GOAL OF LIFE

What is the purpose for us being here?

     The subject is goal of life. Is there a purpose for us being here?
     If we look at the whole universe - the stars, the moon, our planet earth, several types of animals and plants, animate and inanimate objects - everything has a purpose.
     A mountain has a purpose. A river has a purpose. A tree has a purpose. A rose has a purpose. A thorn also has a purpose. Each and every type of animal has a purpose.
     This indicates that you and I also have a purpose.

     How does each and everything in this universe meet their purpose?
     If we look at the sun or the moon, they move in an orbit in a particular fashion. When the sun rises and sets; when the moon waxes and wanes, or when ellipse arrives; when seasons arrive; how temperature changes. All these follow a cosmic rhythm. They deliver in a particular function. Their predictability is clear, and they are known to us.
   Take the trees for example; some live for thousands of years, some hundreds. They act as balancing agents, and also nourish other plants and species. Similar is the case with each type of animal. They deliver the single or multiple functions that they are supposed to in a perfect manner. If any of them deviate from their regular function or purpose, imbalances in nature is the result. In other words, they are meeting their purpose, without necessarily being aware that they are doing so!
   Then, for human beings, for each and every one of us, what could be our purpose of life?

For this, each one of us has to look within and find their own purpose.

Uniqueness of our thinking faculty, and aligning ourselves to the purpose of life to make our life meaningful

When it comes to human beings, we have a thinking faculty that differentiates us vastly from other species on the planet earth or in this universe. While others don't have the thinking faculty of knowing itself and improving itself, not only can we understand our own purpose of life, but also can align ourselves to the purpose of life, improve ourselves and reach the goal.

We can set a direction for our life, and utilize our thought in such a way so as to navigate ourselves to the destination we set out for.

Our life is a journey on this planet for a certain duration. Whatever time we have spent so far, it is already lost. Not even a second can be regained. Now in this remaining duration, we have to make a journey. To make this journey, we have only the remaining time. If we understand this point, and set a goal for ourselves, then our life is going to be meaningful.

If you want to have a meaningful life; or want to understand the meaning of life, somebody else is not going to set your goal of life. You have got to set your goal of life.

Present day challenges in goal setting

The present day challenge is that the general environment does not allow us to think deeply about our inner aspiration and the real purpose of life.
Today we are exposed to so much input from media, mobile phones, and the internet. There is so much Information. The sensory inputs are very high. In fact, we are fully occupied by our senses. At any given moment of waking time, we are either seeing something, watching something, reading something, listening to something, or doing something. Without judging it from the angle of good or bad, the point is that we are not having the time to think about ourselves or about our inner aspirations. Before we may think of anything, several options are already given to us, and we are made to think in those dimensions only.
The result of processing so much input and information that is thrust upon us is that we lose time. In addition to this, we often are stressed out and lose our emotional balance. Our work in day-to-day life is becoming inefficient because the ability to focus attention on the task at hand is becoming difficult. This has become a common phenomenon for almost all age groups, not just the younger generation.

What is goal of life – Happiness to one and all

Now we have to come to a common agenda. What is goal of life?
Happiness. Happiness to one and all.
The point here is, how do you define happiness?
My happiness gives unhappiness to another person. That is not happiness.
“I live in my own world, good only for myself, and not troubling anybody else”. It doesn't work that way.
Happiness to one and all. Our happiness has to have a (positive) influence on others and on the community around us too.
Take for example a garden where we have several trees of the same variety. For example a mango garden. Every tree has to grow in strength, and should give good amount of mango fruits. And it should produce a good environment in such a way that the other trees also do the same.
Therefore, first of all, the strength of an individual plant has to be good. Secondly, the entire garden has to be good. Both are important. Otherwise the fragrance from the garden cannot reach visitors and attract them. It can't contribute significantly to the society.
In the same way, every one of us as a human being needs to have that strength. We have to find happiness within. We are that change. That change has to be introduced into us, so that we find meaning for our lives. This way, our happiness percolates into the environment around us, and produces those positive vibes.

What is happiness? Defining happiness

Now what is meant by happiness? There are multiple varieties to it.

When things are under our control – both happiness and unhappiness being present in them.

Let’s suppose we are enjoying tea, and we feel happy. But someone suddenly troubled me, and the tea has spilled on my dress; so I feel a little bit vexed. I change my dress, come back, get tea again and am happy again.

Another example. A teenager was watching a TV show he wanted to see in an ideal setting. While it was going on, he felt good. Suddenly the parents came home, and demanded that he should stop watching the show immediately and focus on the homework due tomorrow. The boy switched off the TV and did not feel good. Immediately some amount of sorrow or low feeling took over. Later, when the parents permitted him to watch TV after homework, he got back to the show and again he felt good.

These, in fact, are pleasures. These are but short-lived things. And in these situations, there are two conditions: one is happiness and the other is sorrow. Both are there -- happiness and unhappiness, both are present. When things are going good, you're happy. Here, in both situations, you should understand that things are in your control.

Let’s suppose you were riding a bike; some problem occurred, you fixed it and you moved on. When the riding of the bike is happening, very good, you enjoyed it. There was some problem, you fixed it. Some amount of uncomfortable situation was there, and you fixed it. Again, you moved on. And you felt good. So both the states are there. Things are in our control in this circumstance.

Next level: when things are not under our control - both happiness and unhappiness being present in them.

Now let's go to the next level. Somebody who is dear to you, who is your closest, suddenly fell sick and you came to know about it. You felt very sorry for them, but you are helpless. The sorrow has come into the picture. You pray, they take proper medication, and somehow their health is restored to normal. Then again, you feel happy.

Take another example. Somebody has a good job, and things are going well. He feels good, happy. Suddenly he loses the job. The moment he loses his job, he gets into a sorrowful situation. Now he has to search for a job. When can he get job again? Nobody knows for sure. But when he gets the job again, he is back to happiness.

So both the situations are there; happiness and sorrow both are there in the things where we don’t have any control. The job is not in your control. Our own health is not in your control and somebody else’s health is also not in your control.

The mistaken notion of happiness

Happiness is not about what you are doing. I like cooking. I do cooking. I'm happy about it. It's just an activity. Activity may promote what? The end result of it, or the final purpose of the activity, is from there you to come to the point.

It is not true that just because I drive a Tesla car, that act itself makes me happy. I enjoyed that ride; that’s all. But where are you going? And what is the destination? That decides the course of action.

Real happiness - Irrespective of whether things are in my control or not, I am always happy and I am always balanced – goal of life

Now let’s come back to the next stage of happiness wherein, irrespective of whether things are in my control or not, I am always happy and I am always balanced. That’s real happiness.

Whether I am watching a show and I was asked to stop, or whether something happened and I stopped it - in either case, there is no change in my happiness or balanced state at all. I quickly adjust and move into the new direction to get there. How quickly you come back to that balanced state – If you look into that, then you are happy.

Whether you have a job or not, whether somebody is sick or not - you quickly come back to balance. There may be a movement, little bit of movement; from there you quickly come back and be balanced, always happy under all circumstances. That is the goal of life.

That type of happiness can make you survive long. That happiness percolates in all your activities - whether you are cooking, whether you are doing a job, whether you are working on things you like or things you don’t like - everywhere, that percolates. So that produces happiness inside you as well as outside you.

That level of happiness is the goal of life. Yesterday I am happy, today I am not happy - that does not work. All through life, we want to be in a happy and balanced state.

Peace vs. Calmness

Now let us get to peace. What is meant by peace? What is the difference between calmness and peace?

Calmness means that the flow of thoughts has come down and things are relatively calm. Peace, however, means that there is no conflict of any kind inside us. Then you are always in peace. It is that peace which percolates. Even in the circumstances which are not in your control, the peace will be there. This peace is what you need to be in always.

When peace is there, you get reconciled to the situation. The conflict is resolved. For example, the person is lost, you get reconciled to it.

Happiness and peace, they go together. When you are happy, you are peaceful. When you are peaceful, you are happy. This brings in harmony. The inner harmony is there. When you have inner harmony, then that percolates into the environment. And once you are more peaceful, you will be more balanced.

How to achieve the goal of life? We start with moulding our mind with the assistance of Yogic Transmission

Now how do we achieve that? We need to mould our mind, i.e thoughts. Our thoughts are the most powerful. And if our thought is aligned to the highest goal, it can steer us to that highest potential. This is where meditation is the foundation of spirituality. Now what we are talking about is in the spiritual domain. When we are talking about the inner, we are no longer talking about external parameters anymore. If you are looking for external parameters - education, job, house, all these things will come. Once you talk about happiness, peace, harmony, we have gone into internal aspects.

How do we get that? It is the Raja Yoga, which utilizes the thought force - the primary state of consciousness - that can enable us to ascend to a higher level of consciousness. The transmission (Pranahuti) of thought of original nature is used in the Raja Yoga, and that is the foundation.