Elucidating the “Meaning of Life” can best be approached through application of the ancient directive: “Know yourself.” To fathom the depths of this suggestion, it helps to view the boundaries of self as false and misleading. The physical universe is a small subset of the much grander aspects of the spiritual universe, of which we are all a part. And, more than just a part, in a holographic sense, our conscious existence is a crucial aspect of all existence, ultimately identical with all of the universe.

There is one consciousness of which all life is an integral part, and it is the fundamental substrate out of which emerges everything else in all of existence. Each of us is as a holographic reflection of the entire self-aware universe, unlimited in our capabilities. The entire universe exists to serve as the stage on which the drama of sentient life unfolds, and we each participate in that much grander process, that in its most robust form is the “evolution of consciousness” about which Pierre Teilhard de Chardin so eloquently wrote.

In some sense, labeling this realm “soul school” emphasizes that existence is all about learning, and teaching. We are all participants, but it makes more sense to take the broadest view possible—to see all of the participating souls and soul groups, and all of their trials and tribulations, to be the course material for this grand process of understanding, of coming to “know oneself.”

Much of the confusion in our attempts to understand existence arises from our false sense of separation, from analyzing a small portion of the universe (i.e. ourselves) as independent from the universe. Such false separation leads to confusion and distortion. It is much better to take the broadest view possible—of our soul groups’ members over many incarnations, to view all of our human interactions and relationships as a meaningful construct of learning and teaching—with the core currency of those lessons steeped in Love as the common denominator.

The ultimate “meaning” thus emerges from this process of learning and teaching, of finding that the ultimate moral compass in our efforts is the most ideal application of unconditional love, compassion, forgiveness, acceptance and mercy – for ourselves, our neighbors, our “enemies,” indeed for all fellow beings throughout creation. This unconditional love has infinite power to heal, whether the healing involves the individual, the soul group, or much larger groups of sentient life throughout the cosmos. The microcosm of existence in each of our lives is thus reflected as the raison d’être for the entirety of existence.

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~Eben Alexander III MD
After decades as a physician and teacher at Harvard Medical School and elsewhere, renowned academic neurosurgeon Dr. Eben Alexander thought he knew how the brain, mind, and consciousness worked. A transcendental Near-Death Experience (NDE) during a week-long coma from an inexplicable brain infection changed all of that – completely. Memories of his life had been completely deleted, yet he awoke with memories of a fantastic odyssey deep into another realm – more real than this earthly one! 

Since his 2008 NDE he has been reconciling his rich spiritual experience with contemporary physics and cosmology. We are conscious in spite of our brain. By probing deeply into our own consciousness, we transcend the limits of the human brain, and of the physical-material realm. His story offers a crucial key to the understanding of reality and human consciousness. 

A pioneering scientist and thought leader in consciousness studies, Dr. Alexander has been a guest on Dr. Oz, Oprah, and many other media programs. His most recent book, Living in a Mindful Universe: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Heart of Consciousness, (co-authored with Karen Newell) has garnered accolades from many scientists around the world who study the mind-body question and the nature of consciousness. His earlier books, Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon’s Journey into the Afterlife and The Map of Heaven: How Science, Religion, and Ordinary People Are Proving the Afterlife, have collectively spent more than two years atop the New York Times and international bestseller lists.
www.EbenAlexander.com

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