The Meaning of Life

The meaning of life is to live life to its fullest, to do your best and be the best that you can possibly be and to love and accept others the way they are, even if they sometimes turn you away from this belief. The meaning of life as understood by Buddhism is very simple but requires a lot of effort on our part in order to attain it. The first step in understanding the meaning of life is: accepting all that we have and being contented with what’s around us. The second step is: clinging to the feeling of peace within us, but not allowing it to overwhelm our lives.

The meaning of life can also be understood using the words of H. P. Lovecraft, who wrote “If life means a death then nothing is worth living, and the idea of an eternal afterlife makes me shiver with fear.” The meaning of life is then understood to be the pre-determined purpose for our human life here on earth; which is to become a better person in order to be enjoying the great rewards of human life. The third step needed to comprehend the meaning of life is: letting go of any attachments to concepts (egrets, morals, talents, skills, knowledge, etc.)

The second step to knowing the meaning of life is: to look at things in a different perspective, using logic (i.e., “what is the meaning of life if it is a cosmic joke?”). Finally, the third step to comprehending the meaning of life is: to use our creative capacities creatively, without using our intellect (egotism) to the extreme. The key to life is found in the paradoxical “functioning” of our body, mind and soul as a whole, and not in our ability to intellectualize and “think outside the box”. The universe has a plan for us that we have chosen to accept or not to accept. The key to living creatively is finding that balance between what we think/feel/dream and what is actually there.