The Meaning of Life

Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast

Timber Hawkeye

Spirituality, Buddhism, Awareness, Calm, Society & Culture, Meditation, Mindful, Buddhist, Philosophy, Awake, Minimalist, Innerpeace, Selfhelp, Spiritual, Education, Aware, Mindfulness, Self-improvement

4.8 • 907 Ratings

🗓️ 13 November 2019

⏱️ 6 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Can our life's purpose be to do things on purpose? Can something as ubiquitous as shopping be made altruistic if there's meaning behind each purchase? I mean, we can't all save the rainforest first hand, for example, but what if the clothes we buy support an organization that does? At the end of the day, it's not about what we get but what we give, so let's give life meaning. If you find value in these commercial-free podcast episodes, my online posts, monthly emails, and discussion circles, then head over to BuddhistBootCamp.com/support Thank you for being a Soldier of Peace in the Army of Love.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:17.0	Welcome to the Buddhist Boot Camp Podcast. Our intention is to awaken, enlighten, enrich, and inspire a simple and uncomplicated life. Discover the benefits of mindful living with your host, Timber Hawkeye.
0:31.0	It's been said that the meaning of life is to give life meaning, to search for, find, and be motivated by a sense of purpose or a
0:35.4	mission. I'm not necessarily talking about grand philanthropic
0:39.4	entrepreneurship like running an orphanage or saving lives, it can be whatever internal drive fuels you with a vision that gets you out of bed each morning.
0:48.5	For many people, raising children is the ultimate calling, while others vocation is their artistic expression, their
0:55.7	career, or the objective of progress, be it environmental, humanitarian, or spiritual.
1:02.0	In our monthly discussion circles about these topics, many parents said they had or adopted or
1:07.6	fostered children in order to have a sense of purpose when they didn't feel they had it.
1:12.6	And one father in the audience said the child was not had on purpose, but the moment it was
1:17.6	born it gave his life purpose.
1:20.3	They all admitted, however, that parenting is a double-edged sword in that you essentially work yourself out of a job.
1:27.0	For once the kids are grown, you start looking for meaning elsewhere, be it rescuing dogs or cats or counting on being a grandparent someday.
1:35.0	All of that is to say that the search for meaning and purpose is universal, but the methods vary.
1:41.0	Regardless of the path we choose, many still tell me they feel empty inside, despite having loads
1:46.6	of money in the bank, a big house, or the latest iPhone.
1:49.9	I think that's because those things take amazing photographs, they impress strangers, or they provide
1:55.3	us with a false sense of security, but they don't give our life meaning.
1:59.7	In other words, altruism, not consumerism, is the path to true fulfillment.
2:05.0	And that's because altruism gives us purpose, while consumerism just gives us more stuff.
2:10.0	But let's be honest and realistic, we are all consumers at the end of the day.
2:15.0	We buy food, clothes, appliances, coffee, household goods, each and every one of us.
2:19.6	So I'm not going to sit here and suggest that we start leading austere ascetic lives as a path to
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Timber Hawkeye, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Timber Hawkeye and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.