KNOWING LIFE’S PURPOSE MAKING ALL THE DIFFERENCE

KNOWING LIFE’S PURPOSE MAKING ALL THE DIFFERENCE

Knowing life’s purpose would invest everything one did with meaning.
Whether reading a book, performing a task, or caring for one’s health,
one would feel deep commitment and satisfaction. Even if one were suffering
from a dreadful disease, enmeshed in a family quarrel, or strung by
a humiliating defeat, the power to live― the determination to overcome
any obstacle  in order to fulfill life’s great purpose―would always come
flooding back. In his One the Genealogy of Morals, Friedrich Nietzsche
(1844-1900) effectively underscored  the importance of meaning in life
when he wrote that man desires suffering and”even seeks it out,provided
that he has been shown a meaning for it, a reason for suffering.”
  
  The road stretching ahead may be long, but face the right direction
and nay forward motion will bring one that much closer to the goal,
with no waste of energy. Whatever it costs in time or strength or money
to realize the purpose of life will certainly be rewarded in full. No experience
is ever thrown away or lost. Even those engulfed in wave after wave of sorrow
are sure to find their reward, once they know the ultimate purpose of living.

Some declare life to be wonderful and fulfilling, while others decry it as empty
and meaningless. What makes the difference? Simply knowing life’s true purpose.

KNOWING LIFE’S PURPOSE MAKING ALL THE DIFFERENCE

KNOWING LIFE’S PURPOSE MAKING ALL THE DIFFERENCE

Knowing life’s purpose would invest everything one did with meaning.
Whether reading a book, performing a task, or caring for one’s health,
one would feel deep commitment and satisfaction. Even if one were suffering
from a dreadful disease, enmeshed in a family quarrel, or strung by
a humiliating defeat, the power to live― the determination to overcome
any obstacle  in order to fulfill life’s great purpose―would always come
flooding back. In his One the Genealogy of Morals, Friedrich Nietzsche
(1844-1900) effectively underscored  the importance of meaning in life
when he wrote that man desires suffering and”even seeks it out,provided
that he has been shown a meaning for it, a reason for suffering.”
  
  The road stretching ahead may be long, but face the right direction
and nay forward motion will bring one that much closer to the goal,
with no waste of energy. Whatever it costs in time or strength or money
to realize the purpose of life will certainly be rewarded in full. No experience
is ever thrown away or lost. Even those engulfed in wave after wave of sorrow
are sure to find their reward, once they know the ultimate purpose of living.

Some declare life to be wonderful and fulfilling, while others decry it as empty
and meaningless. What makes the difference? Simply knowing life’s true purpose.

WHEN LIFE BECOMES PREDICTABLE

WHEN LIFE BECOMES PREDICTABLE

In Aesop’s fable of the ant and the grasshopper, the ant toiled all summer and then was able to pick up its heels and enjoy life in the winter. Most of us do not enjoy that luxury. Instead, we slave in all seasons, year in and year out. One the way to work, day after day we may pass the some people in the same place, until their faces become vaguely familiar. They, like us, committed to an unvarying routine.

 Without lasting joy or fulfillment in living, the days merge into one indistinguishable blur of eating, sleeping, and getting up. Living such a life is like running a footrace with no goal: without the thrill of anticipation or the joy of crossing the finish line, why strain to keep up the pace? In life, too, only those with a clear sense of direction and purpose can stay the course with vigor.

EVERY ACTION HAS ITS PURPOSE

EVERY 　ACTION 　HAS　 ITS　 PURPOSE

Every action has a definite purpose. Riding in a taxi, for instance, even the quietest person speaks up without hesitation to tell the driver his destination. Otherwise, the driver would have no idea which way to go. Heading off in a direction chosen at random wold be a waste of time and money.

 Ask someone why he is studying, and he is likely to mention a test the next day, or talk about getting his license. Ask someone where she is off to, and she may say she is going shopping, or out for a breath of fresh air.
All our actions have a purpose.

 What if someone asked you the point of living? What would you answer?

 Certainly, life is far from easy. The modern workplace, for instance,brings its own difficulties and stresses. In her book White-Collar Sweat-shop, Jill Andresky Fraser writes of new difficulties that have faced American workers during the last two decades, in which layoffs have become commonplace despite ongoing economic prosperity.She points out that young workers of today have little job security or guarantee of career advancement; that in midlife they are torn by the conflicting demand of work, children, and again parents; and that in later life, despite expectations that they will be rewarded for all their years of hard work,men and women are often let go, with bleak prospects for their remaining years.

 Why must we endure these hardships to go on living? Othters may advise us to “hang in
there,” “fight the good fight,” and “never say die,” but if they cannot offer us any clear and compelling reason to live, these words fall flat. However well-intentioned, such platitudes con feel like the crack of a whip as we run in endless circles.

CHAPTER 1 The Fragility of Happiness

CHAPTER 1

The Fragility of Happiness



     “Get out”
     Mother ran downstairs and hammered Father with her fists, shrieking at him to leave.
     The sound rings in my ears to this day. As I stood rooted to the spot, Father passed                                       
     wordlessly in front of me and on out the door, never to return. I was in grade school.
     It was months before I learned the word “divorce” and understood the sad situation.  
     Through tears, I grasped the hard truth that happiness can collapse and disappear in
     an instant, without the slightest warning.


As that boy learned to his sorrow, even the most apparently secure happiness may crumble at any time. Life is uncertain, apt to spring a nasty surprise when we least except it. What’s the point of it all? What is life all about, anyway? When we find ourselves shaken out of the lull of routine, standing aghast like the little boy above, questions like these demand serious answer.

 Bookstores and libraries over flow with stories of people who have overcome all manner of adversity and found happiness through their tenacity and their strength of will. These books encourage us to keep going: “Happiness can be yours!” “Find your passion and follow it, whatever it might be.” All these success stories tell us to keep moving forward, step by step. But what direction are we to take, and where are we headed? Those answers are not necessarily clear.

you were born for a reason Introduction

you were born for a reason
the real purpose of life    

Introduction

Today in countries around the world, people enjoy wealth and comfort unheard of in centuries past. Medical and scientific advances mean that we live longer and have greater ability to change and control our environment to suit our needs. But have these advances brought greater happiness ? Modern society is plagued with ills such as violence in its many forms, including tyranny, terrorism, murder, and suicide. Real answers to these problems continue to elude us.

  Our advances many have made us richer, but they have not done anything to ensure our happiness or provide us with a sense of abiding meaningfulness. In fact, modern life often seems only to bring more acute feelings of isolation, loneliness, and emptiness.

  Why is it that, although blessed with physical health and an abundant lifestyle, we cannot find heart’s ease ?

  This question was addressed more than twenty-five hundred years ago in India by Siddhartha Gautama(Sakyamuni), the founder of Buddhism. Born a prince, he excelled from boyhood in literary and military arts; he wedded the loveliest young woman in the Kingdom; he lacked for nothing. Yet his heart was not cheered in the least. He passed the days despondently,knowing that even though good health, treasure, status, honor, family, and talent were his, he would one day lose them all: no earthly happiness could prevail over old age, sickness, and death. Realizing the nature of human existence, Siddhartha was unable to experience true ease or satisfaction.

  Finally, when he was twenty-nine years old, he crept out the palace one night in search of true happiness. For six years he lived the life of a mountain ascetic, until his eyes were opened to the truth that all people can obtain absolute happiness, and he achieved Buddhahood.

  The lesson taught by Salyamuni Buddha are timelessly true. We all are vulnerable to the devastation of sudden illness striking oneself or a love one. And although we may immerse ourselves in work or a hobby, the day will come when old age prevents us from enjoying such activities, When we die, moreover, we must part from those we love. What is there in life that will never betray us, that we can devote ourselves to without regret? Throughout his life, Sakyamuni continued to teach that the purpose of life is none other than to gain unassailable, eternal happiness. In Japan, the essence of this message was preached by Shinran(1173-1263), founder of Shin Buddhism (the True Pure Land School).
  
  Shinran laid out the purpose of life and urged its attainment with incomparable clarity: The universal purpose of life is to destroy the root of suffering and gain joy in being alive, so that you rejoice at having been born human and live on in eternal happiness. No matter how hard your life may be, keep on until you accomplish this purpose. The nine decades of his life were focused single-mindedly on this message.
  
  Yet mankind today remains lots in the dark, ignorant of life’s purpose and unsure whether life has nay meaning.
War, murder, suicide, violence, abuse―could it be that all such tragedies arise out of the darkness of mind that cannot make sense of life, or find any reason to go on living? Simply lowering the legal age of criminal responsibility is not a solution, since it will not reform the heart of these young offenders who have no awareness of their wrongdoing. These terrible blights on society will resist all countermeasures unless the dignity and purpose of life are made clear. Until that happens, any action is as futile and transitory as drawing pictures on the water.
  
  Is there a purpose in life?
  What is the meaning of life?
  
  These age-old questions cry out for clear answers. Shinran stated the purpose of life more plainly than ever before, and urged its attainment. He is indeed the light of the world that breaks through the dark delusions of the human race.
  
  Is there a purpose in life? In this book we will address this question head-on through the prism of Shinran’s word. We begin in Part One by examining the human condition, along with the comments of leading writers, thinkers, and newsmakers from East and West. In Part Two we turn to quotations from Shinran’s teachings that demonstrate the unchanging, timeless purpose of life, with paraphrase and commentary as aids in understanding.
  
  Across the centuries,  the words of Shinran have helped untold millons in Japan to hear the message of life’s purpose. It is our great hope and dream that book may convey his words to millions more around the world, so that they too many enter into true and lasting happiness.       

Kentetsu Takamori

Translated and adapted by Juliet Winters Carpenter
“you were born for a reason is a solemn and profound book”
                                                                Edward Seidensticker