“All meanings, we know, depend on the key of interpretation.” —George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) Meditate, listen, trust. I received these words in meditation decades ago and since then, I’ve come to think of them as the three keys to life. Truly. These keys came to me at […]
“A first sign of the beginning of understanding is the wish to die.” “He is terribly afraid of dying because he hasn’t yet lived.” “The meaning of life is that it stops. Only the moment counts. It determines life.” The truth is always an abyss. One must — […]
“One family went on a trip to England to buy something from a beautiful antique shop, for the celebration of their 25th anniversary of marriage. The husband and wife liked antiques and clay products, ceramics, especially cups of tea. They observed an exceptional cup and asked: “Can we […]
“The mystery of human existence lies not in just staying alive, but in finding something to live for.” “Life is paradise, and we are all in paradise, but we refuse to see it.” “Love life more than the meaning of it.” I have a longing for life, and […]
“To progress is always to begin, always to begin again.” “God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars.” “The fewer the words, the better the prayer.” This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness, not health, […]
The first thing to be understood is what ego is. A child is born. A child is born without any knowledge, any consciousness of his own self. And when a child is born the first thing he becomes aware of is not himself; the first thing he becomes […]
Popularly attributed to Socrates, Know Thyself! has gripped the attention of the greatest seers, Sages and thinkers of all ages. It is the essential experience welling up from the heart of yearning souls belonging to every country of the world and giving expression to it, the terminologies, the […]
Let’s start with an elemental understanding of what the words “compassion,” and “compassionate,” mean to most people. According to Merriam-Webster, compassion is a noun, defined as: “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress together with a desire to alleviate it.” Some synonyms for compassion are: commiseration, feeling, and sympathy. Compassionate is […]
“I think, therefore I am.” “It is not enough to have a good mind. The main thing is to use it well.” “Reason is nothing without imagination.” “Conquer yourself rather than the world.” The supreme good consists in virtue, which is a firm and constant resolution to use […]
“I can calculate the motion of heavenly bodies but not the madness of people.” “Live your life as an Exclamation rather than an Explanation.” “To arrive at the simplest truth requires years of contemplation.” I do not know what I may appear to the world, but to myself […]
“A man who dares to waste one hour of time has not discovered the value of life.” “The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.” “Much love much trial, but what an utter desert is life without love.” Nothing is easier than to […]
“All of us have life; few of us have an idea of it.” “What is important in life is life, and not the result of life.” “Life is the childhood of our immortality.” The important thing in life is to have a great aim, and the determination to […]
It can safely be said that the world is divided into three types of people – religious people, spiritual people, and atheists. Atheists don’t believe in any kind of higher power or religion. To them, life is all science and random events. A spiritual person believes in a […]
Excellence Reporter: Angel, what is the meaning of life? Angel Millar: It would seem self-evident that the meaning of life is to live life fully. And to live it without compromise so that we might, sooner or later, embody our true nature and become who we were meant […]
Excellence Reporter: Deep, what is the meaning of life? Deep: I guess the only appropriate way to start out writing an article discussing such an existential question is to also pose a question: Do you feel there is evidence of an inherent meaning or purpose in life objectively; […]
“The art of living well and the art of dying well are one.” “If a little is not enough for you, nothing is.” “Be moderate in order to taste the joys of life in abundance.” Happiness is man’s greatest aim in life. Tranquility and rationality are the cornerstones […]
“Keep a clear eye toward life’s end. Do not forget your purpose and destiny as God’s creature. What you are in his sight is what you are and nothing more. Remember that when you leave this earth, you can take nothing that you have received…but only what you […]
“Man’s purpose on Earth is to advance.” “In all things let reason be your guide.” “Learn to obey before you command.” Seek to learn constantly while you live; do not wait in the faith that old age by itself will bring wisdom. In giving advice seek to help, […]
“There is no religion higher than Truth.” “That cruelest of tyrants – public opinion.” “The Universe is worked and guided from within outwards.” Who is the great man? He who is strongest in patience. He who patiently endures injury, and maintains a blameless life–he is a man indeed! […]
“Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look.” “Life is neither good or evil, but only a place for good and evil.” “A person’s worth is measured by the worth of what he values.” Dwell on […]
Excellence Reporter: Isabeau, what is the meaning of life? Isabeau Maxwell: We are here for experiences. To say we are here to learn is to suggest our higher self doesn’t know everything already. However, the higher self does not exist in linear time. It already knows the beginning, […]
“The smallest thing in its rightful place can lead to the highest goals.” “Love starts when we push aside our ego and make room for someone else.” “For even the wisest can learn incalculably much from children.” Our highest endeavor must be to develop free human beings who […]
“Men ask for health in their prayers to the gods: they do not realize that the power to achieve it lies in themselves.” “To a wise and good man the whole earth is his fatherland.” By convention sweet and by convention bitter, by convention hot, by convention cold, […]
“The goal of life is living in agreement with Nature.” “Man conquers the world by conquering himself.” “Happiness is a good flow of life.” All things are parts of one single system, which is called Nature; the individual life is good when it is in harmony with Nature. […]
Excellence Reporter: Richard, what is the meaning of life? Richard Schooping: The question is the answer. We simply don’t know. Source doesn’t know as it has no source. If it did, it could not be a source. So one will search for the meaning of life eternally, only to find […]
“God, to know you is life. To serve You is freedom. To praise you is the soul’s joy and delight.” “The measure of love is to love without measure.” “Do you wish to rise? Begin by descending. You plan a tower that will pierce the clouds? Lay first […]
“There’s a place in the soul where you’ve never been wounded.” “If the only prayer you said in your whole life was, “thank you,” that would suffice.” “Nobody at any time is cut off from God.” If anyone went on for a thousand years asking of life: “Why […]
“What are men? Mortal gods.What are gods? Immortal men.” “Everything flows, and nothing stands still.” “Because it is so unbelievable, the truth often escapes being known.” No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man. The […]
I have always said that the meaning of life is the aspiration towards God. But to be honest I didn’t quite know what that meant. First of all this is not to kill the love towards your soul. Not to wish evil towards others, not to envy, not […]
Want to try sound healing? Well, then you’ve come to the right place. Sound healing is an ancient practice used to promote wellbeing, relaxation, and spirituality. It’s most commonly done using Tibetan singing bowls, but you can use various sound healing instruments. When performing this kind of meditation, […]
By following the teachings of Master Sha, Dr. Monique Giard is able to combine modern counselling techniques with Tao Hands and spirituality to help people heal. Keeping order in an increasingly disordered world is a challenge we all face. For some, the side effects of trying to maintain spiritual, emotional, […]
What is the meaning of life? Do you ever find yourself pondering this question? It seems like we only come to visit Earth for a very short period of time. We find ourselves working to acquire material wealth and pleasurable experiences, and hopefully leave our children with something […]
“Joy is not in things; it is in us.” “Music is the living God in our bosoms.” “The purpose of art is to make the unconscious conscious.” I believe in God, Mozart and Beethoven, and likewise their disciples and apostles; – I believe in the Holy Spirit and […]
“Most of us walk unseeing through the world, unaware alike of its beauties, its wonders, and the strange and sometimes terrible intensity of the lives that are being lived about us.” “For the first time in the history of the world, every human being is now subjected to […]
“No synonym for God is so perfect as Beauty.” “Beauty beyond thought everywhere, beneath, above, made and being made forever.” “The sun shines not on us but in us. The rivers flow not past, but through us. Thrilling, tingling, vibrating every fiber and cell of the substance of […]
“We are gods with anuses.” “We did not create ourselves, but we are stuck with ourselves.” “Guilt results from unused life, from the unlived in us.” “The urge to immortality is not a simple reflex of the death-anxiety but a reaching out by one’s whole being toward life.” […]
“Life is a constant process of dying.” “Change alone is eternal, perpetual, immortal.” “A sense of humour is the only divine quality of man.” “Human life must be some kind of mistake. The truth of this will be sufficiently obvious if we only remember that man is a […]
“The truth shall make you free, but first it shall make you angry.“ “Nothing but truth is immortal.” “Liberty is a word without which all other words are vain.” What light is to the eyes – what air is to the lungs – what love is to the […]
“People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing.” “Knowledge isn’t power until it is applied.” “Life is too short to be little”. You can sing only what you are. You can paint only what you are. You must be what your experiences, your environment, […]
This open letter to humanity was written for inclusion in a forthcoming artbook by Aberjhani featuring literary dialogues in the form of letters, poetry, and original artwork reflecting on the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a simple and absolute law that’s governing everything on this planet – it is […]
Has anyone ever asked you if there is an animal that you feel closely connected to? This doesn’t need to be an individual animal but rather that animal as a whole. Animals have always been attached to spiritual attributes, so it’s no wonder why we feel close to […]
How much does advanced technology affect us? We do understand that it cannot be stopped. Every child nowadays has all sorts of gadgets in their pockets. Two year olds master the tablet just like their parents. It is clear that a new generation is growing up; it even […]
“Master Sha has applied his own knowledge to the ancient art of Chinese Calligraphy to create Tao Calligraphy, art beyond art that has a positive effect on anyone in its presence.” Dr & Master Zhi Gang Sha is a world renowned teacher, author, and one of the most […]
“Love is a word of light, written by a hand of light, upon a page of light. “ “From a sensitive woman’s heart springs the happiness of mankind, and from the kindness of her noble spirit comes mankind’s affection.” “When a man’s hand touches the hand of a woman […]
“The more you learn, the harder the lessons get.” “Live, so you do not have to look back and say: ‘God, how I have wasted my life.’ “ “Consciously or not, we are all on a quest for answers, trying to learn the lessons of life. We grapple […]
“The supreme bliss that pulsates in the wake of meditation is your pure essence.” “You can’t stop the waves but you can learn how to surf.” “Love is our only reason for living and the only purpose of life. We live for the sake of love, and we […]
“Life is not a problem to be solved, but a reality to be experienced.” “Man has made a discovery… the way to make life easy is to make it meaningless.” “Faith is the highest passion in a man.” “To be human, is not a fact, but a task.” […]
“If you want to be more alive, love is the truest health.” “What you seek is seeking you.“ “Silence is the language of God,all else is poor translation.” “Woman is the light of God.“ “This is love: to fly toward a secret sky, to cause a hundred veils […]
Excellence Reporter: Sharon, what is the meaning of life? Sharon Gannon: The meaning of life is to drop all the meanness. When meanness drops away—what remains is kindness. To choose kindness over meanness is to live a meaningful life. The purpose of our lives is to remember who […]
“Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it.“ “Wisdom, compassion, and courage are the three universally recognized moral qualities of man.“ “Silence is a true friend who never betrays.“ “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. We have two lives, and the second begins […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Gerlach, what is the meaning of life? Or the purpose of life if you will… Dr. Derek Gerlach: I believe the purpose of life is to learn, grow, and evolve as spiritual beings. In brief, to find our true selves. To explain why growth gives […]
“There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.” Accept everything just the way it is. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake. Do not, under any […]
There is nothing we should be quite so grateful for as the last line of the poem that goes, “When your own heart asks.” “I do not know how to defeat others. All I know is the path to defeat myself.“ “Singlemindedness is all-powerful.“ “There is surely nothing […]
The Dalai Lama once said, “When there is too much stress or worry, look within.” 2020 has been a very tumultuous year so far, with countless individuals experiencing more frequent (and more severe) bouts of anxiety. Although meditation has been practiced for centuries to calm the mind, it has been […]
“No one is free who has not obtained the empire of himself. No man is free who cannot command himself.“ “The most momentous thing in human life is the art of winning the soul to good or evil.“ “Be silent or let thy words be worth more than […]
“Soli Deo Gloria“ “Where there is devotional music, God is always at hand with His gracious presence.“ “Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul. Harmony is next to Godliness. It is the special province of music to move […]
Life is after all a form of affirmation. However insistently the blind may deny the existence of the sun, they cannot annihilate it. Life as it is lived suffices. It is only when the disquieting intellect steps in and tries to murder it that we stop to live […]
“Walking is man’s best medicine.“ “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.“ “The greatest medicine of all is teaching people how not to need it.“ “A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings, and learn how by his own thought […]
“The kingdom of heaven is not a placebut a state of mind.” “Every walk to the woods is a religious rite, every bath in the stream is a saving ordinance. Communion service is at all hours, and the bread and wine are from the heart and marrow of […]
There was once a monk who was meditating beside the road, and he apparently had been there for many, many years, for his hair had grown out into the ground, birds had made nests in his hair. He was sitting there meditating. All of a sudden he felt […]
Do you believe in psychic phenomena? About 57% of Americans are certain that psychic occurrences exist. However, 8 out of every 10 people surveyed admit they’ve never personally had a psychic experience. Instead, it seems that only psychics and mediums can harness the supernatural powers that so many […]
This weekend we are very fortunate in that we have the opportunity to cultivate bodhicitta and put the actions of our body, speech and mind into the path to liberation, the path of control. This is so worthwhile. Despite having had many previous lives and having lived many […]
Have you just opened up your own church? One of the first things you have to decide on besides gathering a fellowship is your lighting. Church lighting can cast a certain mood that will either make or break your services. If you plan to have your sermons recorded, […]
The Bhagavad Gita is one of the most popular and well-read books of wisdom in the history of humankind. Known also as the Song of God, it is a conversation between the Supreme Lord Shri Krishna and his devotee Arjuna, on the verge of the Mahabharata war. The […]
Excellence Reporter: Bonny, what is the meaning of life? Bonny Meyer: The meaning of life is to love and what gives meaning to life is love. Love is the essence of our being. We are born lovers. If you don’t believe me, just look at the way a […]
Excellence Reporter: David, what is the meaning of life? David Richards: This seems like such an easy question to answer, in finding a meaning to life. It is the stuff quips are made of; “the meaning of life is to live a life of meaning.” But how? How to […]
Excellence Reporter: Philip, what is the meaning of life? Philip Goldberg: This is a multileveled question. Let’s start with the ultimate level: Is there meaning inherent in life as such? Or, asked another way: Does existence itself have meaning? To this, my answer must be “I don’t know. […]
“Independence is my happiness, and I view things as they are, without regard to place or person; my country is the world, and my religion is to do good.“ “Give me liberty, or give me death.“ “When it can be said by any country in the world, my […]
Bee Daoist: If you have the Dao in your heart you are the man of the Dao. We carry these clothes, these shoes, this hat… if we do not see the Dao in our heart, we are no Daoists at all. To carry the Dao in our hearts […]
“I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” “Be courageous. I have seen many depressions in business.Always America has emerged from these stronger and more prosperous.Be brave as your fathers before you.Have faith!Go forward!“ “Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize […]
Excellence Reporter: Master Winn, what is the meaning of life? Michael Winn: From my Taoist view, “meaning” is a culturally or linguistically constructed CONCEPT. “Life” is the important part of the question. The underlying question is really “what does it mean to be fully alive?”. Life is the […]
If you don’t know why you are here. I encourage you to find out what your purpose is here. What is the meaning of your life? What will be different? Have you ever asked yourself that question? And most people go to their graves with their greatness still […]
Interested in getting a numerology report but aren’t sure how this ancient art works? Let’s take a closer look at the workings of numerology. Sometimes we need answers that the earthly world can not give us. There are plenty of ways to go about finding our paths, but […]
Spiritual practices offer us a lot of benefits, especially in this time of uncertainty. Encouraging spiritual health will, not only, promote stability in your daily life but it can also offer a sense of purpose often showing people the true meaning of life. When we dive deep into […]
“I thought I was learning to live; I was only learning to die.” “He who does not value life does not deserve it.” “Life without love, is no life at all.” “One can have no smaller or greater mastery than mastery of oneself. The height of a man’s […]
“Honesty is the first chapter of the book of wisdom.” “Without books, I would certainly die.“ “The art of life is the art of avoiding pain.” Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action will delineate and define you. Nothing can stop the man […]
“The true work of artis but a shadow of the divine perfection.” “With few words I shall make thee understand my soul.” “To touch is to give life…” “Your gifts lie in the place where your values, passions and strengths meet. Discovering that place is the first step […]
“I believe in the supreme worth of the individualand in his right to life, libertyand the pursuit of happiness.” “God gave me my money.” “Singleness of purpose is one of the chief essentials for success in life, no matter what may be one’s aim. The road to happiness […]
“The madness of love is the greatest of heaven’s blessings.“ “The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself;to be conquered by yourself is of all things most shameful and vile.” “Every heart sings a song, incomplete, until another heart whispers back. Those who wish to sing always […]
“Men are developed the same way gold is mined. When gold is mined, several tons of dirt must be moved to get an ounce of gold; but one doesn’t go into the mine looking for dirt—one goes in looking for the gold.“ “If you want to be happy, […]
“Normality is a paved road: it’s comfortable to walk, but no flowers grow on it.” “Seek only light and freedom and do not immerse yourself too deeply in the worldly mire.” “Be clearly aware of the stars and infinity on high. Then life seems almost enchanted after all… […]
“Life is hard but so very beautiful.” “Whatever you are, be a good one.” “When I do good, I feel good. When I do bad, I feel bad. That’s my religion. I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound […]
“Teach from life experiences, not from words…” “All my life I’ve been tormented by the thought of the purpose of this life. I asked myself the question: why do we need this life? The fact that a person works to achieve material wealth, to eat and drink, is […]
“Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Music is the electrical soil in which the spirit lives, thinks and invents.” “Don’t only practice your art, but force your way into its secrets, for it and knowledge can raise men to the divine. Music is the […]
“Bach is an astronomer, discovering the most marvellous stars. Beethoven challenges the universe. I only try to express the soul and the heart of man.“ “Nothing is more odious than music without hidden meaning. Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties. How strange! […]
“I am in the world only for the purpose of composing. There is no such thing as happy music. My compositions spring from my sorrows. Those that give the world the greatest delight were born of my deepest griefs. Those who are born of grief give greatest delight […]
“The unexamined life is not worth living.“ “Know thyself.“ “We cannot live better than in seeking to become better. The really important thing is not to live, but to live well. And to live well meant, along with more enjoyable things in life, to live according to your […]
Om Namaste! We are taught by the ancient Vedic wisdom that life is too great a mystery, too big a secret, no matter how we would like to live in it. The human who does not think about life, about its meaning, about his place in it, he […]
“Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.“ “Man is a goal-seeking animal. His life only has meaning if he is reaching out and striving for his goals. Happiness is the meaning and the purpose of life, the whole aim and end of human existence. And happiness depends […]
“For those who fight for it, life has a flavor the sheltered will never know.” Believe you can and you’re halfway there. Be practical as well as generous in your ideals. Keep your eyes on the stars, but remember to keep your feet on the ground. The joy […]
“There are no words, it’s only music there…” *** ~Antonio Lucio Vivaldi was an Italian Baroque musical composer, virtuoso violinist, teacher, and Roman Catholic priest. Born in Venice, the capital of the Venetian Republic, he is regarded as one of the greatest Baroque composers, and his influence […]
“When love has fused and mingled two beings in a sacred and angelic unity, the secret of life has been discovered so far as they are concerned; they are no longer anything more than the two boundaries of the same destiny; they are no longer anything but the […]
“The supreme harmony of the cosmos is selected in the harmony of the spirit.“ “Life is only a long and bitter suicide, and faith alone can transform this suicide into a sacrifice. In life one must decide whether to conjugate the verb to have or the verb […]
“The animal knows everything, but cannot say it. Man can say a lot, but knows nothing.” “Joy and happiness are the children of love, but love itself, as the moving force, is patience and compassion. Love is the root of life. But she does not come just […]
“We are all littered with trash, and yet underneath that the twinkle of the True Self flickers.” “First of all seek the Kingdom of God and its truth. If you work for the body, you must work for the soul too. Your heart needs to be cultivated […]
“Days, years, centuries pass as a shadow and we all approach our end. The life of man is a book, and every day of his life is one page of the book. Every book has an end, and human life has an end too. On the pages of […]
Excellence Reporter: Master Wu, what is the meaning of life? Master Wu: I came into this world bringing nothing with me, not even any clothes. When I depart, I will not be able to bring anything back with me. For more than 40 years I have been meditating […]
“Art has always been a weapon in the struggle of man against matter, threatening to swallow his spirit…” “Man is interesting to me for his willingness to serve something higher than oneself, and even for his inability to perceive the ordinary and the philistine moral life. I’m […]
I was asked by Excellence Reporter to answer the question: “what is the meaning of life?” I tormented myself all evening and night, remembering how I have lived and what I had in my life, and what I saw as meaningful in this life. With great surprise I […]
*** ~AUGUST TURAK is a highly successful entrepreneur, award-winning author, speaker, and contributor for Forbes and the BBC. He is the founder of the educational nonprofit the Self Knowledge Symposium Foundation (SKSF). As a frequent guest, Turak has been living and working alongside the monks of Mepkin Abbey […]
Excellence Reporter 