. Also have been a > regular reader of the Saundarya Lahiri interpretations. Thanks Radhika for sharing your thoughts. Yes ego-centric desire prompted pursuits can only leave with short end of the stick, same pursuits to discover the glory of the Lord can turn into beautiful game of hide and seek with the Lord. It is the change in the attitude and understanding that even the scientific discoveries of objective knowledge are his manifestations only. Meditation or contemplation on the truth becomes aatma rati while the unfoldment of Nature by scientific analysis becomes aatma kriiDa. When can we be away from HIM? Life is a dynamic play with the beloved. Nothing is wasted and nothing is in vain for those who knows how to play - Life is full of fun and drama. By the by I am a scientist too and needless to say I enjoy the scientific pursuits as much as I enjoy the Vedantic study. Hari OM! Sadananda ===== What you have is destiny and what you do with what you have is self-effort. Future destiny is post destiny modified by your present action. You are not only the prisoner of your past but master of your future. - Swami Chinmayananda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 An addendum from one more scientist - Scientists take pride for having mapped the DNA (GENOME Project) but could it actually be the other way around? That DNA may have been trying to find us? I think it is the pursuit to find the origin. That possibly gives us an opportunity to correct our own mistakes. May be that is why gangpotri, jamanotri pilgrimage has been practiced from ancient times. During this journey one experiences many "AHH Moments" constantly. Being above the ice caps makes us humble and brings clarity of mind. Regards, Dr. Yadu advaitin, kuntimaddi sadananda <kuntimaddisada> wrote: > > Let me introduce myself. I am Radhika Vishwanathan, a strong believer > > of the Advaita philosophy & to the materialistic world, a > > Biotechnologist & a lecturer by profession. I have been a silent > > member of the advaitin group for the past one yr. Some of the topics > > that have been discussed have been really good. Also have been a > > regular reader of the Saundarya Lahiri interpretations. > > Thanks Radhika for sharing your thoughts. Yes ego-centric desire > prompted pursuits can only leave with short end of the stick, same > pursuits to discover the glory of the Lord can turn into beautiful game > of hide and seek with the Lord. It is the change in the attitude and > understanding that even the scientific discoveries of objective > knowledge are his manifestations only. Meditation or contemplation on > the truth becomes aatma rati while the unfoldment of Nature by > scientific analysis becomes aatma kriiDa. When can we be away from HIM? > > Life is a dynamic play with the beloved. Nothing is wasted and nothing > is in vain for those who knows how to play - Life is full of fun and > drama. > > By the by I am a scientist too and needless to say I enjoy the > scientific pursuits as much as I enjoy the Vedantic study. > > > Hari OM! > Sadananda > > ===== > What you have is destiny and what you do with what you have is self- effort. Future destiny is post destiny modified by your present action. You are not only the prisoner of your past but master of your future. - Swami Chinmayananda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 Namaste, I asked the question...whats the purpose of life?? I also got some understanding of it...but still i m looking for a clear answer.I always believe in having clear answer of each question..so i m still in search of it.. I got many answers and some also wanted to know about what i think is the purpose of life....and why i think there should be purpose of life??... First of all i think we do have some purpose because our existence(yours,mine and all of us..) cant be without any purpose..we all aren't here "just like that"..I believe "God created us" and 'He' created us for some purpose...I m in serach of that only... Now i have been asked what does i believe is the purpose of life??? Simple answer is "i dont know". I m only 23 soon i will be 24 and i have been enjoying reading all the mails of this group..I m very good in my professinal life and enjoying working..but like Radhika i also feel only professinal life and doing new things in professinal life is not the objective and purpose of my life..We all are here for something special.. Now i got some very good answers..I would like to list them:- 1) raghava says 'Anandam' (joy) - It feels good to think that only joy is the purpose of life..but i think we are not here only for joy....now if we are here for joy then why is it so that our atma can have joy only by our life not by something else.....But i find joy is the best answer because even i believe in having joy..ultimate joy of my life is pooja,meditation and aradhana... 2)Sunder's mail was also very interesting. 2.1) dharma , artha, kama, moksha ...but i belive these are not the purpose but these are only means..for some purpose we have... 2.2) Why human beings (at least a few) search for a purpose - this i already explained.. 3) Sadanandaji says "Life is full of fun and drama" very true but we do some some very special purpose behinf everything we do... 4) Krishnamurthyji says 'To go back to the SOURCE' is the purpose of life ..I wanna know what exactly is this source.. 5) "Bhakti" is a great answer..but again it can not exactly be the purpose of living beings because bhakti i belive helps us to get to some purpose we have but i dont know whats that purpose... I hope i did a nice analysis of discussion going on about the QUESTION "purpose of life?" whose answer i m looking for..Looking for answers....I wish to come to some conclusion... Thanx, Regards, amit --- Raghavarao Kaluri <raghavakaluri wrote: > Namaste to all advaitins. > On Purpose of life ... > > All living organisms are driven by the desire for > 'Anandam' (joy). > 'Joy' is derived in various ways and everything > that a living organism does is towards catching more > and more of it. > > Be it removal of hunger, > removal of miseries, building wealth, > enjoyment of beauty,art,music, > sight of a beautiful rose flower etc...there is the > desire for joy > ...and all such joys are but minute reflections > of the great 'Anandam'. > > Whether we like it or not, whether we know it or not > - > all of us, thus, are in pursuit of the > great 'Anandam' that is 'God'(Chit-ananda-roopa) all > the time. > > Thus, the purpose of life for not only human race > but > all living organisms is clear. 'What about > non-living > things?' is a separate topic. > > Hence, one does not need to undergo hardship to set > up > a purpose for life. One only has to understand the > purpose that is already there. > > Hope this helps. > Best Regards, > Raghava > > > > > ______________________ > India Matrimony: Find your partner online. > http://.shaadi.com/india-matrimony/ > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 advaitin, abbhay lona <iamabbhay> wrote: > > 2)Sunder's mail was also very interesting. > 2.1) dharma , artha, kama, moksha ...but i belive > these are not the purpose but these are only > means..for some purpose we have... > 2.2) Why human beings (at least a few) search for a > purpose - this i already explained.. Namaste, Moksha is THE goal, not the means! Gita alone gives 20 different equivalent words for this. The question we all want answered is : "What is that knowing which everything is known/understood"? and this would include the 'purpose' also. All of Vedanta is directed at this alone, and it affirms that the answer lies in one's own self/Self. There is no spoken or written answer if that is what you are seeking. Regards, Sunder Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 Dear Amit, I am in just 40's and these days try to do lots of introspection. My views for your question is: The purpose of life as said is to attain joy and bliss every moment through true understanding of what TRUTH is. Without our knowledege we are all doing this but then we are going through the detours and never be able to reach the destination.. The beauty of TRUTH is that it is always one step ahead and thus this process of gaining true understanding is continuous and infinite. No one can say that he or she has attained final truth. Moment one thinks that they have attained TRUTH, their further development is stopped and they get stuck up and try to mislead people.. As on today, I feel that realisation of self and fully establish in the self should be our goal. Once you realise the self and become aware of you being youself divine, you will be always in a state of bliss, which is beyond description, beyond words, beyond explanation. To achieve this one cannot neglect his or her health; one cannot run away from the duties. While performing one's duties, one should try to gain true understanding by reducing our needs, reduce our circle of relationships and try to spend time in self introspection.. To me self realisation is nothing but shifting your identification from physical body, mind etc to the formless, attributeless, pure conscious self and this is what is Liberation.. I have tried to tell you what my thinking is as per today's understanding. as my understanding increases my views may change too. I said that Truth is always one step ahead and this process of reaching ultimate TRUTH is continuous and infinite.. Regards Mohit advaitin, abbhay lona <iamabbhay> wrote: > Namaste, > > I asked the question...whats the purpose of life?? > > I also got some understanding of it...but still i m > looking for a clear answer.I always believe in having > clear answer of each question..so i m still in search > of it.. > > I got many answers and some also wanted to know about > what i think is the purpose of life....and why i think > there should be purpose of life??... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 My brief thoughts on the subject (also incorporating part of a post to another group on a related topic): The concept of purpose implies so many things, all of which are mistakes, ignorance and illusion. It assumes there is a separate person, that there is cause and effect, that we can 'do' something and that we have the free will to choose to do so. It assumes that someone was born and will die. It requires that something changes from one state to another and thus that there is a thing called 'time' that can measure this change. There are none of these in reality, why make a big deal about it in the relative sense? We have recently had the discussion on 'pUrNamidaM' and recognised that everything is perfect and complete. In *reality* there is only the Self, God, Consciousness, whatever you want to call 'it' and 'that is it'. It is complete and perfect. There cannot be any change and therefore the idea of 'purpose' is meaningless. If there were change, and 'it' ended up as complete and perfect, then it must have been incomplete and imperfect to begin with. Change also implies time and time does not exist either. It is only a concept. Of course, at the relative level, it *appears* that there is change and (perhaps consequently) we conceive that there must be time to account for this. And this brings in the train of other misconceptions such as causality and free will. We do like to complicate things, don't we?! There is an absolutely brilliant note from Sri Atmananda on this (apologies for keep quoting from this but he is so good): 514. NOTHING CHANGES. (211) Change and changelessness both pertain to objects, and are perceived by me from beyond both. The one can never be perceived from the position of the other. The most common mistake committed by an ordinary man is that, on the disappearance of something, he immediately substitutes an imaginary appearance of something else called its opposite or its absence. Now let us examine what we mean by 'change'. An object is a mixture of the background and some qualities. The qualities come and go. When some qualities disappear, others appear, the background remaining the same. Then we say the object changes, and on the surface the statement appears to be true. Let us look deeper. The qualities merely change their place and are not destroyed. Because some passengers have alighted from and some others have boarded a train at a particular station, can you say the train has changed? No. And because some passengers have alighted from the train and boarded a ship, can you say that they have changed? No. Neither the train nor the passenger has changed. Similarly, in the object composed of the background and the qualities, the qualities change their place. That is the only activity that takes place. Neither the background nor the qualities undergo any change. Therefore, in fact, nothing changes. Best wishes, Dennis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 advaitin, "adi_shakthi16" <adi_shakthi16> wrote: > sadaji, > > an 'admirable' response to a wonderful question. > > what is the purpose of Life? > > or better still , how to lead a life of purpose? > > > "For thirty years I went in search of God, and when I opened my eyes > at the end of this time, I discovered that it was really He who > sought for me." > Namaste Adiji, Your post reminded me of the following lines from the Hound of Heaven by Francis Thompson. My father used to quote them. "Ah, fondest, blindest, weakest, I am He Whom thou seekest! Thou dravest love from thee, who dravest Me." Harih Om! Neelakantan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 advaitin, abbhay lona <iamabbhay> wrote: > Namaste, > > I asked the question...whats the purpose of life?? Hi I am new to this group and I may be stating the obvious or repeating what others have said so forgive me as I have not yet had time to back track, but Sri Ramana answers this question with the answer "Asking this question itself is life's purpose." If that's true then you have fullfilled life's purpose. > > I also got some understanding of it...but still i m > looking for a clear answer.I always believe in having > clear answer of each question..so i m still in search > of it.. The funny thing is that The Maharshi stated that the questioning is the purpose, not answering. It seems to me that the mind is always looking for answers to it's own questions or doubts, or doubtful and questionable nature. No objective answer will satisfy the intelect. The best it can achieve is a willingness to give up the search that it instituted by it's own lack of knowledge due to the resonable explanations by Sages and Scriptures. > > I got many answers and some also wanted to know about > what i think is the purpose of life....and why i think > there should be purpose of life??... > > First of all i think we do have some purpose because > our existence(yours,mine and all of us..) cant be > without any purpose..we all aren't here "just like > that"..I believe "God created us" and 'He' created us > for some purpose...I m in serach of that only... You admit that these are YOUR thoughts and beliefs, and are presumption that life has a purpose and a "God" created us for a reason is true? And that whether they are true or not have not been investigated? > > Now i have been asked what does i believe is the > purpose of life??? Simple answer is "i dont know". > I m only 23 soon i will be 24 and i have been enjoying > reading all the mails of this group..I m very good in > my professinal life and enjoying working..but like > Radhika i also feel only professinal life and doing > new things in professinal life is not the objective > and purpose of my life..We all are here for something > special.. Objective purpose is an interesting concept on an advaita page. Where does the dissatisfaction arise from, these identified feelings or something deeper? Something special, being here, individual accomplishments...what is the root of these beliefs, on what do they owe their being? A clear answer is impossible in the mind if you mean clear to be beyond doubt and without change. > <snip> cheers EJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 advaitin, "E. J. Shearn" <ejs22_2000> wrote: > > I asked the question...whats the purpose of life?? > > I am new to this group and I may be stating the obvious or repeating > what others have said so forgive me as I have not yet had time to > back track, but Sri Ramana answers this question with the > answer "Asking this question itself is life's purpose." If that's > true then you have fullfilled life's purpose. If Sri Ramana were correct, why doesn't everyone instantly relax as soon as they ask the question? > > I also got some understanding of it...but still i m > > looking for a clear answer.I always believe in having > > clear answer of each question..so i m still in search > > of it.. > > The funny thing is that The Maharshi stated that the questioning is > the purpose, not answering. If asking questions is life's purpose, why did Maharshi spend his days dwelling in thoughtless reverie? > It seems to me that the mind is always > looking for answers to it's own questions or doubts, or doubtful and > questionable nature. No objective answer will satisfy the intelect. This group must be a magnet for new-age idealists. Try eating an apple to satisfy your hunger. > The best it can achieve is a willingness to give up the search that > it instituted by it's own lack of knowledge due to the resonable > explanations by Sages and Scriptures. Reason is objective. What do you suppose those Sages were doing? > > I got many answers and some also wanted to know about > > what i think is the purpose of life....and why i think > > there should be purpose of life??... > > > > First of all i think we do have some purpose because > > our existence(yours,mine and all of us..) cant be > > without any purpose..we all aren't here "just like > > that"..I believe "God created us" and 'He' created us > > for some purpose...I m in serach of that only... > > > You admit that these are YOUR thoughts and beliefs, and are > presumption that life has a purpose and a "God" created us for a > reason is true? And that whether they are true or not have not been > investigated? Admission would require detachment from one's ideas. Presumption implies being embedded in one's ideas. Stop projecting your presumptions on Amit. > > Now i have been asked what does i believe is the > > purpose of life??? Simple answer is "i dont know". > > I m only 23 soon i will be 24 and i have been enjoying > > reading all the mails of this group..I m very good in > > my professinal life and enjoying working..but like > > Radhika i also feel only professinal life and doing > > new things in professinal life is not the objective > > and purpose of my life..We all are here for something > > special.. > > Objective purpose is an interesting concept on an advaita page. Maybe you missed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Address from New Delhi, 24 June 2004. It is full of enlightened objective purpose. He also happens to be from India. > Where > does the dissatisfaction arise from, Why did you join this group? Looking for advice or someone to pat you on the back? ------------ Maybe I will leave now. There does not seem to be much dialogue on this topic but there are many excellent Advaitin scholars here. I think the great teachers like Shankara, Ramana, Buddha, Dalai Lama, Jesus, Muhammed, would engage people exactly where they were at. This group seems more geared to scholarly exchange and my approach seems inappropriate. But I will return the next time I am studying an Advaitin text! best, dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 Namaste all. <1) raghava says 'Anandam' (joy) - It feels good to <think that only joy is the purpose of life..but i <think we are not here only for joy....now if we are <here for joy then why is it so that our atma can have <joy only by our life not by something else.....But i <find joy is the best answer because even i believe in <having joy..ultimate joy of my life is <pooja,meditation and aradhana... > Joy as an experience is a trick of Maya to make us believe that joy is yet to arrive at any given point of time. Thus, 'Anandam' is two-fold: thru 'attachment' and through 'detachment' or thru 'renunciation=leaving karma phala to where it belongs'. Merits and demerits are a separate subject in itself. Further, the following post of HarshaJi gives a wealth of information on this:- advaitin/message/23421 Best Regards, Raghava ______________________ India Matrimony: Find your partner online. http://.shaadi.com/india-matrimony/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 advaitin, "David King" <public17@p...> wrote: .. > > If Sri Ramana were correct, why doesn't everyone instantly relax as > soon as they ask the question? Because they look for answers? > > If asking questions is life's purpose, why did Maharshi spend his > days dwelling in thoughtless reverie? The context of the post was asking THE question, "what is the purpose of life?" not asking questions as a rule. In Sri Ramana's case THE question took the form of "Who am I?". It's interesting to me that the question of life's purpose is assumed to be or turned into what is the individual's purpose in the mind. > > > This group must be a magnet for new-age idealists. Try eating an > apple to satisfy your hunger. Yes I see. But funny thing is no matter how often we eat, the hunger always returns, right? I find the same is true of the hungry mind seeking it's own "answers" by couching them as questions. Oh and I am niether new age or an idealist, I'm a non affiliated, fat, bald guy who works in a gas station. > > Reason is objective. What do you suppose those Sages were doing? The Sages say there is no doer. :-) Anyway in my mind the sages tend to bring the lucious cocktail of confusion and paradox, but still you should ask them. > > Admission would require detachment from one's ideas. Maintaining oneself with ideas could be that this is a subtler form of attatchment. Of course I am extrememly attatched to this viewpoint. > > Presumption implies being embedded in one's ideas. Inplication implies presumption. > > Stop projecting your presumptions on Amit. Ok but I do not know Amrit, I was just replying to words with words. I am not laboring under the impression that my words are more valuable than any others. Maybe they are helpful, maybe not. Still my expereince is that confronting "projection" in others is a slippery slope. > Maybe you missed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Address from New > Delhi, 24 June 2004. It is full of enlightened objective purpose. > He also happens to be from India. I miss a lot of things ;-) What does being from India have to do with anything? > Why did you join this group? Looking for advice or someone to pat > you on the back? Apparently to read and respond to this email, for this moment anyway :-) In other words not for the reason I thought. > > ------------ > > Maybe I will leave now. There does not seem to be much dialogue on > this topic but there are many excellent Advaitin scholars here. LOL. To quote a bright new friend of mine, "Why did you join this group? Looking for advice or someone to pat you on the back?" > > I think the great teachers like Shankara, Ramana, Buddha, Dalai > Lama, Jesus, Muhammed, would engage people exactly where they were > at. This group seems more geared to scholarly exchange and my > approach seems inappropriate. > LOL. So are you saying that your approach is inappropriate or the group's exchanges or are you just not being engaged where you are at? > But I will return the next time I am studying an Advaitin text! Great! > > best, > dave. have fun EJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted June 30, 2004 Report Share Posted June 30, 2004 EJ, Thanks for your thoughtful reply. Life is getting busy suddenly but I will post a reply here. Perhaps we will continue later. advaitin, "E. J. Shearn" <ejs22_2000> wrote: > > If Sri Ramana were correct, why doesn't everyone instantly relax as > > soon as they ask the question? > > Because they look for answers? Good answer. > > If asking questions is life's purpose, why did Maharshi spend his > > days dwelling in thoughtless reverie? > > The context of the post was asking THE question, "what is the purpose > of life?" not asking questions as a rule. In Sri Ramana's case THE > question took the form of "Who am I?". You said Ramana said "Asking ['what is the purpose of life?'] is life's purpose." If asking 'what is the purpose of life?' is life's purpose, why did Maharshi spend his days asking 'who am i?' That would be my question. > It's interesting to me that > the question of life's purpose is assumed to be or turned into what > is the individual's purpose in the mind. Are you mind reading or projecting again? ;-) > > This group must be a magnet for new-age idealists. Try eating an > > apple to satisfy your hunger. > > Yes I see. But funny thing is no matter how often we eat, the hunger > always returns, right? Right. Why is that funny? > I find the same is true of the hungry mind > seeking it's own "answers" by couching them as questions. Was your mind hungry when you wrote this post? You asked several questions. Questions and answers are two necessary poles of the same thing. > Oh and I am > niether new age or an idealist, I'm a non affiliated, fat, bald guy > who works in a gas station. I was a fat truck driver in a previous life and I'm almost fat and bald in this one. We're a team, EJ. > > Reason is objective. What do you suppose those Sages were doing? > > The Sages say there is no doer. :-) Yet there is reason and objectivity in what they wrote. How do you suppose 'no-one' did that? Is your blind acceptance of their writings 'reasonable'? > Anyway in my mind the sages tend to bring the lucious cocktail of > confusion and paradox, but still you should ask them. You like the paradox (me too). The sages will say there is no doer if they read this post. > > Admission would require detachment from one's ideas. > > Maintaining oneself with ideas could be that this is a subtler form > of attatchment. Of course I am extrememly attatched to this viewpoint. Yes. Everyone (at least every ego) has a viewpoint, some of which they are not aware of. > > Presumption implies being embedded in one's ideas. > > Inplication implies presumption. Not sure about this. If your DNA shows up, you're the implicit Dad. I'm treating 'implication' more as a third-person (objective) notion and 'presumption' as more of a first-person (subjective) thing. Time to pull out the dictionary... > > Stop projecting your presumptions on Amit. > > Ok but I do not know Amrit, I was just replying to words with words. Most of the time we are talking to ourself. And our Self is incredibly entertained. ;-) > I am not laboring under the impression that my words are more > valuable than any others. Maybe they are helpful, maybe not. You have helped me. > Still my > expereince is that confronting "projection" in others is a slippery > slope. Remember that everyone (including you and me) can't see the ideas they are embedded in. Then the 'presumptions' stand out more clearly. > > Maybe you missed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's Address from New > > Delhi, 24 June 2004. It is full of enlightened objective purpose. > > He also happens to be from India. > > I miss a lot of things ;-) > What does being from India have to do with anything? You said "Objective purpose is an interesting concept on an advaita page." The amazing religion / philosophy you refer to was birthed in the rich culture and land of India, like Manmohan. Advaita Vedanta is not just a cool cybergroup. ;-) > > Why did you join this group? Looking for advice or someone to pat > > you on the back? > > Apparently to read and respond to this email, for this moment > anyway :-) > In other words not for the reason I thought. I don't know what I'm doing here either. In Zen they say "Just Don't Know." ;-) > > Maybe I will leave now. There does not seem to be much dialogue on > > this topic but there are many excellent Advaitin scholars here. > > LOL. To quote a bright new friend of mine, "Why did you join this > group? Looking for advice or someone to pat you on the back?" Nice reply. > > I think the great teachers like Shankara, Ramana, Buddha, Dalai > > Lama, Jesus, Muhammed, would engage people exactly where they were > > at. This group seems more geared to scholarly exchange and my > > approach seems inappropriate. > > LOL. So are you saying that your approach is inappropriate or the > group's exchanges or are you just not being engaged where you are at? I'm saying that the group is discussing the Vedas with an excellent scholar (Ken at the present moment) and I am more interested in engaging people personally and so my approach may be inappropriate. > > But I will return the next time I am studying an Advaitin text! > > Great! Thanks, EJ. I will think of you when I fill my gas tank. ;-) regards, dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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