Excellence Reporter: Acharya, what is the meaning of life? Acharya Mangalananda: As an American with a life-long connection with India and its practices and beliefs, I speak both through the Traditions I have been involved in, but also through the direct experience that this connection has brought me. […]
The paddles of my kayak dipped gently into crystalline turquoise water. I was gliding like a bird through the late afternoon sun. Utterly by myself I deeply enjoyed the luxury of silence. I chose to make a right hand turn into a cove that was flanked by two […]
Excellence Reporter: Ms. Karpinski, what is the meaning of life? Gloria D. Karpinski: As an intuitive counselor and spiritual teacher for several decades, I can testify the number one question behind all other questions for most people is the quest for meaning. What is the mission? Why am […]
At some point, we’ve all thought about the meaning of life. Why am I here? What is my purpose? Is this all there is or does the journey continue when the physical body no longer functions? As both human and spiritual beings, it’s essential that we consider these […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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: 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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), […]
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 […]
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: 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: 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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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: 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 […]
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” […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Excellence Reporter: Danielle, what is the meaning of life? Danielle Dulsky: The meaning of life is creative expression. Our three-fold task is to seek out our own, unique, wild truth, burn through any obstacles to our expression of that truth as feverishly as possible, and, even when all else […]
Excellence Reporter: Amita, what is the meaning of life? Amita Trasi: The meaning of life is to live! I cannot find a better definition!:-) There was a time, in my late teens when I went in search for the meaning of life. I happened to choose two things: writing a journal and meditation—searching […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Miller, what is the meaning of life? Richard C. Miller: To live from, and related to everyone and everything from “heart-centered presence of being” is my answer to the inquiry, “What is the meaning of life.” As heart-centered presence, I feel myself everywhere and nowhere specific, […]
Excellence Reporter: Sally, what is the meaning of life? Sally Morningstar: The truth of the matter is that what comes will go, what rises will fall, what appears will disappear. All things of this world are impermanent; they will pass. To seek for the Meaning of Life from […]
Excellence Reporter: Oren, what is the meaning of life? Oren J. Sofer: There is something profound, mysterious, and sacred about being alive. The experience of being consciousness in a sensitive, vulnerable human body is so utterly unexpected, so remarkable, that we cannot help but wonder: Why we are […]
Everything in the universe is structured by and functions through dynamic interrelatedness. Even the most minute part of our cells and organs, our blood, flesh, and bones are in constant vibratory interaction with vast fields of interrelatedness comprising everyone and everything around us on Earth and in the […]
“The most terrifying fact about the universe is not that it is hostile but that it is indifferent, but if we can come to terms with this indifference, then our existence as a species can have genuine meaning. However vast the darkness, we must supply our own light…” […]
Excellence Reporter: Sister Jenna, what is the meaning of life? Sister Jenna: The meaning of life at this time in our cycle is to cultivate an intellect with conscience i.e., awareness. An intellect with conscience will seek learning in just about every corner of life while fulfilling its […]
As the shadows were awakening and a scent of the morn was carried on the breeze, I saw an eagle descending from the mountain-tops. It came down without a flutter of the wings into the valley, and there disappeared among the shadows of the black mountains. At the […]
Myriads of questions flood in and out of our personal space twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Each of these questions is fundamentally important within its own time-frame, and the answer inadvertently aims at being as coherent and definitive as possible. In fact, this is the […]
Excellence Reporter: Byron, what is the meaning of life? Byron Metcalf: This feels like the proverbial ‘trick question’! I’m not sure I have any answers but I do have a few ideas and strategies that support my being fully engaged in life, and to that extent, the meaning […]
Excellence Reporter: Karuna, what is the meaning of life? Karuna Cayton: Simply said, the meaning of life is to live a meaningful life. The meaning of life is to be happy. This life we have is like treasure hidden in our basement. It’s value is inexpressible. The problem […]
Excellence Reporter: DeAnna, what is the meaning of life? DeAnna L’am: The meaning of life is Service. When we serve the Whole we fully express who we are and what we came here do do. In order to find our calling, the true meaning of our existence, the unique […]
Excellence Reporter: Jacqueline, what is the meaning of life? Jacqueline Maria Longstaff: I suggest that the meaning of life is to fulfil itself. When the time is right each one of us hears the call from deep within and then begins the inner journey. This journey begins as […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Farmer, what is the meaning of life? Dr. Steven Farmer: 35 years ago I was witness to my oldest daughter Nicole being birthed. I was in shock, not quite finding a place for this miracle in the familiar trappings of my mind. Up to then […]
Excellence Reporter: Martha, what is the meaning of life? Martha St. Claire: We are here to make a difference, to touch hearts, to heal others and ourselves, and to accelerate consciousness. We are here to love one another back to the Divine and along the way, to co-create […]
Excellence Reporter: Hanna, what is the meaning of life? Gyan Devi: The meaning of life is for everyone something else, mostly given by Lords of Karma according to the required experiences, development of soul. Whether we accept it or not, our bodies are tools, puppets for the development […]
The question most people ask is “What is the meaning of life?” The meaning of life is simply that it is. I think a more provocative and useful question is, “What am I doing here?” My take on this is that we came to experience humanity, in all […]
Excellence Reporter: Rev. Debra, what is the meaning of life? Rev. Debra Jarvis: The meaning of life is for everyone to find the meaning of their particular life. When reflecting on this question, the words that float through my brain are, “love,” “service,” “purpose,” “passion,” “connection to the Source,” […]
My first thought when asked this question was “42,” a nonsensical answer that Douglas Adams popularized in his novel Life, The Universe, and Everything. While it may seem flippant, I agree that we really can’t know the ultimate meaning of life. It’s unknowable. A mystery, one that’s better […]
Excellence Reporter: Sally, what is the meaning of life? Sally Kempton: When I was young, I believed that the meaning of life was in our relationships with others and with our own work. As I got older, it seemed to me that the meaning of life is self-knowledge […]
Excellence Reporter: Sri Maharaj, what is the meaning of life? Sri Ramakant Maharaj: There is no meaning of life because you are basically unborn and hence formless. What identity was there prior to beingness, and after leaving the food-body? Your spontaneous, invisible Presence does not have any specific […]
Life is the Breath of God breathing. As co-creators with the Creator, we experience and extend the self-givingness of that eternal pulse now, always and forever. *** ~P.M.H. Atwater, L.H.D. is one of the original researchers in the field of near-death studies, having begun her work in 1978. […]
The meaning of life is to learn to love. And this journey begins with learning to love ourselves. And yet, for most of us, self-love is a radically foreign concept. Most of us live our lives feeling the opposite of self-love — self-loathing and self-judgment. Often, we hold ourselves to unrealistic standards of perfection, and then judge ourselves when we […]
Excellence Reporter: Rev. Maria, what is the meaning of life? Rev. Maria Felipe: HAPPINESS! Happiness is our function. But it’s hard to keep our happy going while being attached to this world of separation, fear, lack and limitation. The good news is that you can see it another […]
As I watch my father dying, the meaning of life is very clear to me. Sadly, he will never enjoy his favorite meal again, drink fresh clean water, make love, create to his full capacity, walk freely, breathe fully, or experience many of the other gifts that come […]
Excellence Reporter: Jovinna, what is the meaning of life? Jovinna Chan: This question has been my guiding light in navigating the many dark times my Soul has journeyed. In Chinese characters, there are at least three ways to write Life: 生活 (shēnghuó)，生命 (shēngmìng)，人生 (rénshēng). They are similar and […]
Excellence Reporter: Drs. Hurtak, what is the meaning of life? J.J. Hurtak & Desiree Hurtak: The meaning of life is our quest for Unity within the pluralistic richness of humanity and the discovery of ‘Infinite Being’. We are on schoolhouse Earth to discover our inner resources that connect us with the universe […]
Excellence Reporter: Abbot Sona, what is the meaning of life? Ajahn Sona: What is the meaning of life? I’m glad you asked. That question assumes there is a meaning. It is the beginning of a meaningful life. The question is asked sometimes from sheer desperation, and is frequently […]
Excellence Reporter: Leah, what is the meaning of life? Leah Pearlman: In this moment, the meaning of my life is the feeling of the keyboard under my fingertips. It’s the smell of the coffee beside me and the taste of it in my mouth. It’s the murmurs of […]
Excellence Reporter: Paul, what is the meaning of life? Paul Levy: What is the meaning of life? Is this a trick question? As the great physicist Niels Bohr said, “The meaning of life is this, that it has no meaning to say that life has no meaning.” This […]
In a word, “Love.” When you look at the science of the mind and body, at social science, economics, chaos mathematics and quantum physics, you begin to realize why the prophets of all the major religions focused on two things: 1) The state of our consciousness, and 2) […]
Excellence Reporter: Brother Bernard, what is the meaning of life? Bernard Seif: Meaning is something we all search for, be that journey a conscious or subconscious one. Even those of us well trained in the scientific method experience meaning in a subjective or existential manner. My mother was […]
Excellence Reporter: Eiman, what is the meaning of life? Eiman Al Zaabi: The answer to this question comes from life itself. As I contemplate a tree that is casting its shade on the street, I watch its pale leaves falling to the ground and I wonder: Are we […]
I have a running to-do list, which has anywhere from 3 to 30 items on it. I do not have a fancy app or calendar, just a notebook or piece of paper. Full disclosure, I don’t even have an efficient system for getting these things done, I just […]
Excellence Reporter: Diana, what is the meaning of life? Diana Winston: I have two intertwined responses to the meaning of life question: To awaken To help others awaken Let’s start with Part 1. The human capacity to awaken is vast. But what actually does awakening mean? For me it’s […]
This is Thoth and the Council of Light that are being Divinely Transmitted (channeled) by Danielle Rama Hoffman in response to this most delicious question, “What is the meaning of life?” We would begin by saying that there is no one response, for the meaning of life is […]
Excellence Reporter: Khenpo Rinpoche, what is the meaning of life? Khenpo Sodargye Rinpoche: For each of us, no matter where we are from or what kind of background we are raised in, we all need to have an unbiased attitude, an open mind, and a logical way of thinking. In this […]
Excellence Reporter: Sandra, what is the meaning of life? Sandra Joseph: Maybe we can never understand the meaning of life, but we can feel into the experience of being alive and, in this way, inhabit meaning. We have all experienced those rare moments of pure being, when time […]
Excellence Reporter: Father Thomas, what is the meaning of life? Fr. Thomas Keating: The meaning of life is sacrifice. This is really a biblical revelation. In the Christian perspective the three relationships within the Holy Trinity are continually giving away all that they are to each other within […]
Excellence Reporter: Irini, what is the meaning of life? Irini Rockwell: The profundity of life’s meaning comes about when we bring out our best to serve others. This happens through wisdom and love: only when we can truly love ourselves, can we be available to others offering them […]
Meaning and life – two rather potent and I believe rather ineffable words in the English language. The feelings, thoughts and sentiments involved in the experience behind and involved in both of these words is dependent upon who you ask, and even then the responses can evolve over […]
Excellence Reporter: Cate, what is the meaning of life? Cate Montana: There are two distinctly different answers to the question, “What is the meaning of life?” And perhaps the best way to illustrate both is by using the following analogy. Each piece of furniture, every painting, all the […]
The answer to this question can be discovered through any portal, in any moment. Embracing the Medicine presenting itself in service of your Becoming, is the ever present pathway into the Truth that underlies every problem and every solution. It is tempting to allow ourselves to be sidelined […]
Excellence Reporter: Ms. Broom, what is the meaning of life? Maria Broom: Compiling and sifting through all of the readings, teachings, intuitive thoughts, feelings and even off-planet transmissions… I make this attempt to express what resonates in my heart as the meaning of life. I believe that we […]
Excellence Reporter: Gwen, what is the meaning of life? Gwen Olsen: For me the meaning of life is to establish spiritual sovereignty over one’s physical being and experience, while recognizing our infinite connection to God through love. When we are born into a human body in this 3D reality, […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Mehl-Madrona, what is the meaning of life? Lewis Mehl-Madrona: I suspect that life has no intrinsic meaning and that we are free to make meaning as we wish. This seems to me to be the project of humanity – to take that which may be random […]
Each of us, in our search for happiness or fulfillment, seems to be, either consciously or unconsciously, involved in an ever-evolving odyssey of meaning. Life itself and the human experience are “of a piece,” like water and wetness, or fire and heat. It appears as well that, also […]
Excellence Reporter: Tehya, what is the meaning of life? Tehya Sky: I don’t know that it could ever be said better than the way Alan Watts put it, but I will try. The meaning of life is simply to be alive. We get so subjective about the whole […]
Excellence Reporter: Teri, what is the meaning of life? Teri Degler: Many years ago I saw a brilliantly colored poster emblazoned with a quote by Tolstoy: “The sole meaning of life is to serve humanity.” This saying moved me profoundly, but even in those days – heady, idealistic, […]
Excellence Reporter: Sadhviji, what’s the meaning of life? Sadhvi Bhagawati Saraswatiji: This is such a beautiful question and a question that resonates deeply with us all. Growing up in Los Angeles and being a psychology major, I was always cognizant of this question, but for me, it was […]
