Life is as if a king has sent you to a country to perform one special task. If you go there and accomplish a hundred other things, but not that particular task, then it's as if you've accomplished nothing at all.
- Persian mystic poet Rumi
What is the task? All the sages tell us that we've come into this world to realize God. Buddhists, of course, would not say "God," but "Buddha nature." Or they might say that the task is to become fully awakened.
There are three fundamental rules that all the wisdom traditions say will help us accomplish our task, if we follow them.
The first is to be cautious about materialism: Don't want too much. Live modestly.
The second is to dedicate yourself to something you believe in, something you think is beautiful and important.
The third is to commit yourself to a personal spiritual practice that you can follow every day, even if just for a few minutes. Devote some part of your day to sitting in silence and saying, "Here I am. Guide me."
The point is that if we search outside ourselves for the meaning of life, we'll probably never find it. But if we center ourselves and look for meaning in life, we'll find that it's waiting for us right here in the present moment. And I'm not just talking about the popular notion of "seizing the day," which sometimes can mean little more than eating dessert first. I mean that a more profound spiritual power and freedom are available to us; that we are much deeper than we usually let on.
Sunday, October 16, 2005
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