After more than two decades as a monk, I have begun to recognize that a shaved head and a brown monastic robe is an invitation for people to come up and ask all kinds of things: I’m used to people approaching me at airports, on the street or […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Lasater, what is the meaning of life? Judith Hanson Lasater: Life is the process whereby the Universe makes itself manifest to us, and for us, in myriad and amazing ways. The greater meaning of existence is to find our own special relationship with this Universe, […]
Humans and all creatures are meaning-making “machines”; no living creature would survive without meaning-making. Everything that happens to us and around us that we encounter for the first time causes us to assign a meaning to it. Once we see the same pattern of experiences occurring in our […]
It is our task as spiritual beings to remove the blocks that inhibit the native joy and passions of our spirit; we must delve deeply into our own mysterious being and begin to rediscover our poetic voice & soul. To become courageous spirits, we must loosen our character […]
~by Camille Hamilton Adams Helminski Day by day we venture closer; we turn the handle of the door and enter. Room upon room opens in the vastness of Your Palace reaching the heavens and pouring water to the earth through fountains hovering mid-air. Hu¹ would have thought we could […]
Excellence Reporter: Peter, what is the meaning of life? Peter Smith: This is a question that has been asked down through the ages so many times. It is a question about our very existence and the catalyst for the most incredible journey. I have witnessed first-hand the inner magnificence […]
The meaning of life is to have an immersive experience of being alive in a fabulously creative, thought-responsive, conscious universe. We are alive to explore and share the transformative power of love, and to wake up to who we really are on the deepest level of reality. Waking […]
Kyle, Texas ER: What makes a compassionate community? Gudjon Bergmann: On a bad day, people in a compassionate community will tolerate each other and help if the need arises. On a good day, people in a compassionate community will go out of their way to treat each other well and support those who […]
Excellence Reporter: Myra, what is the meaning of life? Jaya Jaya Myra: I don’t think there is a single, concise answer for the meaning of life, but if I were to try to give you just one answer, I would say experience. Consciousness has a desire to experience […]
As a theologian and priest, the meaning of life for me is simple: serving my Gods to the utmost of my ability (and hopefully gracefully, but I’m still working on that part!). It’s my commitment to the Holy Powers and to honoring my ancestors that defines every single […]
In my clinical experience I have found it critical to help people find the meaning of their experience within their perception of life to be critical. Victor Frankl was very perspective when he described that it was precisely this factor that predicted whether prisoners would die or live […]
Excellence Reporter: Rose, what is the meaning of life? Rose Marcus: Simply stated, it is a heart journey. The purpose of life is to experience yourself as the creative powerhouse that you are. What are you here to do? To accomplish something truly extraordinary. It’s something only you can […]
Excellence Reporter: Vishvapani, what is the meaning of life? Vishvapani Blomfield: I like to ask, ‘What makes my life meaningful?’ I prefer that question to ‘What is the meaning of life?’ An answer comes when I stop thinking about ‘me’, ‘my life’ and ‘my experience’. I’m here for a […]
Excellence Reporter: Jennie, what is the meaning of life? Jennie Lee: Love. Love is the meaning, the purpose, the beginning, and the end of life. It is the harmonizing, unifying energy of the Universe from which we all sprang and to which we all return. Whether we recognize ourselves […]
Excellence Reporter: David, what is the meaning of life? David Michie: On a day-to-day basis, each of us finds meaning in different things according to our backgrounds and temperaments. For some people that means being a parent. For others, a mountaineer. I believe we find our maximum fulfillment […]
Excellence Reporter: Jane, what is the meaning of life? Jane Sloane: The meaning of life is in what we learn about our capacity for love, kindness, generosity and forgiveness. It’s in our acts of creation and in our experience of loss and grief. It’s in our work to […]
Excellence Reporter: Jennifer, what is the menial go life? Jennifer Urezzio: Well…living years of a spiritual life I want to say connection. And, today that meaning doesn’t fit. Today, I feel out of sorts and longing for something I can’t put my fingers on. Days like this, the […]
The meaning of life is to be present, to live fully and to help others realize their full potential as well. It means living in balance, realizing that we`re a small speck in the universum, and actualizing the wisdom and compassion that naturally resides within us. Michaela […]
Excellence Reporter: Katalin, what is the meaning of life? Katalin Koda: Life is the opportunity to discover our true nature and gifts and offer them in service to others along the path. True meaning becomes apparent in the practice of offering, being of service, to dissolve our smaller […]
I suppose that when we reflect on what is the ‘meaning of life,’ or perhaps what the significance of existence has been, we are in essence wondering what underlying, common thread has given continuity, or integrity, to our myriad, varied experiences. The question is often answered in generic platitudes—to love well, to […]
Excellence Reporter: Debra, what is the meaning of life? Debra Moffitt: Most people think of life as confined to what happens from birth to death. But that’s a limited view of who we are. When put into the bigger perspective, we are multidimensional spiritual beings beyond the body, […]
Excellence Reporter: Catherine, what is the meaning of life? Catherine Bell: This is a profound confronting question. Philosophers, mystics, scientists, and sages have been examining this question for a very long time. Some might say it is to discover what the meaning of life is. And responses to this […]
What is the meaning of life? Humans are basically dogs with thumbs. And canines – like humans – are opportunists: trundling along the path, looking for anything odd that we could possibly eat. The ‘odd’ thing: That’s the ticket. Opportunist species look for things that are out of […]
To open one’s eyes widely and to breathe consciously. Everything else will reveal itself from there… *** ~Claude AnShin Thomas, Zen Buddhist Monk, Vietnam Veteran, International Advocate of Nonviolence, and Author, was ordained in the Japanese Soto Zen Tradition in 1995. Born 1947 in Meadville, Pennsylvania, he […]
Excellence Reporter: Kurt, what is the meaning of life? Kurtis Lamkin: To go Home empty. To rassle receiving to the ground so we can fill our waking days with giving. We come into the world buck-naked, but we are full. The heaven is to go back battered bone-dry […]
What is the meaning of life? Life is the choice you make after an eternity of oneness with the cosmos. Life is mortality, the knowing that, yes, you and everyone and everything you love will die. You (and all things) are precious for this very reason. You came […]
Excellence Reporter: Elena, what is the meaning of life? Elena Brower: The meaning of life is gratitude; it’s all we take when we leave this earthly experience, as far as I can see… Here’s a recent thank you note, to Life, to Source, from me: Thank you for […]
Excellence Reporter: Zuna, what is the meaning of life? Brahman Zuna: There is no meaning of life, there is no meaning in life. That doesn’t mean that I am against life. Life is an accidental phenomenon that is a projection of eternal Aliveness. And we should ask where […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Poelina, what is the meaning of life? Dr. Anne Poelina: I think of this question from the perspective that I am a Nyikina Warrwa Traditional Custodian from the Kimberley region of Australia. When I introduce myself I say ‘ngayoo yimardoowarra marnil’ which means I belong […]
Excellence Reporter: Pace, what is the meaning of life? Pace Freeborn: Love, joy, happiness, trust, compassion, expansion, spiritual evolution… these are but I few things that rise within when thinking about the meaning of life. What more can there be to life than to be happy, to play […]
Bremerton, Washington As a Druid, I thought it appropriate to begin with an old story, as it is currently understood. It may provide a point of reference. Approximately 359 MYA a new group of species came to dominate the land–the first conifers. By using the newly manifested binder […]
Excellence Reporter: BelindaGrace, what is the meaning of life? BelindaGrace: After twenty-one years of service as a clairvoyant and healer the only thing I am sure of is that life is a mystery. So for me its not about the meaning of life, but the purpose of it. As […]
Excellence Reporter: Bayo, what is the meaning of life? Bayo Akomolafe: A few years ago I might have answered the question about the meaning of life with a lot of confidence. I might have insisted it had something to do with love, peace, free will or some other […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Klein, what is the meaning of life? Melanie Klein: The question is all at once incredibly broad and deeply personal. In the most general sense, I believe the meaning of life hinges on our journey to accessing, feeling and becoming an expression of divine love. […]
Excellence Reporter: Lama Tendar, what is the meaning of life? Lama Tendar Olaf Høyer: You ask me, what is the meaning of life? Well… When you analyse, what people are looking for, it seems that they seek happiness while they also aim to avoid suffering. So, this could […]
Given the predations of the current occupant of the Oval Office and of formerly popular politicians, actors, and film studio owners, I become depressed that it seems dangerous nowadays to be a woman. But then I think of the Women’s Marches (for which I write monthly stories and/or blogs), […]
Excellence Reporter: Sandra, what is the meaning of life? Sandra Kynes: What is the meaning of life? I used to think that it was some deeply esoteric thing that required years or decades of study and meditation. I felt that it required a great thinker who could enlighten […]
The meaning of life is a unique expression of each individual soul. I believe we come to live a physical life so that we can grow spiritually and evolve through lessons, duality and the ability to overcome our shortcoming. We spend the beginning of our life learning to […]
The meaning of life is to live directly from our soul. To fill our heart and days with laughter from birth through when we are old. We all have so many gifts to offer discovered by tapping into our inner being. When we truly connect within life becomes […]
Excellence Reporter: Melissa, what is the meaning of life? Melissa Harris: I’m not sure that there is an “absolute” to this question. Life just is and those of you fortunate enough to be reading this article have certain amounts of freedom enough to give your lives the meaning […]
Springfield, Missouri After 44-years of teaching and practicing participatory architecture, urban design, and community development and serving the past 15-years as the Director of the Hammons School of Architecture’s Center for Community Studies, I have witnessed first-hand many compassionate communities. To me, a compassionate community is one that […]
What a wonderful question—and all the more meaningful because it was asked the day after I began work on my next book, confirming that a return to writing was the way to go. Such a big question! If I had been asked to define the meaning of life […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Axelrod, what is the meaning of life? David. B. Axelrod: For some, the meaning of life is a who-done-it, a pursuit of magical thinking asserting belief above reason—which creation myth, which god, which story best satisfies a society’s needs at any given time. Faith begins […]
Excellence Reporter: Rosalyn, what is the meaning of life? Rosalyn W. Berne: In my early childhood I encountered the spirits of people who were deceased. This taught me that there is something really special about being alive; that human life on Earth is precious, as it gives our souls […]
The meaning or purpose of life as a human being is to realize our true-Self and in doing so create a life that expresses this in order to contribute to the greater order of nature and the universe. If we as humans reflect the harmony and order that […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Goldberg, what is the meaning of life? Bruce Goldberg: My approach to the meaning of life reflects upon the perfection of the soul and to eliminate the need to reincarnate. By learning our karmic lessons we can transcend this physical dimension and merge with the […]
Excellence Reporter: Penny, what is the meaning of life? Penny Billington: As a Druid, I see myself as a part of the natural world, and I view it as my window to spirit: I look to it for meaning and my guidelines for life. Observation of the world, […]
Excellence Reporter: Tisha, what is the meaning of life? Tisha Morris: If you were to have asked me this question a few years ago, I would have said the meaning of life is for spiritual growth, evolution, or to learn lessons. But today I would say the meaning […]
At some time or other, most of us have probably wondered why we’re living on Planet Earth and what we’re supposed to do while we’re here. Is our existence here more than pure chance, and if so, what does it all mean? One popular idea likens earth to […]
Excellence Reporter: Tess, what is the meaning of life? Tess Whitehurst: Google tells me “meaning” means definition, implied or explicit significance, or purpose. To be honest, when I consider the meanings of meaning, I’m not sure life has any. It may. But there’s no way of knowing. What I […]
There is an unspeakable gem whose light comes seemingly from all around us, but in truth is an upwelling from within us. Our relationship to that upwelling light — to that source of love — is really where we find the meaning of life, and we discover this […]
Excellence Reporter: Lie, what is the meaning of life? Lie Hoogenberk: The meaning of life to me is to: ‘Explore all layers of experience.’ Physical, emotional and mental. And to see that your freedom lies in this exploration. Even though humans would like to be reassured of a […]
Excellence Reporter: Jim, what is the meaning of life? Jim Newman: There is no meaning and no need for a meaning of life. Everything is already what it is, which is already needlessly, free and fulfilled. “Life” is not separate from what is. Without separation, there is no […]
Baltimore, Maryland A community is made up of families and families are made of individuals. It follows that a compassionate community is made up of compassionate families. And compassionate families must have compassionate individuals at their root. One way that reflects the state of our emotional health and […]
Excellence Reporter: Jessica, what is the meaning of life? Jessica Graham: I believe as these impermanent human creatures, on this impermanent blue and green speck that is spinning in the midst of vast and endless mystery, the meaning of this whole life thing is to connect. Connect with […]
Excellence Reporter: Manitonquat, what is the meaning of life? Manitonquat: Life has no universal or absolute meaning, the concept of meaning is a human one and there never will be universal agreement among human beings, so each person must make his own meaning, the meaning that fits his own […]
Q: Robert, what is the meaning of life? R: Life has no meaning whatsoever. It doesn’t mean a thing. Those of you who are running around trying to make things happen are making a terrible mistake. Everything has been preordained. Everything is happening according to a divine plan. […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Weissman, what is the meaning of life? Dr. Darren Weissman: The moment of complete darkness is the beginning of light. Turn on the news and you’ll hear about war, genocide, political upheaval, scandals, poverty, starvation, racism, pollution, suicide, bankruptcy, death, hatred, violence, rapists, cancer, children […]
Excellence Reporter: Alain, what is the meaning of life? Alain Herriott: This is a question that has so many answers it is almost silly to ask. For some it is the pursuit of money, fame and significance. For others it is the need to serve. These are strivings […]
Excellence Reporter: Raymon, what is the meaning of life? Raymon Grace: It is my opinion that we arrived on planet Earth, third rock from the sun, for a reason. History shows those before us did not make the best choices to keep the earth clean and healthy. The […]
Imagine a wine tasting party. At a wine tasting, that’s what it’s all about—tasting. There may be discussion, too, because with wine there is plenty to learn and talk about. There’s no end to what can be said about wine. Yet if all learned ideas were discussed—it wouldn’t […]
Excellence Reporter: Will, what is the meaning of life? Will Ackerman: I would be surprised and somewhat disappointed if there was a consensus of what constitutes “the meaning of life.” When I was about 16, the man I most looked up to (Hugh Folsom at Windham Hill Farm) […]
Excellence Reporter: Lyn, what is the meaning of life? Lyn Hunstad: The question assumes that there is a meaning to life and that it might be found and understood by our human minds, and maybe then everything would be OK. Those are big assumptions and I do not […]
To me, the meaning of life is to be awake. Awakening is to realize the infinite value of each moment of your own life as well as of other beings, then to continue to act accordingly. ~Kazuaki Tanahashi, born in Japan in 1933 and active in the United […]
The Autumn breeze is clear and crisp, calming and peaceful. It touches the leaves of green, yellow, orange and red; all of them flowing gracefully in the breeze. Practicing TaiChi and Qigong in a park near home, I feel this carpet of vibrant reds and golds caressing my […]
“Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless” the richest King to ever live once wrote. Surely, not everything is meaningless right? Our culture is fixated on happiness, pleasure, wealth and riches, and fame. Surely one of those has some meaning to it. What about wealth and riches? Wouldn’t life be better […]
Excellence Reporter: Emily, what is the meaning of life? Emily Esfahani Smith: Despite our culture’s obsession with happiness, we are more weighed down by despair than ever; suicide rates in the US recently hit a thirty-year high and depression has been trending upward for decades. This growing despair […]
Excellence Reporter: Richard, what is the meaning of life? Richard L. Haight: Set aside the adult perspective for a moment and recall the innocent, magical world that you inhabited as a child. Remembering back, you might realize that there was innate meaning prior to the “philosophy of meaning” […]
Excellence Reporter: Atreya, what is the meaning of life? Vaidya Atreya Smith: Liberation from the concept of being an individual. A simple question has a simple answer. Consciousness objectified becomes the individual, consciousness non-objectified is pure beingness. Living, or being, is a natural spontaneous happening that is effortlessness. […]
Our life is our daily existence. It is made up of our daily living, the unity of the body, mind and consciousness. An Ayurvedic sutra says: Sattvam Atma Sharirancha tryam etat tridandavat Sattva is the mind, Atma is the conscious principles, and sharira is the physical body. This […]
Asheville, North Carolina ER: Dr. Foor, what makes a compassionate city/community? Daniel Foor: To be beneficial, compassion calls for community members to balance self-interest and care for others. We need to stay true to our own specific destiny and soul-level purpose while also seeking to uplift others in the […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Alexander, what is the meaning of life? Ronald Alexander: For me the meaning of life has three tributaries as forks in this great river of time in our lives ~ purpose, fate and destiny. The first fork in the river of time is purpose. This […]
I want to share what has been shared with me over my career in a good way and try and touch the souls of young people that stories matter. As a cultural outreach and world flute artist I try and bring the universal language of music to the […]
In Sanskrit the word for a human being is purusha. In English, this translates to “born with potential.” Having obtained this precious human life, we have the intelligence to cultivate the wisdom that knows the true nature of all phenomena. This means we have the potential to realize […]
Excellence Reporter: Diana, what is the meaning of life? Diana Raab: The meaning of life is a question most human beings ponder. I believe that the meaning of life is love—loving yourself and loving others. When love is your higher power, it means that you are giving of […]
Sydney, Australia “Urbanization is the process by which rural communities grow to form cities, or urban centres, and, by extension, the growth and expansion of those cities. Urbanization began in ancient Mesopotamia in the Uruk Period (4300-3100 BCE) for reasons scholars have not yet agreed on. It is […]
Where does life come from, where does it go when it disappears, and what is its meaning? Not only the physical life of birth and death, but the life energy that pulsates in us, and out of which we say, “I feel good.” Or that eludes us when […]
WHAT MAKES A COMPASSIONATE CITY? Ballarat, Australia A compassionate city is made up of a critical mass of people who want to nurture and develop themselves in the recognition that they, and the world they live in, are all interdependent. Relating to each other with an awareness of […]
WHAT MAKES A COMPASSIONATE COMMUNITY? Cambria, California Eye wide open and caring, are the first two steps to feed compassion where we live. With an understanding that I, as one person, cannot possibly bring well-being to all of those who hunger — those who hunger for love, shelter […]
ER: What makes a compassionate city/community In the spirit of practicing a more selfless regard for my comforts, conveniences or needs, I find I experience more peaceful contentment, and most of all, that my heart becomes softened, more tender, and more loving when helping others. When reaching out […]
WHAT MAKES A COMPASSIONATE CITY? The Berkshires, Massachusetts A compassionate city is a place where no one is excluded from the richness a community can offer. It is centered on providing spaces and places where people can connect – where mind, body and soul are nurtured through meaningful […]
WHAT MAKES A COMPASSIONATE CITY? Louisville, Kentucky True compassion is not an emotion or way of feeling. Rather it is a way of being toward others that involves two steps; first, listening to the needs and interests of others from where they live and second, responding to those […]
Patrick French: To my mind, compassion is one of the defining characteristics, or qualities, of being human — anyone who doesn’t have it can barely be called human. If you consider all the greatest stories about human beings, from the ancient times (stories like those of the Native […]
WHAT MAKES A COMPASSIONATE CITY? Louisville, Kentucky There was once a village led by a wise man. He was wise in commerce, but more importantly compassion. He also never really considered himself a governing leader, but only to help anyone to become their true Self. Although he had […]
WHAT MAKES A COMPASSIONATE CITY? by Ernie Brooks Everything! A compassionate community is everything, from the animals and humans to the nature and all things that exist in it, both living and static. We may simplify the definition of compassion to a few words, but compassion cannot be simply […]
The key to experiencing the meaning of life is to open your heart and soul to joy and to serving others with unconditional love, forgiveness, and compassion. When we connect with our souls, we see clearly that we are on both a physical and spiritual journey. By cultivating […]
WHAT MAKES A COMPASSIONATE CITY? by Vanessa F. Hurst Compassion is heart-centered. It is a strong desire to alleviate suffering whenever, wherever, and however it presents. A compassionate city is an aware city. It is an umbrella under which small and large, organized and personal, communal and personal […]
WHAT MAKES A COMPASSIONATE CITY? I believe compassion begins at the very root of ourselves, our inner being, our core. It begins by being kind to ourselves, taking care of our bodies and nourishing our spirits. A stable and happy individual is better able to serve others and […]
Beggar or Treasure? There’s a story in India about the beggar who lived under a tree. When he died, villagers dug the hole for his grave right where he had sat. To their amazement, they found a trove of diamonds and gold. The beggar had been sitting on […]
Meaning of life – let’s talk about 3 perspectives. From one grand perspective – the meaning of life is to stay alive, to reproduce, to foster survival through generations. But that’s not it for many of us. We live in relationship – with specific people and cultures. From […]
The meaning of life (at least one of them) is to live as light. Which is a lofty spiritual concept, especially with so much darkness in us and in the world. Until we understand the transformative power of the dark. Here’s how I got to know the transformative […]
What is the meaning of life? This age old question has been the subject of so much speculation. What gives meaning to our existence is something that we know, in our own mind, has true significance, an importance that overrides all other considerations. So we need to look […]
The meaning of life is to LOVE: deeply and without fear. At this point in my life, I know that Love is the most real thing any of us can have in our life. It is special because you can’t own it or buy it, you can only […]
In the 1970s, I went to a concert by Indian masters, Pandit Ravi Shankar (sitar) and Ustad Alla Rakha (tabla). The music was incredibly beautiful and transported the audience to another realm. I had a naive thought – if the world’s leaders were there and could open their hearts to […]
The older I get the meaning of life takes on different colors. There are always the essentials, love, human connection, family and feeling like you are relevant and contributing something that might, maybe make a difference to other lives now and hopefully after you have departed. For me […]
In the Zen tradition we learn that when it comes to the big questions such as “What is This reality?” and “Who’s asking?” and “What is the meaning of life?” there are no answers and no way of knowing. Knowing is considered a delusion of the rational discriminating […]
I remember when the meaning of life meant something different to me than it does today. In many years from now, will this new understanding I have about life take on a new meaning? That’s the funny thing about life it changes from moment to moment, so even […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Zeine, what is the meaning of life? Foojan Zeine: Sages and philosophers have searched for millennia to uncover life’s meaning. Personally, I believe that the meaning of life is different for each person—and potentially that unique! When we’re born, our family teaches us about how […]
If I had to sum up what I see as the meaning of life, it would be to be in service to others. After all, this is what the great spiritual traditions tell us. I think this lovely poem by Thomas Stanley expresses this point of view To […]
Excellence Reporter: Jan, what is the meaning of life? Jan Engels-Smith: We all seek meaning in life and we have different reasons to believe that we have found it or we resign ourselves to an existential belief that there is no meaning to existence. I cannot subscribe to […]
