"What Is My Purpose?" A Non-Dual Perspective

The ego carries a fear that says, "If I have no purpose, I will be nothing."

The topic of individual purpose has been a theme amongst my students of late.

“What is the point?” they ask. "If everything is a great unfolding, how do I know what my purpose is?”

Here is one response from a non-dual perspective. Perhaps it will be helpful to you. I’d love to hear. See you in the comments.

An audio version is included below.

Love,

Erin

p.s. My next Zoom satsang will be Sunday, September 29th, 9am to 10:30am Pacific. RSVP for details.

Photo by Liam Simpson on Unsplash

“What Is My Purpose?” A Non-Dual Perspective

Your purpose is what is happening NOW.

Everything, including meaning and purpose, is made up by Mind.

The idea of an evolutionary trajectory implies time and space, which brings in the idea of a past and a future.

True Liberation – awakened living off the wheel of suffering – is only in the Here and Now.

Realize there is nothing wrong with assuming a role, a purpose, in the dream, the cosmic Lila. There is nothing wrong with the idea of “I Am This, I Am That, I Am The Other Thing.

The dream, this unfolding of Consciousness, is a PLAY. See the play! Embrace the play! Feel your purposefulness within the play. Dress the play in costumery! Play the part of a bum! A king! A wife! A champ! A loser!

To resist one’s purposefulness may also be part of the play.

Keep coming back to this simple point: the purposefulness of this body-mind-soul being IS what is happening now. It could not be otherwise.

If there is a movement toward action, that action is already happening. Whether the ego willingly goes along with that happening (which is the movement of Source) or not, has never been in anyone’s control.

NO. PROBLEM.

Doesn’t this just bring in a sense of nihilism?

Nihilism states, “Well, there’s no purpose so I’m just going to sit here and pout and be depressed.” That is also an egoic stance.

Egoic hopelessness is based on a deficient emptiness, unlike pure emptiness which is the Eternal.

There is no need for nihilism (unless of course it arises which is just fine, too). Simply recognize it as a stance, an egoic stance, an intellectual idea – just as existential depression is egoic, a label of a state of mind.

Deficient emptiness says, Oh, there’s nothing, whoa is “ME.” There’s no purpose, what’s the point. Children are dying, I’m getting old, the trees are dying, life sucks.

Pure emptiness is Consciousness unidentified. Consciousness at rest, prior to awareness. It is the potential energy of the plenum, of Totality.

With movement, there is the pure I Am of Awareness.

With identification, there is the I am John, I am Mary, etc.

Now, coming back to “What is my purpose?”

Not to worry. Ever. Your purpose is what is happening Now. Purposefulness, the sense of movement, belonging, action, cannot not arise.

Even in a depressive, lost purpose, there is a purposefulness. Think about that! The purposefulness is being lost, depressed. Realize that it is your – the ego’s – preference to have purposefulness be that which is labeled as positive.

Purposefulness cannot not arise. You’ll do something. You have a kid, you fall in love, you pay taxes. You have a dream, a thought arises, you get sick, you heal miraculously.

All of the stories will unfold.

With kindness and humor, witness the ego in its identification. The ego is also Consciousness – simply the part of Source that assumes a separate identity.

Witness the ego labeling itself as an “Influencer,” a teacher, a voice of change. A father, a mother, a healer, an astrologer, a teacher, a yogi, a designer, a builder, a soul, etc.

IT’S NOT A PROBLEM.

The joke, the paradox is that surrendering the quandary of “what is my purpose” may amplify one’s role or purposefulness even more. For better or for worse. Simply living purposefulness in present time often softens the barriers of expression.

Q: Who is experiencing the purposefulness?

A: The ego. Which is also Consciousness.

The ego carries a fear that if “I” have no purpose,” “I” will be nothing. Or, there will be boredom, or failure, or loss, or, or, or.

What really happens with the death of egoic identification is that Life continues on as a flow. We realize that all is an appearance in the play.

If you’re an energetic body or a contemplative body or a seeker body or a depressive body – no problem.

If you’re meant to be a yogi, a politician, a shift shaper or a shape shifter, or a slacker, there’s nothing the ego can do to stop it. It’s part of the play.

COMMON REASONS FOR NEEDING PURPOSE

-           Fear

-           Hubris (more fear)

-           Lack of faith (more fear)

-           Need to know (control, more fear)

-           Curiosity (personality design)

There is ultimately nothing to fear. Realize it is all unfolding perfectly in the Now.

And, there’s nothing wrong with having a personality that is curious, creative. Realize, you’re playing in mudpies, so have fun with it. And, if your curiosity is leading you down too many rabbit holes, perhaps the personality will change and cease chasing rabbits; perhaps not.

Purpose is COMFORT FOR THE EGO.

Not sure what to do? A lot of buzzing energy? Could meditate, could create, could go for a walk.

Or throw an idea against the wall like pasta. Does it stick? That’s play, too! See what happens.

Your body mind might feel it’s uncomfortable to sit too long, so you’ll do something! And, it feels good to use our gifts. It is a pleasure, a preference of the ego. When we apply a sense of time to it, it appears to be our purpose. But in actuality, it is only what is happening NOW.

So, when it comes to living your purpose, do what you FEEL like doing. Also accept that sometimes we do what we do not feel like. This is because Life is bigger than you as the ego. See how long it lasts.

The joke is always on us!