Book Title: Journey to Enlightenment Part 01
Author(s): Chitrabhanu, Chetana Catherine Florida, Nirmala Hanke, Raksha Penni Helsene
Publisher: Create Space
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October 2000: Purpose of Life
Today we are meditating on what is the purpose of human life and how we fulfill that purpose. People involve themselves in many activities, read countless books, and work in varied directions to explore what is the searcher's ultimate aim of this human life.
Man is at the stage of evolution. Man is capable to attain excellence. To be human is to be capable of self-awareness; now, from here, where do we go? There are two directions: one is ascendance to Higher Self or descent to lower form. From here we must either ascend or descend. We can neither stop, nor stay in the center of the road. Let us say your car stalls in the middle of the highway. The policeman comes and either pulls you over to the side or tows the car away. No one would allow you to leave your car in the middle of the highway blocking the traffic. So you must go either forward or backward, one or the other. In life, people go either on the animal level or on the divine ascent. We meet here for one purpose and that is to know our potential and our freedom to choose what we want to choose.
Realize Our True Self
After Mahavira had attained enlightenment, his disciple bowed down to him and asked "Sir, what is the purpose of all our human affairs?" Mahavira answered, "To realize our true Self- as the tree is in a seed so is God in you."
He meditated for twelve and a half years and the fruit of his meditation was to "realize the true Self and that life is God." In his meditation he realized that whatever perfection he was searching for was already in him. When we realize this, even though it is very difficult it is not impossible to experience, to fulfill and to express it. You must ask yourself, "Do I see Life as God or sin?" If you see other things and not true Self, then nothing is fulfilled because anything other than God is transient.
Until now, day and night, we have been trying to get ephemeral things, forgetting the permanent. Once when I was a child, I was with my father and I caught sight of a beautiful toy camel. I started crying that I wanted this camel. My father asked, "Why do you want to spend so much money?" "I want it," I said. "I am not going to come with you unless" Ultimately, my father bought that camel. One day, about ten years later, we were talking together and I threw the camel away. "Now you are throwing it away," my father said, "But once you were crying for this camel." At that time it was my need to have the camel. In youth we need certain things, but when we are mature, the need changes All these needs are relevant to a certain stage. But there is something which is not transient, but is permanent. In order to realize God - Paramatma - in life, we have first to distinguish between the permanent and the transient.
For this we will need to use those gifts which are inherent to us. An aware person can use his/her gifts for this upliftment. However, if he/she is unaware or has no guide, or keeps the wrong company, then the gifts may take him/her down instead. Watch what happens to a rich man's son. If he keeps the wrong company, then his friends, the society he travels with
On the Wings of Light and Love - 121
