Purpose and goals. These are two words we frequently hear and often misuse. What is your purpose in life? Where do you see yourself in five years? Let's explore the differences and see if there may be an overlap between the two.
In living, sentient beings, purpose is not function or usefulness. Purpose is simply 'meaning' in the spiritual sense and may only be bestowed on a living, sentient being. A screwdriver cannot have 'purpose' because it is not alive, obviously.
Whereas
a goal is a desire that may only be accomplished in the future. Therefor once it’s
been achieved it’s no longer a goal. I would like to eat lunch today. I see
myself as a business owner. Or I would like to finish college by next year. As
you see we may have many goals in life.
Do
you need 'purpose' to live a meaningful life? We all would like to think so. We
would like to think that our existence will have a positive impact on at least
one person. So, the question of ‘do I have purpose’ may weigh heavy on your
mind.
So
how do we answer this question from a Buddhist and mindfulness perspective? For
this discussion we are going to exclude any notion of divinely derived causality
for our existence and simply look at what the Buddha taught.
When
we look at Buddhas very first teaching he explains the Four Noble Truths: There
is suffering in the world, attachment is the cause of suffering, there is a way
to end suffering, and that way is the Noble Eightfold Path.
No
one wants to suffer and that’s why we have goals. We hope that with a college
degree we may get a better job which will ease our suffering. Or maybe we’d
like a bigger house in the country away from the hustle and bustle of city
life. Or perhaps we'd like to move into the city because country life is too
quiet.
But accomplishing any one or more of these goals will not ease your suffering for any meaningful length of time. If you get a bigger home, then you might need to worry about protecting your possessions and get a security system. Certainly this scenario cannot be the purpose of your life, can it?
Let’s
circle back to the First Noble Truth, there is suffering in this world. Since
we know this to be a factual statement then couldn’t our purpose be to help
ease the suffering of others? Rather than focusing on ‘I” or “me’ as we have
been taught instead, we shift our perspective to ‘we’ and ‘others’. This
paradigm shift is certainly meaningful, for what greater good can there be than
helping those that are suffering.
Buddhism
isn’t about achieving enlightenment or Nirvana. These outcomes may be the
result of the practice and maybe not even in this lifetime. The heart of
Buddhism is easing suffering for us and others and the way to accomplish this
is through the Noble Eightfold Path. Following this path, even to a small
degree, helps you change your outlook to one that is purposeful and meaningful instead
of one that is materialistically goal orientated.
Do
you need purpose to have a meaningful life? The simple fact is you already do.
It’s an innate quality of being born a sentient being and a quality that is
often overlooked in our busy and distracted lives.
Wishing you continued peace and wellbeing,
Vladimir
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