When asked to sum up the meaning of life in three words or less, Gandhi responded cheerfully, “That’s easy: Renounce and enjoy.” The main purpose of life is to live rightly, think rightly, act rightly. Truth is one, paths are many. The meaning of life is […]
Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult –once we truly understand and accept it — then life is no […]
There are many factors that determine whether you are leading a meaningful life. One factor is freedom of choice. According to the French existentialist Jean-Paul Sartre, our free choices are not just choices about what to do, but also freedom of the mind. Even if you are imprisoned, […]
“However mean your life is, meet and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault-finder will find faults even in paradise. Love your life, poor as it is. […]
To redeem life from insignificance, culture and refinement all alone are not enough. Ideal aspirations are not enough, when uncombined with pluck and will. There must be some sort of fusion, some chemical combination among these principles, for a life objectively and thoroughly significant to result. Ideal visions […]
“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 panic as if it were necessary to achieve something beyond themselves.” It’s pretty obvious I think that when we talk about […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Baddeley, what is the meaning of life? Alan Baddeley: “I don’t think that life has a meaning, though I’m very glad to be enjoying it while it lasts.” *** ~Alan Baddeley is Professor of Psychology at the University of York, UK. He works on human […]
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: Prof. McGinn, what is the meaning of life? Colin McGinn: I prefer to say that life is meaningful rather than that it has a meaning. It has a grammar, but no semantic interpretation. There is coherent form, but there is nothing outside human life that confers […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Deecke, what is the meaning of life? Lüder Deecke: Life is our supreme good. We do not want to lose it. Therefore, we do cling so much to life, because we (mostly) enjoy life. Death is not our best friend. This throws us to the […]
Excellence Reporter: Prof. Carruthers, what is the meaning of life? Peter Carruthers: The meaning of life is whatever makes the question of the meaning of life go away. I was greatly troubled by the issue as a teenager and young adult. I read Japanese haiku, studied Zen Buddhism, […]
Savannah, Georgia, USA Excellence Reporter: Aberjhani, what makes a compassionate city, or community? Aberjhani: Leaders and followers who recognize they are all participants in a partnership designed to ensure to the best of their ability the well-being of individuals, families, and humanity as a whole make a compassionate […]
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: 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 […]
*** ~MiraMichelle founded the Sacred Female Rising Institute in 2008 and believes that Female Solidarity and values hold significant keys to the healing of our planet. Mira is the daughter of an English/Irish mother and an African/Native American father who was raised in distinctly different cultures and this […]
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 […]
Excellence Reporter: Mr. Merculieff, what is the meaning of life? Ilarion Merculieff: In my language, Unangan (Aleut), we greet each other every day with “aang waan”, hello my other self, so, aang waan. In contemplating the meaning of life, I thought of our elderly and isolation. I was […]
Monterrey, Mexico Excellence Reporter: Mérida, what makes a compassionate city, or community? Mérida McCarthy: To me, a compassionate city is a caring city, where solidarity is the basis of all action. Where everyone in a city is looked after, taken care for, not only by the government, but […]
Excellence Reporter: Professor Agyeman, what is the meaning of life? Julian Agyeman: To me, the meaning of life is the imperative to embark on a journey toward planetary flourishing. We must do this in a sustainable manner, ensuring a better quality of life for all, now, and into […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Beckwith, what is the meaning of life? Dr. Rahman Beckwith: I suppose that there could be as many different meanings of life as there are people. I believe that each of us is the Divine uncovering itself through various experiences. For me, life is about […]
Excellence Reporter: Katie, what is the meaning of life? Katie Burke: The meaning of life is to believe anything is possible for your life. Life happens FOR you, not to you. Everything in life is a teacher. When we see each experience as happening for us, the world […]
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 […]
Wait for her with an azure cup. Wait for her in the evening at the spring, among perfumed roses. Wait for her with the patience of a horse trained for mountains. Wait for her with the distinctive, aesthetic taste of a prince. Wait for her with seven pillows […]
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 […]
Excellence Reporter: Shifu Yuang, what is the meaning of life? Shifu Yuan Jing: I went to the kitchen to boil some water. I carefully poured fine jasmine tea into my favorite cup from the Qing Dynasty. Smelling the aroma from the tea, I realized the meaning of life. […]
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 […]
“The purpose of life is not to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate, to have it make some difference that you have lived and lived well. It is not the length of life, but the depth [that matters]. We are always getting […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Newberg, what is the meaning of life? Andrew Newberg: The meaning of life, for me, is found in perpetually asking questions. I think that all people are designed to explore the world and ask questions towards understanding the meaning and purpose in life. Having 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 […]
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The meaning of life is flying with birds (video)
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Excellence Reporter: Linda, what is the meaning of life? Linda Graham: It might be surprising that “the meaning of life” often deepens for people who have come through a tragedy – losing someone they love to illness or injury, losing their home in a natural disaster. But coping […]
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: Jan, what is the meaning of life? Jan Kersschot: As human beings, we can look at the question “What is the meaning of life?” from a human point of view and a being point of view. The first one is the personal approach, the second one […]
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 […]
Rule 1 How we see God is a direct reflection of how we see ourselves. If God brings to mind mostly fear and blame, it means there is too much fear and blame welled inside us. If we see God as full of love and compassion, so are […]
People, who want to know the answer to the universal question of ‘the meaning of life’ oftentimes find themselves in a quandary leading them to circumspection and, eventually, incomprehension of anything else, which leads also to a disregard of any other way of thinking. Could it also be […]
Mankind is engaged in an eternal quest for that “something else” he hopes will bring him happiness, complete and unending. For those individual souls who have sought and found God, the search is over: He is that Something Else. *** Many people may doubt that finding God is […]
Many legends were composed about the mystery of the Flower of Heart. Some of them call it the Flower of Life; some speak about it as about the Golden Flower, others assert that it is the Flower of Immortality. All these names are not casual: they reflect the […]
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, […]
Tuva (Siberia) – a republic where there are no railways and no cell phones. A mythical country which in its beginning was the result of a geographical error. The geographical error occurred during the conclusion of the Burinsky Treaty on Borders (1727). It happened that on the part of […]
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 […]
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: Shaman Bhola, what is the meaning of life? Bhola Banstola: As life itself is difficult to understand, the meaning of life is still beyond our reasoning and thoughts. Our birth here, as we are taught is to learn, understand, live for ourselves and help others. However, […]
The Shaman sickness represents the strongest nervous breakdown, which cannot be treated by conventional medicine. Only initiation into shamanism can remove the ailment. In a symbolic sense this is the call of the ancestors who chose this or that person to be a shaman. If the chosen candidate refused, he […]
Only great humility and great love allow one to obtain the Great Power, Which is the same as the Power of Tao! A disciple should never lose impeccable humility! It is the guarantee of great victories over oneself! It is the basis of the correct achievements in the […]
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 […]
Excellence Reporter: Llyn, what is the meaning of life? Llyn Cedar Roberts: The deeper task of life on Planet Earth is to nourish our relationship with the conscious intelligent force that lives in the land and trees and stones and flows through the waterways, and all of the natural world as well as the air and cosmos – this is […]
“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 […]
Birmingham, Alabama For the Golden Rule to thrive in society, we must awaken to the Oneness that we share as human beings. For if we perceive everyone as part of us, then can we truly have compassion for them. Loving others as we love ourselves is the first […]
Photographer Alina Desyatnichenko went to the most magical land of Russia — the Baikal region — and took short interviews from the local shamans on their initiation into shamanism To understand the spirituality of the Baikal Buryats is not just difficult, but very difficult. The dominant official religions […]
WHAT IS SHAMAN SICKNESS, OR HOW DO SHAMANS LIVE IN THE BAIKAL (SIBERIA) How to become a shaman? Shamanism has been around for many years. According to the legend the ancestor of the powerful shamanic tribe of Baikal was an eagle, who turned into a man. It is […]
Interview with the Siberian shaman Alya, who wished to stay anonymous. Filmed by the TV Channel Russia-Culture in cooperation with Ethno Taiga. Translated into English by ©Excellence Reporter. Q: There are shamans in Siberia. But who are they? Probably people don’t know much about them, and what […]
Excellence Reporter: Jane, what is the meaning of life? Jane Stoller: For me the meaning of live is living with Purpose and Passion. I am lucky enough to feel purposeful everyday through my business, which is based on my passion. I feel my purpose in life is to help people and […]
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 […]
Austin, Texas As I answer these questions about “What Makes a Compassionate City?” I reflect upon the following excerpt from a recent Charter for Compassion newsletter: The beauty of Cicero’s words is that we have a choice as to how we live this honorable life: “The best armor […]
Austin, Texas Excellence Reporter: Scott, what do you do to contribute to creating a more compassionate community and world? Scott Goyette: Compassion begins with me. Before all else, I must be compassionate with myself. Our world is a reflection of the individual, so without self-love, and personal compassion, it […]
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 […]
It has been my privilege to travel widely through the five continents of the world in the course of a very active existence. I have met people from all walks of life, from prostitutes to presidents, saints and sinners. I have witnessed incredible poverty, amazing acts of daily […]
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 […]
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. […]
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 50 years of studying a tradition with over 2500 years of insight, I would have to say the meaning […]
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 […]
Appleton, WI, USA I believe a compassionate community is one that acts and makes decisions in response to the recognition of needs within their community – needs that are common to humanity. The community orients itself to the idea of reciprocity – featuring common human values such as […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Grey, what is the meaning of life? Dr. John Grey: An answer to “What’s the meaning of life?” showed up unexpectedly, long ago, when I was suddenly gripped by overpowering sensations that I was dying. A voice in my head screamed, “But I don’t want […]
Orange, CA, USA I have had the opportunity to live in several communities in my 67 years of life. As a child, in those formative years, I lived in Schenectady, New York and King of Prussia, Pennsylvania with summers spent at a family home on Tom’s Pond, New […]
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 […]
In the dark morning hour, unable to sleep, staring, mind spinning, I ask, “Why am I here?” The answers arise, unstoppable: To overcome feeling that you must be famous to be worth something. To give according to the talents I gave you: understanding, compassion, wisdom in your academic […]
I tend to second the notion of Kurt Vonnegut who famously said, “The purpose of life is to fart around. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” *** As an explorer on the frontiers of magic and enchantment, Pam Grout has served as an extra in a zombie movie, […]
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, […]
Excellence Reporter: Bailey, what is the meaning of life? Bailey Gaddis: While I can’t answer this for anyone else, because we’re all on our own journey, I’ve been feeling more and more that the meaning of my life stems from creation and connection. When I’m connecting with humans, […]
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 […]
“People say that we’re searching for the meaning of life. I don’t think that’s it at all. I think that what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive, so that our life experiences on the purely physical plane will have resonances within our own innermost being and […]
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 […]
