Excellence Reporter: Rinpoche, what is the meaning of life?

Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche: From my point of view as a Buddhist teacher, the meaning of life has three dimensions.

The first is basically to be a good person. This means using our precious human life to become the greatest possible benefit to other beings. We increase our desire and ability to benefit others by cultivating universal love and compassion, and by understanding deeply how we are all interconnected.

The second dimension is to connect to our own deep well-being by following a spiritual path. In reality, our own mind is already enlightened. All we have to do is realize this truth; there is no need to add or remove anything. Our path consists of developing understanding and faith in our own enlightened nature, until we unmistakenly recognize it for what it is.

The third dimension is to have a larger perspective. We don’t just have the short-term view of benefiting others and progressing on the path for a single life. We see where our life fits into the context of a much greater future, and we aspire to make progress over lifetimes, until we attain complete enlightenment.

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~Dzigar Kongtrul Rinpoche
www.mangalashribhuti.org

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