Excellence Reporter: Grandmaster Liu, what is the meaning of life? Grandmaster Hui Liu: Life is about learning and giving. We begin learning immediately after birth: we learn to survive, eat, and communicate with others. We learn to use eyes, facial expressions, smile, and cry, point our fingers, and kick […]
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: 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: Dr. Caplan, what is the meaning of life? Mariana Caplan: I don’t know the meaning of life, or even if there is one ultimate meaning. I only know that I endeavor to create deep meaning in my life, and that I admire those who strive for […]
Traditional Chinese Daoism believes that the only purpose of life is joy and happiness. To achieve a happy and healthy life, Daoism uses the three treasures of the Dao: conscience, mercy and forgiveness. These are basic virtues unique to humanity to achieve a quality of healthy longevity. As […]
Excellence Reporter: GuruMeher, what is the meaning of life? GuruMeher Khalsa: A question as big as this necessarily has more than one answer. These answers will seem contradictory or even paradoxical. In fact, the two answers I offer below illuminate why there are as many answers to this […]
Life is a miracle… The meaning of life is to participate to its miracle. No matter what your mind can tell you, your heart knows that you are born for a good reason, and that reason is good! We all have a very important purpose to fulfill throughout […]
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 […]
What is the Meaning of Life? To Remember To wake up To remember you are already Free If there is no confusion there would be no wisdom Gather the willingness to be open and present Don’t leave yourself Connect to something greater than the stories we tell our […]
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 […]
Harry Potter’s favorite word is brilliant; Yogi Bhajan taught the importance of developing caliber; the Pope is called His Eminence; we desire to live our talent; we know what Wiley E. Coyote wants to accomplish; companies proclaim their products have quality; our destiny calls for our greatness; the ultimate goal is mastery. Brilliant, caliber, eminence, talent, accomplishment, quality, greatness, and mastery, share a […]
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 […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Sun, what is the meaning of life? Dr. Guan-Cheng Sun: From the perspective of internal cultivation, the meaning of life is to fulfill the destiny of the authentic self. The authentic self refers to the prenatal intelligence and wisdom as the original light of consciousness. […]
Excellence Reporter: Ash, what is the meaning of life? Ash Beckham: I think the meaning of life is authentic human connection. Our relationship with others is the one universal truth across cultures and time. We are biologically wired to be social creatures. But today we live in an […]
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: 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 […]
Excellence Reporter: Jenna, what is the meaning of life? Jenna McCarthy: The greatest minds of all time, from Albert Camus to Snoopy, have pondered this question, so it’s almost absurd to think I might have anything meaningful to add. But since you asked, I’ll tell you: it’s coffee. Wait, […]
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: 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: Dr. Rauscher, what is the meaning of life? Elizabeth A. Rauscher: We stand in awe and bliss at the beauty and majesty of the evolving spark of creation. So vast and gorgeous is our Universe. Our mind, in the search for truth and knowledge, stands at the […]
The answer is very simple, it is just life. Life wants to be, so it is. We do not know, where it comes from. It is given to us, a gift. So enjoy it, be thankful, do no harm, respect it. ~Yürgen Oster, a wandering and wondering Daoist. […]
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 […]
The Yellow Emperor summoned Lao Tsu the Taoist and Bodhidharma the Buddhist to meet him by the Dragon Gate. Bodhidharma gathers his robe about him and seats himself at the wall. Lao Tsu reins in his ox and settles in the saddle. ‘Sages,’ says the Emperor, ‘I have […]
In a short time, you will evolve beyond confusion and disappointment and arrive at the Dao. Ultimately you will attain great profundity. In simplicity you will find the most joy. Indifference is the highest expression of a mature life. I dreamed I was riding a horse on the […]
Trying to summarize the meaning of life is a great exercise as it does vary for so many people. The best way I can describe it is “to find happiness”. Many experiences we gain from external sources can make us happy although this kind of happiness tends to […]
I’m pretty sure I knew the answer when I was in college. It was the late 80s and I forged my opinion on this and other essential questions during those clichéd late night conversations with dorm mates. The philosophy types had their expositions on truth, reason, and existence. […]
What is the meaning of life to Phil Zimbardo? First, to be fully aware of the brevity of human existence, so then to live each day as if it were my last and enjoy as fully as possible every moment’s pleasures in nature, friendships, family, human creations, and […]
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. […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Nelson, what is the meaning of life? Dr. Bradley Nelson: One of my favorite cartoons on this topic has the guru respond to the truth-seeker by saying, “You’d better have a seat – people tend to fall down the mountain when I tell them the meaning of life!” […]
Right now we are entering the most turbulent times of human history. We are about to face the most intense climate changes ever witnessed in our recorded history. Tumultuous times are getting more and more tumultuous. Wars are raging all over the world and increasing at a fast […]
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: 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 […]
Finding Meaning/Making Sense I am a philosopher; I teach philosophy; So I can’t hide from the question, “What is the meaning of life?” It has a way of finding me. Fortunately, I mostly teach courses in logic, philosophy of language, and epistemology, and my pedagogy is largely informed […]
Excellence Reporter: Master Dong, what is the meaning of life? Alex Dade Dong: The meaning of life is different for each individual. The meaning of life is about the things that means the most to us. But more importantly, life should be about not creating problems, not giving […]
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 […]
Excellence Reporter: Abhijit, what is the meaning of life? Abhijit Naskar: Life finds its meaning through every single living creature. And there are around 8.7 million species of life-forms on our planet. To all those millions of species, except one, life is all about mere survival. 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: Micheline, what is the meaning of life? Micheline Nader: This is the question that we all have wrestled with throughout the ages. It remains unanswerable to many and varies during the different stages of our life. The meaning of life is subjective and personal. While life […]
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 […]
Man ponders life’s meaning endlessly This brief sojourn to the mystery Is tasted by many who engage a dance In an earthly garden of circumstance That draws us in to weave a story Engaging earth in all her glory A precious chance for ships to sail To greet […]
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 […]
Whether it’s looking younger, losing weight, getting rich or finding the meaning of life, we’re all in love with the quick fix. Who among us doesn’t want someone else to give us the answers to life’s biggest questions and challenges in fewer words than a Twitter post? The […]
Excellence Reporter: Solala, what is the meaning of life? Solala Towler: I believe that the meaning of life is very different for each one of us. We each of us have our own unique experience in this lifetime (or lifetimes). In the Taoist way we all walk our own […]
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 […]
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: 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: 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: 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: Prof. Chang, what is the meaning of life? Ruth Chang: If you ask most people on the street ‘What is the meaning of life’, they will usually end up muttering something about ‘happiness’. But the meaning of life has nothing to do with happiness. Happiness is […]
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, […]
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 […]
*** ~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: Monk Yunrou, what is the meaning of life? Monk Yunrou: Orthodox Taoist philosophy cautions us not to ascribe too much importance either to the phenomenon of Life in general or to our individual lives. One of Taoism’s most beautiful sayings translates to “the Tao is big”, suggesting […]
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: Mukti Michael, what is the meaning of Life? Mukti Michael Buck: First of all thank you for the question. My brain goes to what is the purpose of life? and then I go to what is the purpose of purpose? I know that I’m sidestepping the […]
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: Dr. Liu Dong, what is the meaning of life? Dr. Liu Dong: Many students have asked me what is the meaning of life? I always answer with a smile, “Life is to have an ordinary life, be an ordinary person.” Not to be attached to the color […]
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: Dr. Jahnke, what is the meaning of life? Dr. Roger Jahnke: “Life is the local, four dimensional manifestation of mysterious aspects of ourselves that can not be described and that can not be perceived through conventionally recognized language or sensory means.” Is life biological? Or, is it […]
Excellence Reporter: Sharmila, what is the meaning of life? Sharmila Desai: In honest humility I find the meaning of life to be a mystery. I embrace the unknown for it nurtures us all to search and to strive in the world, embarking on a lifetime devoted to the pursuit […]
Excellence Reporter: Master Liu, what is the meaning of life? Master Yuantong Liu: “What is the meaning of life?” it is a good question to ask ourselves and others. I had asked this question in my life before 2008. Also I had asked many other questions such as […]
Excellence Reporter: Shifu YanTuo, what is the meaning of life? Shifu Shi YanTuo: For me, the meaning of life is “To be True to oneself and Live in the Present Moment”. I was born in a Kung Fu family in China, and grew up in the Shaolin Temple, Henan […]
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: 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: Master Liu, what is the meaning of life? Master Liu He: The meaning of life is to never stop learning. It allows you to continue growing in the right direction for your life, other’s life, and nature’s life. With this concept, we become thankful for yesterday, […]
Excellence Reporter: Ocean, what is the meaning of life? Ocean Robbins: To me, it’s about love. Love for our bodies, hearts, minds and spirits. Love for the people we cherish. Love for all life. In my work, I focus on food, and on what happens when we bring […]
Excellence Reporter: Chris, what is the meaning of life? Chris Shelton: Two words sums up the meaning of life: Love and Acceptance. I believe that Love is all there is, and that Love heals. I’m not just talking about romantic love but Universal Love. The type of Love […]
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: Shifu Wong, what is the meaning of life? Wong Kiew Kit: It is very helpful when discussing the meaning of life to appreciate the difference between facts and opinions, because much of the writing on the meaning of life concerns opinions. Earning an income from one’s […]
Excellence Reporter: Master Xing Mi, what is the meaning of life? Shi Xing Mi: For me the meaning of life is to give life meaning, to embrace this journey as an opportunity to grow, learn, feel, share ….. to use this temporary physical time as another step in our spiritual development: […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Yang, what is the meaning of life? Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming: Depending on each individual, each has his/her own definition of life’s meaning. Here, I am sharing my personal definition of the meaning of life. Definition of Life First, we have to understand the definition of […]
Excellence Reporter: Doctor Johnson, what is the meaning of life? Dr. Jerry Alan Johnson: For centuries, this unique question has been posed to special people of deep insight; who were often widely acclaimed prophets, renowned sages, and esoteric mystics of profound wisdom and intuition. Although the question is […]
The Seekers fight their way along the Path, willing even eager, to pay a terrible price to find peace, enlightenment, insight, understanding. And, when they discover that great secret, what do they find? Themselves. There is no enlightenment outside your Self. There is no great secret to take […]
Excellence Reporter: Master Johnson, what is the meaning of life? Mark J. Johnson: “Ultimately, the meaning of life is the same as the meaning of dancing… you are not on the dance floor to get somewhere, you are simply “going with the flow” in a fluid, dynamic, spontaneous, creative way.” […]
Excellence Reporter: Dr. Cibik, what is the meaning of life? Ted Cibik: My teacher once told me that no two minds have ever been created the same – so many unique experiences, influences and formations as we all move towards transformation. Therefore, the meaning in life may be […]
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: 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: Shifu Yan Lei, what is the meaning of life? Shifu Yan Lei: The meaning of life is to connect our heart with our body. These days people think too much and their mind and body are out of harmony. Shaolin Qigong and Kung Fu takes us […]
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: 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: John, what is the meaning of life? John Astin: Experience is simply too vast, too complex and too multidimensional to be collapsed into any interpretive framework or model. And so whenever I am asked this question, “What is the meaning of life?” I find myself coming […]
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: Master Allan, what is the meaning of life? Master Allan Chuck: We are spiritual beings having a physical experience. Our body is a house, a temple for our spirit or soul. Our beloved soul is a light being, our golden essence, our divine spark, our best […]
Excellence Reporter: Leslie, what is the meaning of life? Leslie Cerier: The meaning of life is joy, is fun, is love, is pleasure, is being true to oneself. And of course being a chef embodying a luscious lifestyle is part of the meaning of my work and my life. It’s […]
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 recently asked my writing students to write their obituary. An obituary usually cites the external achievements of a life, with the implication that they amounted to the value of that individual and the source of that person’s meaning. When you write your own obituary, however, you are […]
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 […]
The purpose of life is to open our hearts so that we may realize that we are all interconnected and that global peace is only a byproduct of inner, individual peace. More than ever, people are searching for ways to cultivate balance and equilibrium in their minds and […]
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: Prof. Tartaglia, what is the meaning of life? James Tartaglia: Life is meaningless and that is neither a good nor a bad thing. The meaninglessness of life is a very philosophically interesting fact about the human situation, but to state this fact is not to evaluate life; it 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 […]
Excellence Reporter 