What is the true purpose of coming to this earth

In our previous article, we discussed that the ultimate aim of human life is to awaken to the experience of Self, to abide in it, and cause others to awaken to the magnificent wellspring of Self within them. Anything that serves this purpose alone is worth engaging in. Yet we are so lured by the materialistic world that we tend to forget the true purpose of coming to this earth. Let’s understand why.

When we move through the ocean of worldly life, we tend to be enamoured by it to such an extent that we become oblivious of the transitory short-lived nature of the world. But truly speaking how we experience the world today has actually been programmed right since our childhood through our genes and upbringing. We function through this programming and fall victim to our own likes and dislikes. We have made prisons for ourselves from the concepts and beliefs that we have borrowed through our upbringing.

We encounter situations in our daily lives where we are gripped by attachment to what we like and aversion to what we dislike. Attachment and aversion are two sides of the same coin. They draw us away from our true nature that is rooted in changeless permanence. We either chase after seemingly pleasant experiences or avoid seemingly unpleasant experiences.

Take the example of smoking. You may be allergic to smoking while your neighbour may relish it. Smoking being the same, why does it appear unpleasant to you when it is pleasant for your neighbour?

The nature of the world is neither pleasant nor unpleasant. It is what it is – without labels, without bias. It is how you relate to it from your past conditioning that makes the world appear in particular ways.

Incidents have no meaning by themselves, unless meanings are superimposed through thoughts. And the same incident can cause entirely different thoughts in different people. This is because they’re projecting or superimposing their own mental baggage on the screen, then watching the scene through their own mental filters. When they do this, it distorts the picture of reality.

External situations are not the cause, but rather a reflection of what you hold within. No incident or situation is a problem by itself. It becomes a so-called problem or triggers blame or complaint within us only because we are viewing it through the filters of our limiting beliefs.

Experiences! Experiences that we go through in life are just like mirages. What we see is not what actually is. We do not see things for what they truly are. If we have to see through the mirage, then we need to break through the very cause why the mirage appears to be so. The background that makes things appear frightening needs to be destroyed so that the truth behind the mirage can be seen clearly.

So what is the answer to this? It is learning the art of asking the right question to yourself in various life situations. Questions that will lead you from what is obvious to the deeper transcendental truth. Such questioning can break through illusions that appear in various circumstances, so that you can smile when faced with any illusion, without getting deluded.

If you do not put up the right question before the mind, then it will verbalize the illusion in its own words and get entangled; it will complain and grumble, “Life is difficult; people do not cooperate; my children will abandon me; old-age is setting in”. How can one be at peace when plagued by such thoughts?

Once we learn the art of right questioning, we can apply it whenever we are caught up in such an illusory maze. Asking yourself the right question at the right time can remind you to shift your perspective from the obvious to the deeper truth.

The question that can help you raise your awareness of the truth behind the mirage in daily situations is: “Is this a myth, a fact, a truth or the ultimate truth?”

As soon as you ask this question, your awareness will rise. This will help you to see through the assumptions, speculations and idiosyncrasies of the mind. As soon as you transcend the assumptions of the mind, you will begin to feel a natural state of peaceful stillness.

Consider the example of wealth. If your thoughts are heavy, injured, insatiable and complaining, then even if you amass a lot of wealth, you will only buy a hell for yourself. Without an understanding of truth, even being wealthy becomes a curse. There are many rich people who are victims of stress, depression and disease. So money, by itself, is not the key to a happy life.

But there are people who keep complaining that their poverty is the main cause of their unhappiness. They need to ask, “Is this a myth? Aren’t there people who are wealthier than me and yet unhappy?” The mind will gain clarity that it is indeed a myth. Asking this question gives a chance to break this myth.

The other part of the question is “Is it a fact?” And the answer is that it could be a fact, but then, “Is it the truth?” The truth about wealth is that every scene is a preparation for the next future scene. You create your future by the seeds of feelings that you plant in the present. When you are gripped by feelings of despair and scarcity, you plant seeds of a future that you don’t actually desire.

However, when you have faith in this law, you will shift your feelings and honour abundance with faith. The one who dwells in joy and faith, regardless of the situation-at-hand is truly wealthy! This uncompromising joy makes him a magnet that attracts the best things in his life.

Is the water in this glass cold, or is it warm? The answer lies in relativity. If your left hand is cold, then the warm water may feel hot. If your right hand is hot, then the warm water may feel lukewarm. It then turns out that your left-hand does not agree with the right hand on the temperature of the water. So your own body is lying to you. Both the hands are stating their facts, but none of them is telling the truth. The truth is that the water is neither hot nor cold.

The culminating part of this question is, “What is the ultimate truth… the bright truth… the absolute reality?” When you ask yourself this question, you are reminded of the ultimate truth that everything that is happening is only a medium for the Self to experience its nature and express its divine qualities. You shift from the limited personal standpoint to the universal standpoint of the Self.

Asking this question awakens you, it challenges your beliefs and throws light on the darkness that seems to engulf you.

The purpose of such questioning is to develop unshakeable clarity that you can be in bliss, regardless of innumerable ominous problems that seem to loom over you. It is to gain maturity that tides may continue to rise and fall, but you remain untouched, unsullied and carefree forever.

Summary:

How we experience the world has been programmed since childhood through our genes and upbringing. We have made prisons for ourselves from the concepts and beliefs that we have borrowed through our upbringing. We are gripped by attachment and aversion, which are the two sides of the same coin. They draw us away from our true nature that is rooted in changeless permanence.

There is no absolute world out there. Rather, you are constantly shaping your own personalized world as you go through life. People, situations – everything you experience – are shaded by your perception and are projections of what is held deep within your mind.

The question that can help you raise your awareness of the truth behind the mirage in daily situations is: “Is this a myth, a fact, a truth or the ultimate truth?” This will help you to see through the assumptions, of the mind and no sooner than you transcend the assumptions of the mind, you will begin to feel a natural state of peaceful stillness.

In this article, we also touched upon one of the most complicated topic – The MIND.
In our upcoming article, we shall discuss – What is the Mind? What does it want? What is the true happiness of the mind?