In the great transmission of Zen from East to West, few voices have resonated as clearly, as gracefully, and as profoundly as that of Daisetz Teitaro Suzuki. A philosopher, translator, and spiritual ambassador, Suzuki dedicated his long life to revealing the heart of Zen—not merely as an intellectual […]
There was once a prince who had everything the world could offer—luxury, beauty, youth, and power. Yet, beneath the silken robes and palace gardens, something stirred in him—a quiet question, a restlessness not even pleasure could soothe. One morning, while the city still slept, Siddhartha left behind everything […]
“Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and opportunity is lost. Each of us should strive to awaken. Awaken! Take heed, do not squander your life.” “When you walk, just walk. When you sit, just sit. But above all, don’t wobble.” “Enlightenment is intimacy […]
In the pantheon of Zen masters, Bankei Yōtaku (1622–1693) is a figure of raw clarity and uncommon accessibility. Where many Zen teachers reveled in koans and obscure metaphors, Bankei spoke in plain words. He offered a message so direct and liberating that even centuries later, it hits with […]
In a world obsessed with achieving, accumulating, and becoming, the ancient wisdom of Adi Shankaracharya slices through illusion with clarity, simplicity, and power. Born in 8th-century India, Adi Shankara was not just a philosopher; he was a spiritual revolutionary. By age 32, he had revived Advaita Vedanta—the doctrine […]
Bodhidharma, the 5th or 6th-century Indian monk who brought Chan Buddhism (which became Zen) to China, wasn’t interested in metaphysics, rituals, or theological debates. He was a man of silence and direct experience. To him, life wasn’t something to theorize about—it was something to wake up from. When […]
In the remote snow-clad mountains of Tibet, where the wind sings songs of stillness and the sky stretches infinitely above, once lived a man who transformed suffering into liberation and darkness into radiant light. Jetsun Milarepa, the great Tibetan yogi and poet of the 11th century, is one […]
Miyamoto Musashi was a legendary Japanese swordsman who lived during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is celebrated not only for his unmatched prowess in duels, but also for the profound insights he left behind in his writing, especially in his masterwork, The Book of Five […]
“Your purpose is to Be Yourself.Life is precious as it is.All the elements for your happiness are already here.There is no need to run, strive, search, or struggle.Just be.” “Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.” “There is no enlightenment outside of daily life.” […]
Life is after all a form of affirmation. However insistently the blind may deny the existence of the sun, they cannot annihilate it. Life as it is lived suffices. It is only when the disquieting intellect steps in and tries to murder it that we stop to live […]
This weekend we are very fortunate in that we have the opportunity to cultivate bodhicitta and put the actions of our body, speech and mind into the path to liberation, the path of control. This is so worthwhile. Despite having had many previous lives and having lived many […]
Excellence Reporter: Ping, what is the meaning of life? Ping Fang: This has been the question pondering in my heart since childhood. What is the purpose of being human? Is there any meaning to it? I was born in the time of the Cultural Revolution in China – […]
Excellence Reporter: Rinpoche, what is meaning of life? Tulku Dakpa Rinpoche: The meaning of life is the present moment. If we are able to be in the present moment, we gain great happiness. Most people think too much about the future and the past to get happiness and […]
Excellence Reporter: Ven. Tenzin Dasel, what is the meaning of life? Tenzin Dasel: That is up to each of us personally to discover and create. From the very beginning of life, we begin to form associations that quickly become meaningful. We are, each of us, the creators of giving […]
Excellence Reporter: Taco, what is the meaning of life? Taco van der Mark: This is the question which has been on my mind since my childhood. What is the purpose of Life, what am I doing here on this earth? In my teens I remember one of those […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Kozak, what is the meaning of life? Arnie Kozak: The pursuit for life’s meaning is often a refuge against its utter meaninglessness. Any certainty about life’s meaning, direction, and purpose, ranges from comforting illusion to outright delusion. God is a refuge. Soul is a refuge. […]
Excellence Reporter: Shaila, what is the meaning of life? Shaila Catherine: Many years ago a friend said to me, ‘It matters what I do today because I am trading a day of my life for it.’ This became a daily inquiry that helped me overcome a lifelong tendency: […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Habito, what is the meaning of life? Maria Reis Habito: The meaning of life – that is a very big question, not easy to answer. From my point of view today I would say: the meaning of life is living it. Fine, but how? Simply […]
Excellence Reporter: Ven. Courtin, what is the meaning of life? Robina Courtin: There’s a saying in Buddhism that a bird needs two wings: wisdom and compassion. Compassion is the point, but, as the Dalai Lama says, compassion is not enough; we need wisdom. What’s wisdom? That’s the work […]
Excellence Reporter: Henry, what is the meaning of life? Henry Shukman: I’m not too sure about the meaning of life so I’ll start with the purpose. “What is the purpose of life?” a student once asked a master. The master replied: “Play.” The student was disappointed. “I’ve come […]
Excellence Reporter: Ben, what is the meaning of life? Ben Connelly: I do not know the meaning of life. I have chosen to give my life meaning by making a commitment to healing and liberation from suffering for all. Not knowing the meaning of life is helpful to […]
Before we can ponder the meaning of life, we must first recognize that life is not outside of us, or something happening to us. We are life. The life we live and the life we are, are not two separate existences. When we obstruct this union, we look […]
Excellence Reporter: Bhante G, what is the meaning of life? Bhante Gunaratana: In my view the meaning of life is understanding life as it actually is and liberate oneself from repetition of birth and death. One must understand that between birth and death there are moments of pleasure. […]
Excellence Reporter: Rinpoche, what is the meaning of life? Or the purpose of life if you will? Khensur Rinpoche: Most all of us fall into the trap of believing, at one point or another, that amassing wealth, fame, power, friendships, and even happiness itself is the purpose of […]
What is the meaning of the question “what is the meaning of life?” What does “meaning of life” mean? Whatever the answer, it will always be a human mental construct. Every mental construct is created by the human being based on its social, cultural, political, religious, ideological, economic, […]
“The meaning of life is just to be alive.It is so plain and so obvious and so simple.And yet, everybody rushes around in a great panicas if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.” It’s pretty obvious I think that when we talk about life having or […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Halkias, what is the meaning of life? Georgios T. Halkias: The search for meaning gives meaning to life. It is not about finding “The Meaning,” but realising and cherishing each moment of conscious living, being here for oneself and others, and bringing to bear a […]
Excellence Reporter: Shifu Wang, what is the meaning of life? Shifu Wang Bo: A believer asked me this question: “What is the meaning of life?” I meditated for a moment and replied: “Enjoy every moment you have.” Seeing the confused expression of the believer, I said: “Let me […]
In the years since my ordination as a Zen Buddhist Priest and in the time I have been teaching Buddha Dharma, all forms of Zen Meditation and the Way of Zen at the “Zen Buddhist and Yoga Retreat” in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland in Queensland Australia, from the […]
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 […]
Excellence Reporter: Segyu Rinpoche, what is the meaning of life? Segyu Rinpoche: Ah, the ultimate question, seemingly for as long as humans have inhabited this earth. After more than fifty years of studying a tradition with over 2,500 years of insight, I would have to say the meaning […]
When this question suddenly appeared in my mailbox, after a moment of astonishment, I really rejoiced! Finally! Finally we can get to the heart of things! Indeed, I am often asked how I live as a Buddhist nun, where I live, what I do with my days, for […]
Excellence Reporter: Tina, what is the meaning of life? Tina Rasmussen: From my perspective, the meaning of life is to discover the truth of what we are—to move beyond limited perception of the “me” and to know the deeper Reality. Through the human experience, we can know that […]
Excellence Reporter: Zilong, what is the meaning of life? Zilong Wang: They say, some questions are to be answered, others are to be lived. “Meaning of life” belongs perhaps in the latter category. How could we live a meaningful life? As a young traveler on the long path, I […]
The words we use and questions we ask ourselves often shape our lives in ways that can be insightful or hurtful. What is the meaning of life is an example of the latter. This well-meaning question allows philosophers to speculate without evidence, religious people to maintain that unsubstantiated beliefs […]
Excellence Reporter: Pema, what is the meaning of life? Pema Namdol Thaye: I learnt the meaning of life from my precious spiritual teachers: my Amala (mother) and my uncle Lama Gonpo Tenzing Rinpoche. They devoted their entire lives to benefiting others. This is something they lived, and breathed, […]
When the bright lights of London City went out, I was in my late 20s struggling with an addiction, and a chronic eating disorder, and having to admit I was no longer sweet 16. It became apparent that the lure of big cities, 5-star restaurants, a fat wallet, […]
Today is a good day. I move effortlessly between morning yoga, my computer work, feeding our rabbits some tasty raspberry leaves, reading about God and now writing this piece. I feel spacious and calm, and the sun is shining outside and inside. This weekend was not so good. […]
From a Buddhist perspective, life is precious. Human life is especially precious, because human beings have the capacity to make our lives meaningful, according to our inclinations and capacity. Regardless of individual limitations, each human being has the freedom to create meaning in life. Each of us creates […]
Excellence Reporter: Leigh, what is the meaning of life? Leigh Brasington: I don’t know what the meaning of life is. I gave up on that question a long time ago. The question that seems more important to me is “What are you doing to make this world a […]
Excellence Reporter: Emma, what is the meaning of life? Emma Slade: Like many people the ups and downs of life have encouraged me to reflect on, perhaps even stand face to face with, this question. I feel very lucky to have been born at a time and in […]
Excellence Reporter: Rinpoche, what is the meaning of life? Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche: A lot of people ask me this question, “What is the meaning of life?” I think it’s helpful to also ask why we’re asking this question. From a dharmic point of view, it’s simply because we want […]
Excellence Reporter: Robert, what is the meaning of life? Robert Beer: I have come to believe that death alone reveals the true moral and ethical stature of life, and while that life is being lived this issue always hangs in the balance. We are born with amnesia, and […]
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: 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: 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 […]
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: Monk AnShin, what is the meaning of life? Claude AnShin Thomas: “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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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: 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: Ken, what is the meaning of life? Ken McLeod: Meaning in life is contingent upon the context in which we live our lives. A meaningful act in one context may not have any meaning in another. This was the dilemma the Native-American Crow warriors faced when […]
Excellence Reporter: Ven. Tenzin, what is the meaning of life? Ven. Tenzin Chogkyi: As a Buddhist teacher, I will often be approached by students who say, “I just have one quick question – it will only take about five minutes,” and I respond, “ ‘What is the meaning […]
Excellence Reporter: Geshe Tharchin, what is the meaning of life? Lharampa Geshe Jampa Tharchin: I believe that the meaning of life is living happily and joyfully. In Tibetan language, the word Happiness is compound by two syllables De–Kyi. The first one is related to physical happiness or comfort; being physically healthy. In […]
Excellence Reporter: Roshi Wendy, what is the meaning of life? Roshi Wendy Egyoku Nakao: This question, “What is the meaning of life?” drove my spiritual search from my childhood through my mid-twenties until I encountered Zazen, the sitting posture that unites body-breath-mind in the mystery of life right […]
Life can be viewed as a flow of moments. And how we spend these moments could bring meaning to life. What we chose to do or not to do in a moment will belong to the past when the moment is passed and that moment can never be […]
Excellence Reporter: Sensei Carl, what is the meaning of life? Sensei Carl Genjo Bachmann: Sitting quietly doing nothing spring comes and the grass grows by itself. -Basho “Sitting quietly doing nothing” refers to a mind that is still. And when the mind is still “spring comes and the […]
This is what there is: Waking in the dark and cold. No more sleep. This is what there is: Rain on the roof. Newspaper soaked and muddy. His mouth trembles as he thinks of children suffering. Autumn leaves, red yellow, suddenly changing. This is all there is: Sitting […]
Excellence Reporter: Rev. Elbert, what is the meaning of life? Rev. Meian Elbert: The meaning of life – I don’t know. Perhaps what we are really trying to ask is, What is the purpose of life? Again, if we try to answer this in universal terms (the Purpose […]
What is the value of human life? According to the Buddhist view it must be known that the quality of each individual’s life is actually the result of their previously accumulated karma which will be both positive and negative. If someone believes that their circumstances in life are […]
Finding true meaning in life seems to create a deep resonant inner contentment. So how do we get there? Ask yourself, “When I am deeply happy?” This is not just the glee and enjoyment of a beach holiday or one that comes from tasting delicious chocolate. The meaning […]
Excellence Reporter: Gen Nyema, what is the meaning of life? Gen Kelsang Nyema: My teacher, Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, opens his book Living Meaningfully, Dying Joyfully, with this thought-provoking paragraph: “…we have immense freedom to accomplish almost anything we want. We can become a powerful politician, a successful businessman or […]
Excellence Reporter: Peter, what is the meaning of life? Peter Wohl: I believe that the current interest in this question about the meaning of life reflects the deepening state of alienation that we humans are living in. I presume that our indigenous ancestors would have found this inquiry […]
Excellence Reporter: Ven. Namgyel, what is the meaning of life? Ven. Lobsang Namgyel: For nearly thirty years I have been studying Tibetan Buddhism and during that time I have often heard one of my Gurus, Lama Zopa Rinpoche, talk about the meaning of life as caring for others, […]
*** ~James H. Austin, M.D. is a neurologist, researcher, Zen practitioner, Professor Emeritus of Neurology at the Univ. of Colorado Health Sciences Center, courtesy Professor of Neurology, Univ. of Florida College of Medicine in Gainesville, and author of seven recent MIT Press books on Zen and the brain.www.ZenAndTheBrain.com Copyright […]
Excellence Reporter: Angie Roshi, what is the meaning of life? Angie Boissevain Roshi: I am eighty years old and when I was 13 years old, I realized that the human brain is too limited to even begin to understand life’s meaning, or even if it has any meaning at all. Therefore, I’m […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Berzin, what is the meaning of life? Alexander Berzin: The Dalai Lama has repeatedly said that the meaning of life is the pursuit of happiness. But that doesn’t mean self-centered happiness at the expense of others. After all, everyone shares this same aim in life. […]
Excellence Reporter: Lama Gelongma, what is the meaning of life? Chöje Lama Gelongma Palmo: The meaning of life is to be happy, truly and fully happy. I don’t mean the shallow kind of happiness we are familiar with, rather a sound kind of happiness springing forth from deep within. […]
Excellence Reporter: Rev. Sugahara, what is the meaning of life? Rev. Yuki Sugahara: Simply saying, the meaning of life is to “realize how our lives are existed.” We often mistakenly understand our lives in selfish manner and focus on the idea of “I.” However, our lives are not […]
Excellence Reporter: Jetsunma, what is the meaning of life? Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo: A friend told me yesterday that at the school where she used to teach in the UK, six students on the previous day had attempted suicide. In this modern world there is a pervasive sense of futility […]
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: Shifu Yan Gui, what is the meaning of life? Shifu Shi Yan Gui: “Your work is to discover your world and then with all your heart give yourself to it.” As a Buddhist I have learnt the main aim of life is to end the suffering, […]
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 […]
Excellence Reporter: Bardor Tulku, what is the meaning of life? Bardor Tulku Rinpoche: I think we should first make a distinction between worldly life and spiritual life. If we are engaging in worldly life, the things that give it meaning are the things that make it enjoyable – […]
Excellence Reporter: Lama Rangbar, what is the meaning of life? Lama Rangbar: Most sane people seek to find some meaning to their lives at some stage. Especially now, the insanity and chaos of our modern times is often too much for many to bear. This forces us to […]
Excellence Reporter: Lama Yeshe, what is the meaning of life? Lama Yeshe Rinpoche: Buddhism provides a path of mind training, to help purify our view of reality. By means of direct experience gained through meditation, the path of Buddhism is the study of the mind itself, and is therefore […]
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: 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 […]
Human life is precious, our time is precious but time is flying. We need to use our time wisely. The future is like throwing a net in a dry lake, we can’t catch anything. The past is like last night’s dream, it already happened, we had woken up; […]
Excellence Reporter: Sharon, what is the meaning of life? Sharon Salzberg: I think the meaning of life is connection. If we don’t feel profoundly connected—to something—whether that be someone else, ourselves, or even an experience—we don’t feel alive. When people look for meaning in contexts like work, I […]
Excellence Reporter: Master Bobrow, what is the meaning of life? Joseph Bobrow: Whew, just to ask is to begin to open. To inquire. We exhaust cognitive reasoning and just inquire, cultivating our innate curiosity. We become intimate with the question itself, allowing it to unfold, rather than grasping for an answer. […]
Excellence Reporter: Simon, what is the meaning of life? Simon Chokoisky: The meaning of life is… to live your dharma. Dharma is a word that means “natural law” – living according to your “design.” Many people have heard of karma but few understand this word dharma – and that’s a pity, because dharma erases karma. That is, […]
Maybe you’re not particularly worried about death, but perhaps you’ve had periods where you questioned whether there was any enduring meaning in life. Maybe you asked the question: Is this all there is? Or: What is the point? This isn’t unusual, since by nature we’re programmed to seek […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Anālayo, what is the meaning of life? Bhikkhu Anālayo: I don’t think life has a meaning of its own. But we can give it a meaning. To understand things as they are and to help others would be a skilful way of doing that. Central for […]
To live it fully and completely, not to waste it, but to give it meaning. If we don’t give our life meaning it has none. When we live just to satisfy our limited desires and wants we can’t seem to find meaning and purpose. If we always put […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Neff, what is the meaning of life? Kristin Neff: I’m not sure that there is an ultimate “meaning” to life, but it is certainly the case that we can live our lives with meaning. For me, compassion is one of the most important aspects of […]
Excellence Reporter: Teacher Jason, what is the meaning of life? Jason Quinn: Zen Master Seung Sahn once said, “Human life has no meaning, no reason and no choice, but we have our practice to help us understand our true self. Then, we can change no meaning to Great Meaning, […]
Excellence Reporter: Master Taigen, what is the meaning of life? Taigen Dan Leighton: The meaning of life is exactly the sustained inquiry into the meaning of life. This involves awakening to our omnipresent capacity for insight and kindness, and the natural wholeness we each express in our own […]
Excellence Reporter: Lama Willa, what is the meaning of life? Lama Willa Miller: I think the meaning of life has something to do with leaving the world a better place than when we arrived here. We are the stewards of a beautiful and fragile planet for this and […]
Excellence Reporter: Mr. Sivaraksa, what is the meaning of life? Sulak Sivaraksa: The meaning of my life is to breathe properly, in order to synchronize my head with my heart, to transform greed, hatred, and delusion in myself to be generosity, loving kindness and wisdom. Buddhism teaches us […]
Excellence Reporter: Jack, what is the meaning of life? Jack Kornfield: When I was younger, I would lie on the grass on a clear night and gaze at the stars. I would imagine that I was at the very bottom of the world, held against the earth by […]
Excellence Reporter: Lama Jampa, what is the meaning of life? Lama Jampa Thaye: To begin with, we must acknowledge the wondrous opportunity afforded to us in our human life, where we have the space to determine our own fate for good or ill. Yet a moment’s further reflection […]
“The road your self must travel on lies in polishing the heart.”Hakim Sanai (1044-1150) Cultivating the heart through mindfulness—its ever expansive, healing nature, opens the gateway to a love so deep and universal, offering a sacred homecoming. This homecoming is a sacred connection that is a living force […]
Excellence Reporter: Ajahn, what is the meaning of life? Ajahn Amaro: I have to confess that the first response that comes to my mind is, ‘Wrong question!’ Somebody asked Krishnamurti one time, “What would you say is the meaning of life?” He said something along the lines of: “MEANING!?! – how […]
The Meaning of Life is completely tied to What is Life? And I would say: The path is life And the purpose of life is to live it where we are, To be soothed by its waters still flowing, and warmed by the sun that reaches those who […]
Excellence Reporter: Hozan, what is the meaning of life? Hozan Alan Senauke: Life has no particular meaning. Or it is far beyond my ability to see the entirety of it. The question is: what will I do with the life that has been given to me? Will I […]
What is the purpose of our lives? Why do we live? Why do we exert so much effort to survive every day, every hour, every minute, every second? Why do we spend so much money on food, clothing and shelter—on the many things we need to survive and […]
