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

Hans Laurentius: In my view life has no meaning in an absolute sense. This however does not mean that your life cannot be more or less meaningful. To be is a challenge, and to be in a fully grown way seems to be the only way it can have meaning.

My point is, and has been throughout my life as a non-duality teacher and author, that one needs to outgrow the infantile states of being as quickly and profoundly as possible. As Heidegger said, one needs to have many births in one lifetime to really ‘get here’. Many people don’t get (t)here, and their lives will bring a lot of chaos and suffering, to themselves and those who come across them or are linked to them in whatever way. One will need to address issues, feel through emotional residues, inquire into illusions and beliefs to ‘really be’. The fear driven ways of life, the neediness, the affirmation seeking, the resentfulness, the tendency to find excuses and all that will have to be left behind to be able to shine like a true human being.

Than still, life has no meaning in an absolute way, but every move of life will be it’s own reward, to yourself, as well as to other living beings and the planet as a whole. A true Individual will be able, competent, open, brave, honest, clear minded and caring, and not afraid to do what’s right whatever it takes.

A true Individual therefore is not a ‘member’, not a slave to praise or rejection. She will go her own way, not the way society subscribes or the ‘social’ group imposes. To be free however demands a lot. To grow beyond the manipulations of social pressure, inner and outer expectations, the multitude of convictions and expectations is quite something. To awaken to Consciousness itself is even rarer. As Ramana said: it takes a lot of effort to reach the effortless state. Indeed. It requires thinking, real thinking – instead of clinging to judgments and beliefs. It requires the ability to truly feel, feel through pain and suffering, instead of trying to get rid of it, avoidance, suppression. It requires clarity and a keen ‘ear’, so one can ‘hear’ the whispers of intuition, our own and unique navigation device, and not override these whispers with anxieties and fearful thoughts. It also requires time and space in our lives, instead of being busy every single minute. To contemplate life, to read, to write, to inquire one needs time alone, undisturbed, away from the herd, the noise of man.

Otherwise, one will be swept away by the common, the easy, the empty notions and goals and dreams and illusions of the masses, and remain a half-ling, a child-man or child-woman. That will be meaningless, in my opinion, and even worse, it may be damaging, to oneself, the others, the planet.

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~Hans Laurentius is a Dutch advaita teacher and author, who has published 11 books since 1999, and led hundreds of satsangs and retreats, and countless private sessions.

For more info: www.hanslaurentius.nl

There is an English section on the site, and Hans also does skype sessions with people around the globe. 

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