We are born. We eat sweet potatoes. Then we die. ~Easter Island proverb What if we fully faced the fact we are going to die. That there is a physical end to this life we are living. And what if we embraced the profound uncertainty of not knowing […]
“And she lifted her head, looking out the window. The Sun shone directly into her eye with just a slight angle and she chose not to waver in the face of the strong light, but to let the suns rays penetrate her vision and give her Eyes for […]
Excellence Reporter: J.Jaye, what is the meaning of life? J. Jaye Gold: Questions of this nature can really only be explored, not answered. For this inquiry, let’s explore the purpose of an individual human life. It is fruitful to examine human life as a “process,” rather than a “product,” […]
Excellence Reporter: Dorothy, what is the meaning of life? Dorothy Rowe: Life is the spark of Divine essence within all things, the Source of creation, simultaneously manifest and unmanifest. This spark of life is self illuminating. As such it appears as the phenomenal forms of the world. We […]
What is the meaning of life? I silently laughed as I read the question. Where was Socrates when I needed him? But I don’t need Socrates to have an opinion, and, of course, Socrates, true to form, would expect me to answer the question myself. That’s the problem […]
Excellence Reporter: Pernilla, what is the meaning of life? Pernilla Lillarose: I would like to answer this question from 2 angles: What is the meaning of life to me? What is the meaning of life itself? The answer will depend on who this ‘me’ is and what life […]
This question was Present as far back as I remember… possibly lifetimes. After much searching and eliminating, not this, not that… The meaning revealed itself to be at the deepest core of all Being. The True meaning and whole point of life is not to be found on the […]
Excellence Reporter: Daniel, what is the meaning of life? Daniel Schmidt: Only the limited mind wants the meaning life. The ego structure wants to know, but what we really want at a deeper level is the full experience of being alive. The flowering of human consciousness is realized […]
Excellence Reporter: Gail, what is the meaning of life? Gail Brenner: This is a beautiful, fierce, and illuminating question, and here’s my story about it. For over 20 years, I lived in the painful process of struggling to discover the purpose of my life. The days seemed to […]
Excellence Reporter: Reb Brian, what is the meaning of life? Reb Brian Yosef Schachter-Brooks: Let’s look at Deuteronomy, 11:26-28 רְאֵ֗ה אָנֹכִ֛י נֹתֵ֥ן לִפְנֵיכֶ֖ם הַיּ֑וֹם בְּרָכָ֖ה וּקְלָלָֽה “See, I set before you today blessing and curse” This is the message to us in every moment: life is both blessing and […]
Why am I here? What is my purpose? What is the meaning of life? Meaning and purpose are among life’s biggest questions. The answers are not simple and require self-exploration. Meaning is what we give to our experiences. How we interpret and relate to life leads to the […]
Excellence Reporter: Mani, what is the meaning of life? Mani: When I hear this question, I feel a warmth in my heart, not my physical heart but the heart of my being, which I call my Soul. Each Soul is the repository of the essence of many lives and […]
Right at your heart! That’s where we start! Somebody recently sent me an early birthday present. It must have been very urgent for me to receive because it was four months early. It was the story of a man who raised goslings from the egg to flight. So, […]
Excellence Reporter: Rev. Peter, what is the meaning of life? Rev. Peter Panagore: Love is key. Love is the meaning of life. We keep the love we give away, and we keep the love given to us. Love is the treasure of Heaven. Give love freely. The flow […]
Excellence Reporter: Mukti Apollo, what is the meaning of life? Moksha Mukti Apollo: This question has become a cliche, and have been answered many times by many so called authorities and experts. So, I propose metaphysical yet scientific approach to answer this question, and I’ll answer in two […]
The evolution of our souls follows these steps upwards towards enlightenment (not necessarily in this exact order and some happen simultaneously). To be read from the bottom of the page upwards… The Absolute / the Nature of Reality is Good / Pure Being /Enlightenment ↑ Discovery of Nature […]
Excellence Reporter: Gloriji, what is the meaning of life? Gloriji: I don’t know, but I can share from my experiences. In our relative experience of being in the world, our search for the meaning of life begins as we mature. We’re acutely aware of the pain and suffering in […]
Excellence Reporter: James, what is the meaning of life? James Waite: We often go looking for meaning in all the wrong places. Indeed, there are no right places, outside of our self, to find real meaning. Meantime, it seems most of us are launched by our cultures and […]
A 21st century scientific revolution is underway that will transform our understanding of our Universe at every level and crucially at the scale of our everyday lives. Even more important, by reconciling scientifically-based evidence with universal spiritual experience, it will revolutionize our understanding of the nature of reality itself. It’s revealing that […]
In answering a question like this I think that instead of answering with an opinion, it’s best to look together and try to come to know something that is undeniably true, for all of us. Otherwise, one person’s opinion is no more or less valid than another’s, and […]
Excellence Reporter: Tree, what is the meaning of life? Tree: The ultimate meaning of life is to discover who we are. To have an embodied experience of, “I Am That.” We are all searching for this either consciously or unconsciously or is it searching for us. To experience […]
Notice that the word “love” has no intrinsic meaning. Instead, someone chose to correlate the word “love” with kindness and compassion, two concepts that already existed. From that point forward, the word “love” could be used in a practical way as long as everyone agreed with this definition. […]
Excellence Reporter: Alice, what is the meaning of life? Alice Grist: I write a lot about the dirty and the divine, about how one is lost without the other. That holds true to this question, that question about the meaning of life that we find ourselves contemplating, usually […]
Excellence Reporter: Swami Khecarantha, what is the meaning, or the purpose of life? Swami Khecarantha: The purpose of life is to discover the ultimate truth, that God dwells within you as your Self. It is the direct experience that all of life is simply One Thing, beyond all […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Gustin, what is the meaning of life? Kate Gustin: To ask any question about meaning is to venture into narrative, language, story, mental constructs. The mind is absolutely fabulous at generating answers to such inquiries; it will pull from individual history, from culture, from personal […]
Excellence Reporter: Jan, what is the meaning of life? Jan Esmann: Asked that question I at once thought you could write a dissertation about it or nothing at all. Both replies would be equally meaningless, but allow me to summarize my experience contemplating that very question for 59 […]
Excellence Reporter: Amoda, what is the meaning of life? Amoda Maa: There’s a precious pearl inside each of us. It’s so easy to ignore in the pursuit of more profitable acquisitions in life, such as finding the perfect partner or rising to the top of our profession or […]
Excellence Reporter: Vera, what is the meaning of life? Vera Helleman: This is a question that people ponder about when the primary necessities of life are fulfilled and an itching feeling says: ‘what now?’… ‘how do I make my life meaningful?’. There is an inner longing in each […]
Excellence Reporter: Michael, what is the meaning of life? Michael Speight: Of course if one is a fan of “The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy” the answer is “42” and we could just leave it there and just enjoy the fun of that. Life is an opportunity. According […]
Excellence Reporter: Hans, what is the meaning of life? Hans Wilhelm: I once found this poem on a Starbuck coffee cup that explains the meaning of our life perfectly: Life is a school for angels. Love is the teacher, so you do your homework without fear. Death is […]
Excellence Reporter: Michael, what is the meaning of life? Michael Roads: In the most simple terms possible, the meaning of life for humanity is the meaning of you. Truly, that’s it . . . in a nutshell. Of course, being a complicated species this statement is far too […]
Excellence Reporter: Rev. Bill, what is the meaning of life? Rev. Bill McDonald: I have given much thought and time to contemplate that very question ever since I was a child facing death in the hospital at eight years of age. I had “died” in my hospital bed all […]
Excellence Reporter: Mr. Harsanyi, what is the meaning of life? Gabor Harsanyi: To answer this question in the most loving way… without making anything right or wrong, I refer to a quote from my book “Functional Silence: De-mystifying Awakening for the Spiritually Exhausted”: “Bees love to fly from […]
Excellence Reporter: Daniel, what is the meaning of life? Daniel Moler: Growing soul. But, what is soul and how do we grow it? We often think of the soul as an individual thing, a part of our personal identity. However, in the shamanic arts there is another interpretation. Soul is […]
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 […]
Since I was a young child I asked myself this question ‘What is the meaning of it all?’ Why am I here?’ What the hell is going on here? I was surrounded by facades and people pretending to know a lot of apparently very important stuff. There were […]
Don’t aim at success—the more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side-effect of one’s dedication to a cause greater […]
Excellence Reporter: Jacqueline, what is the meaning of life? Jacqueline Straub: I’m a fighter. I fight for reforms within the catholic church and for years I have been committed to structural change. Since my youth I have wanted to become a priest in the catholic church. That is […]
Excellence Reporter: Randy, what is the meaning of life? Randy Taran: We are perched on a planet, spinning in the galaxy amidst unimaginable vastness, and at the same time we are also the center of our very own universe. When we are in our head, we feel the […]
In the course of several decades giving public lectures on language, mind, and human nature, I have been asked some mighty strange questions. Which is the best language? Are clams and oysters conscious? When will I be able to upload my mind to the Internet? Is obesity a […]
When it comes to spiritualism and mediums, the art of fortune telling and so on, there is often a lot of preconceptions people have. Take scrying, for example. The art of scrying – the act of gaining insight or revelation by becoming in touch with your unconscious mind […]
Excellence Reporter: Aberjhani, what is the meaning of life? Aberjhani: Years of meditating on that huge question have led me to believe we ourselves are the meaning of life in the sense that we are born with an innate ability to endow it, Life, with meaning. This […]
Excellence Reporter: Acharya, what is the meaning of life? Acharya Shunya: The meaning of life for me is the search for life. To not merely lead the life mechanically — we are born, we grow up, we are given goals by society to meet, be it earning wealth, […]
Excellence Reporter: Cara, what is the meaning of life? Cara Lopez Lee: Describing the meaning of life feels like trying to describe an orgasm. It can’t mean much to someone else until they’ve experienced it themselves, at which point they’ll likely lose interest in reading someone else’s account […]
Excellence Reporter: Mira, what is the meaning of life? MiraMichelle: Life has a particular resonance that is universal for us all. We meet this resonance daily and experience what is there to be experienced. Sometimes we rejoice in that what is and sometimes we despair. Whichever way the pendulum […]
Excellence Reporter: Sonia, what is the meaning of life? Sonia Roberts: Legacy is fundamental to what it is to be human. Legacy, not meaning money and property, but rather something you can leave behind to the people who come after to enrich their lives, the community and society […]
Excellence Reporter: Betsy, what is the meaning of life? Betsy Damon: If life is a miracle, then the meaning of life is to be in the miracle: Alive, awake and aware. If you see someone who needs a helping hand, help them. If you have an extra piece […]
Excellence Reporter: Marybeth, what is the meaning of life? Marybeth Holleman: I am five years old, and I am sitting in the solid branches of my dogwood tree, the one that blooms pink flowers every spring. Up here, the breeze tickling my bare arms, the sunlight warming the […]
Respect the woman, for she is the mother of the universe, and all the truth of divine creation lies in her. She is the basis of all that is good and beautiful, as she is also the germ of life and death. On her depends the whole existence […]
Excellence Reporter: Shifu Jerry, what is the meaning of life? Shifu Jerry Erickson: This is a question I believe we have all contemplated on many, many times throughout our lives. As for myself, I have studied and traveled extensively to find answers about life, spirituality, comparative religion, healing […]
We have not come into the world to be numbered; we have been created for a purpose; for great things: to love and be loved. Jesus said love one another. He didn’t say love the whole world. I never look at the masses as my responsibility. I look […]
How often in tired, depressed moments we ask, what is the meaning of life? We only ask this question when we don’t feel there is any. When we are at peace, happy, connected, we forget to ask this question because we are busy doing what we were born […]
Excellence Reporter: Father Charles, what is the meaning of life? Fr. Charles Ogada: The tree lives by the unconditional giving of its very ESSENCE – which is its fruits. The life of the Sun has meaning only by the unconditional giving of its very essence. The River flows […]
Excellence Reporter: Jeff, what is the meaning of life? Jeffery Olsen: I died in 1997. That’s right, I died. I left my body as a result of a horrible automobile accident which crushed both my legs, causing the amputation of my left leg above the knee, along with […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. O’Driscoll, what is the meaning of life? Jeff O’Driscoll: In life, and particularly as an emergency physician, I’ve learned that every scrap of human experience has value. Every shred of every encounter with every soul teaches me something. Each interaction yields an opportunity to connect […]
One day, guests came to the Master. They were not his disciples, but had heard a lot about his wisdom. The Master’s disciples also gathered to listen to the conversation. When everyone was conveniently located in the garden after a delicious lunch, the guests began to ask the […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Antonov, what is the meaning of life? Vladimir Antonov: For me, this question is not one which is “idle” or has “no answer”, as is sometimes said. I’m 72 now. But I had already started thinking deeply on this subject when I was just in my […]
“I believe it is impossible to live a happy life if one nourishes resentment for some harm done to oneself, or guilt or repressed anger for an error of omission or commission we caused. On the other hand, we become incapable of resentment when we have understood that […]
Number One: A true Sage avoids name and fame like the plague. If a Sage has transcended the ego why would he or she need name or fame? If a Sage claims to be enlightened why would that being want to be known? To have a following, to write books, […]
Joyce and I love watching our two-year-old grandson, Owen, just as much as we love spending time with our first grandson, almost eight-year-old Skye. When they were new babies, their dependence was obvious. Because Owen is younger, I will use him as an example. He would not have […]
Excellence Reporter: Susan, what is the meaning of life? Susan Chernak McElroy: The meaning of life—is simply life itself. The trajectory of life is always toward more life. If you look deeply at this, you know it is true: in the interwoven tapestry of nature there is no […]
Excellence Reporter: Lisa, what is the meaning of life? Lisa Schrader: I think the meaning of life is to love it. Because it’s a miracle that we’re even here. One ancestor after another in our lineage some how found themselves saved in the massacre, alive after the epidemic, […]
Excellence Reporter: Devon, what is the meaning of life? Devon Loftus: As a 29-year-old homebody who currently lives on the road, I find inspiration in the grounding, in-between moments. The ones that often times are a result of genuine conversation, quiet hours, soft pink sunsets and laughter. Duality […]
“Are you a blacksmith?” The voice behind his back was heard so unexpectedly that Vasily even shuddered. Besides he didn’t hear the door of the workshop being opened and someone come in. “Did you try to knock?” he answered rudely, slightly angered at himself and at the prompt […]
Excellence Reporter: Chad, what is the meaning of life? Chad Mercree: In the past few years my perceptions of the meaning of life have changed. I used to believe that the purpose of life was to ‘wake up’ spiritually, that we are all unfinished eggs and the experiences […]
Excellence Reporter: Trish, what is the meaning of life? Trish Broersma: The meaning of life lies in constantly creating oneself and honoring that same creative opportunity in everything around us. Claiming this opportunity follows from discovering the terrifying yet liberating, radical, decisional nature of being human. Nothing can stand […]
The wisdom of long-livers is invaluable for those who want to live a long life. Behind every thought is a personal experience, every conclusion is time-tested. Excerpts from the book “Many Years. Blessed years. Commandments of the 104-year-old sage Andrey Vorona for a long and joyful life.” by Myroslav Dochynets (Original […]
Excellence Reporter: Mr. Sherwood, what is the meaning of life? Keith Sherwood: It’s a common belief that life in all its forms emerged from an inanimate, four – dimensional universe composed of matter, energy and time space. But to the adept everything that exists emerged from life itself. This […]
I dreamed I had an interview with God. “So, you would like to interview me?” God asked. “If you have time,” I said. God smiled. “My time is eternity… what questions do you have in mind for me?” “What surprises you the most about humankind?” God answered… “That […]
Experience is experiencing itself… in, as and through us… in, as, and through everything. It has no body because it is the collective fabric of all bodies. It is no face because it sees through everything; and faces all things. Experience has no agenda because it embodies every […]
Excellence Reporter: Drs. Hulnick, what is the meaning of life? Ron and Mary Hulnick: When we think about this question, the first thing that comes forward is the question, “To which reality are you referring?” If you’re asking from the perspective of physical world reality, your answer would depend […]
Excellence Reporter: Karen, what is the meaning of life? Karen Page: I have been doing this work since I was a child, and throughout childhood, my one constant question, about pretty much everything was always “Why?”…and though I still ask “Why?” about many things, the Meaning of Life […]
Excellence Reporter: Kim, what is the meaning of life? Kim Hermanson: Years ago I sat on a stool in the Art barn at Esalen Institute painting a paper mache mask. I’d originally signed up for some sort of contemplative workshop, but found it too cerebral and ended up […]
I love it when my clients bring questions to counselling about the meaning of life. These existential questions often arise during out most challenging times. This line of questioning can be dismantling and disorientating, and arrive with a whole other set of questions like “what’s wrong with me and […]
When I was 29 years old I got on a bus and travelled to Land’s End, in Cornwall, England, to end my life. I stood on a cliff, buffeted by the wind of winter’s end, and looked down into the broiling water far below, imagining my body breaking […]
Miracles happen all the time. You probably know someone who has had a miracle happen to them, or maybe a miracle has happened to you. I know a woman whose cancer tumor disappeared overnight after she and several others stayed up all night praying. The doctors said there was no medical explanation […]
*** ~Dr. Swamini Svatmavidyananda Saraswati has taught at several universities nationally, including UC Berkeley. She is widely recognized as a scholar of Advaita Vedanta, and is a disciple of Pujya Sri Swami Dayanandaji Saraswati, an internationally Acharya of the Advaita Vedanta tradition, interfaith leader, and scholastic author of […]
What a wonder it is just to be alive, more remarkable still to be aware of this and to wonder what might be the meaning of life? As endless reflections of consciousness becoming conscious of itself there are as many meanings as there are makers of meaning. Perceived […]
Excellence Reporter: Suzanne, what is the meaning of life? Suzanne Scurlock-Durana: Many years ago Joseph Campbell inspired me with this enlightening quote: “People say that what we’re all seeking is a meaning for life. I don’t think that’s what we’re really seeking. I think that what we’re seeking is […]
Excellence Reporter: Dear Dorothy, what is the meaning of life?Dorothy Walters: I think the “meaning” of life is well beyond our understanding. However, the purpose of life is to find ways to return to our divine origin. Yeats said, “Man can embody truth, but never know it.” I agree with Yeats. […]
Excellence Reporter: OM, what is the meaning of life? OM C. Parkin: “To know who you really are.“ Know your SELF. Once and for ever. Many years ago my master gave me this answer. It is the final answer to this question. Who receives this answer by a […]
Excellence Reporter: Ana, what is the meaning of life? Ana Holub: The meaning of life, for me, is a journey deep into the heart of our soul. This world is just like the Holodeck in Star Trek – it seems real, but it’s only a passing illusion of […]
Think of a child throwing himself on the floor, wailing in unabashed fury, pounding his hands and feet in revolt because you said ‘no’ to the candy before dinner. While his generous range of high-pitched demands may be annoying, our children are models of untainted behavior. What I’m […]
Most people don’t stop to ask what the meaning of life is. The simple act of asking is an opening to knowing greater meaning, provided that we look within for answers. I used to think that only the peaks of life were meaningful—the milestones, the breakthroughs, the major […]
Excellence Reporter: Karlene, what is the meaning of life? Karlene Stange: Ancient Taoists believed the purpose of life is spiritual growth through alchemy. Alchemical transformation can only occur within a cauldron of opposites. The physical body is that cauldron where yin and yang, spirit and matter unite. Here, […]
As a ray of light shined through a prism diffracts into a spectrum of color, the Eternal Light, when shined through the body, diffracts into the spectrum of the five senses and world perception. The purpose of life is to abide as the Eternal Light which, when shined […]
Excellence Reporter: Joanne, what is the meaning of life? Joanne Fedler: It’s to wake up. It’s to awake from the idea that we are separate from other people. It’s to remember that though we seem to be here as ourselves, we are not here for ourselves. We are […]
Excellence Reporter: Sandy, what is the meaning of life? Sandy Wiggins: What is the meaning of life? I don’t know that any of us can honestly answer the question. It may actually be a meaningless question. Yet we human beings are hardwired to make meaning. Why? Perhaps the […]
Excellence Reporter: Graham, what is the meaning of life? Graham Nicholls: I have often felt it is not the meaning, but the many meanings in life that I believe are at the core of this question. But it seems to me that when we consider the meaning of […]
Excellence Reporter: Sarah, what is the meaning of life? Sarah Varcas: The meaning of life is a mystery to me and I hope it stays that way! Perhaps this mystery is the deepest meaning? Life is an unanswered question, a suspended chord; to be lived, not solved; experienced, […]
‘It is Love that moves the Sun and Stars,’ wrote Dante – perhaps Europe’s most famous poet – at the end of his long journey through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. Looking back at my life’s journey I too would say that ‘Love’ is the meaning of life and […]
Excellence Reporter: Stephanie, what is the meaning of life? Stephanie Marohn: The meaning of life is soul growth and opening our hearts—to the self, to other people, to beings of all kinds, to all of nature, and to the divine. Through all these forms of connection, we grow […]
Excellence Reporter: Rob, what is the meaning of life? Rob Schwartz: The meaning of life is to express the love we truly are – the love that is our eternal nature – here on the physical plane. In short, it is to bring the love of Home to […]
What is the meaning of life for me feels more like a question asking what is the “purpose” of life? Purpose gives us meaning and when we ask “what is the purpose of life?” we gain insights we can use to experience life more fully. Defining life’s purpose can be […]
Excellence Reporter: Daaji, what is the meaning of life? Kamlesh D. Patel: There can be as many answers to this question as there are people, as we all have different individual goals and aspirations. But if we take a broad overview, we can easily see that life on […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Liberman, what is the meaning of life? Jacob Israel Liberman: I’m not sure if life has a meaning. However, it appears to have a purpose – to discover who we are. Are we the body we see in the mirror? Are we the voice in […]
Life is a beautiful reflection, of my choices and actions Karma, the law of cause and effect serves to determine what happens next Experiencing life is such an adventure, With all divine creation interacting together Praying to keep the world happy and calm Any living beings must suffer […]
Excellence Reporter: Patricia, what is the meaning of life? Patricia Cori: The meaning of life? How possibly can one compress into so few words the greatest mystery of existence … the most significant, and yet – the most elusive of our passing here. I am reminded of a […]
Excellence Reporter: Sarah, what is the meaning of life? Sarah Love McCoy: The meaning of life is what we say it is. That’s the funny part. We humans have the amazing power to give meaning to anything and everything. Our minds dictate our reality from the inside out. […]
Excellence Reporter: Sherry, what is the meaning of life? Sherry Maysonave: I discovered that the real me, my soul, existed separate from my body, when I was a mere five years of age. Although young, I integrated the importance of staying connected to my soul, my spirit. Throughout the decades, […]
