Purpose Above All

When Ilon Musk says that not thinking about the possibility of other worlds is just too depressing, he is seizing upon one of the most important elements of the human psyche.

Without calling his actions virtuous or non-virtuous, Ilon Musk might well be the most important explorer of our modern era. Although he seems fairly uninterested in wars or developing war technology as a main goal of his companies he faces off with one of the most formidable enemy of human beings as we go forward….purpose or lack of it. This is evidenced in his admonitions against the unbridled development of artificial intelligence where he cautions that humans will essentially have to “merge with machines” in order to remain relevant.

If one examines the single most critical elements of the survival of an individual one could briefly call it the will to survive. This specific type of will or drive, is greatly affected by an individual’s perception of their own purpose or reason to be. Indeed, the notion of purpose is very much being tested in the USA by the virus forcing many to stay at home with little to do other than to trim their lawns, watch empty streets though their windows and realign with their families in ways previously forgotten. By comparison, for those with a modicum of Buddhist practice experience, the type of pressure this situation poses to us can be absorbed into the basic foundations of the practices themselves, an understanding of impermanence, suffering and its cause, and the need to reach an understanding beyond suffering for the benefit of all.

In other words, those who have already chosen a Buddhist path with any level of sincerity or engagement, find themselves realizing that the teachings are extremely poignant, perfectly fit for the situations we find ourselves presented with. We can in fact, simply be.

I once saw a funny misspelled sign in a parking lot some while back that said: “Pay before existing”. Humans by and large do not fare well when uncertainty visits us as if it intends to stay as an unwanted guest for an indeterminate period if not into the foreseeable future. We tend to need to know what we are doing each day in order to orient our psychology and resources, materially, energetically and emotionally. In fact, out of those three, if one were to search for the key factor, it must be the emotions. If one’s heart is not in something or one does not see purpose in a path, materials and energy become largely irrelevant. Conversely, if one is fully invested emotionally, issues of material and energy have a far better chance to resolve themselves.

It has been said that suicide rates have risen substantially since the advent of the lockdown. This should come as no surprise since the factors which challenge people’s sense of purpose are certainly prevalent these days. Although the essential energy behind emotions is neither intrinsically good nor bad, emotions have both unenlightened as well as enlightened sides to their manifestations. Emotions or energies based on undistorted vision dawn as wisdom while distorted emptions become toxic poisons that harm us and others. If we dare to use such a phrase as emotionally intelligent, it is because we recognize the energetic or fundamental link between emotion and wisdom and our energetic systems within us. Jealousy is not a trait one typically equates with intelligence for example, but those who have purified the dualistic aspects of that emotion may find themselves with heaps of extra energy for joyful accomplishment for the benefit of all.

The time of the virus represents a gift from other nature called time to consider deeply.

For it is now that we can check our inner landscapes to try to understand better how to realign our operating presumptions which have as a whole, utterly failed us as a species. What would our world look like with a different purpose other than simply defending oneself or one’s loved ones only? What would happen if those with the utmost economic savvy turned their intelligence to solving some of the more fundamental challenges we all face that stand to possibly wipe us off the planet and instead adjust our priorities?

Today we are talking about defunding police. Although it would be better branded by saying totally revamp the police, we should also cut military spending by half at the very least. At a time when the entire world seems to be degenerating into dictatorship rule, this has also given birth to a world wide fed-up-ness with all the selfish needless wars for profit. Whereas talks about cutting the military down to size hardly ever surfaced in any budget meeting, it may be the time when something can happen. Why? Because by and large the majority of intelligent people across the globe can see we are all interdependent. It’s not simply a made-up God’s rhetoric or a core Buddhist principle, it is in fact how things work.

Personally, I have no doubt about the messages we are being gifted in the form of our current situation. Even as a so-called seasoned practitioner, this time has helped me to really profoundly investigate the inherent flaws within my own operating system. For this I am truly grateful. If the current conditions do not meet cause within me and I live through this, or even if I do not, I will be better for the experience and better able to serve others.

As usual, the key to all this is the development of the altruistic mind of Bodhichitta, the mind bent on helping all beings transcend suffering and reach complete enlightenment. This most sacred exalted intention is the best nectar of immortality one cannot buy. It is a deep everlasting profoundly powerful and meaningful purpose, utterly free to anyone who seeks it out sincerely. It is an inoculation that offers real lasting cure and has no risk side. It carries no fear of abuse or alternative motivation as the motivation is within our control. And, it does not come with any tracking anxieties other than the identification of the practitioner’s mind stream as a Son or Daughter of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the three times and Ten directions.

A clear purpose to benefit others enhanced by the powers within the aspiration and vows, is undoubtedly one of the strongest boosts to one’s own immune system that we have at present. By honoring, nurturing and refining such a pure motivation on a daily basis, the strong fortified trees of a dense forest of good qualities will grow into the pure land we somehow know is somewhere around the corner if we only set our sights correctly.

I encourage everyone to pick a regular daily practice without making any excuses. It doesn’t really matter how elaborate or simple it is as long as it is sufficient in the effort you put into it. If you don’t believe in what you do, who else could? For those that say they don’t like ritualistic behavior, it means you simply have not recognized how ritualistically we cultivate our own worst habits while remaining subject to sheer rudder lessness and chaos as a result. We cannot practice because we don’t have enough time. We need that extra 20 minutes sleep. We cannot do any practice because it comes from some dogmatic tradition cloaked in language we don’t see the benefit of grappling with, etc. etc.

Any bad habit can be fairly easily broken not by resisting it but by replacing it with habits with profound meaning and power. All that remains is for us to slow down, look inside, and do it.

These words of encouragement are submitted by a white-clad Yogi who is confining his confused emanations and instead offering a cloud of positivity into the Buddha Kayas for consideration by migratory beings who alternate between sadness and bliss. May their minds settle on bliss in the long run.