So today I'd like to explore with you the idea of purpose.
And purpose is closely connected to meaning.
And if we correspond them to the Eightfold Path,
Meaning is closely linked to the first and second factors of the path,
Of our view and our intentions.
So if what is most meaningful to us is to have as many adventures as possible,
Then we'll likely be traveling a lot,
Spending time in planes and cars.
Meaning sometimes provides a sense of purpose in a general way for how we are living our lives.
And as this relates to practice,
I want to offer kind of a pithy example of this inquiry into purpose.
Let's say that we stop off at a gas station to put gas in our car.
You know,
We can ask,
Well,
What's the purpose of doing that?
It's to put gas in our car,
Right?
But if we ask the question more deeply,
You know,
What is the purpose of having gas in my car?
You know,
The purpose is that I can do the things that are important in my life,
Visit people who are sick or go to work or support myself or my family.
And then what's the purpose of that?
Well,
That brings me joy and it provides me meaning.
So there are layers and layers to just the idea of purpose.
You know,
And just reflecting on the purpose of our lives,
You know,
What's the purpose of our work or what we do regularly?
Maybe you're retired,
But you do something regularly and like what,
What's the purpose of that activity?
Are we imbuing it with purpose or are we creating value?
And how this relates to the Buddhist practice is that whatever we're doing with our time in our life,
Just to consider,
You know,
Whether the activity that we're doing is beneficial,
Is wholesome in some way,
Or is skillful in some way,
Or is healthy,
Or is it unhealthy?
Is it not beneficial?
Is it self-serving?
And just to know that,
You know,
So much of awareness practice is in knowing what we're doing and why.
The idea of something being wholesome means that not only is it wholesome and valuable in and of itself,
But it also brings about good consequences.
Again,
In this Buddhist teaching,
The sense of purpose is to do things that have beneficial consequences for yourself and others.
You know,
Is your purpose benefiting your spiritual growth?
So if we stay with this example of stopping for gas,
You know,
How does the way that I stop to get gasoline benefit my spiritual growth?
Like maybe it doesn't.
Maybe it doesn't actually support,
Like let's say you're at the gas station and you're on the phone and you're pumping gas and you're washing the windows and it's just a lot of multitasking.
You know,
Does that benefit the teachings of doing one thing at a time?
When sitting,
Just sit.
When sweeping the porch,
Just sweep.
When washing dishes,
Just wash dishes.
To have the stability and the calm and the centeredness just to be fully in the activity of,
And in this case,
Getting gas.
So the whole idea of wholesome purpose in this way is to train.
It's kind of like what we're doing is the training ground for presence and attention in every area of our life.
And over the longterm,
We're developing our capacity to really be here and present.
We're not divided.
We're not distracted.
And in what way are we doing beneficial things for other people?
You know,
How are we,
Again,
Using this example of the gas,
Like how are we paying for our cashier?
Like,
Do we go up to the cashier?
Do we pay at the pump?
Is there an exchange here at the grocery store?
Is there an exchange?
I've had wonderful conversations with people at the checkout counter,
Cashiers at the gas station.
Like,
I know the woman's name who I get gas from.
She knows mine.
There's a connection.
It's very sweet.
The purpose is to connect with other human beings.
This group that we,
You know,
We gather for practice is to connect.
In Buddhism,
One sense of purpose is that there is this path of practice,
Like a path of spiritual growth that we can engage in.
I find that purpose is extremely valuable.
It's very meaningful to be on a path of liberation and freedom,
To experience it for myself in this life,
In my body on a daily basis.
And what liberation means is freedom from all the forces that diminish us,
That contract us,
That move us away from openness and joy and generosity.
Having a sense of purpose that we think is valuable is really motivating.
It gives us a reason to wake up in the morning.
It gives us a reason to not just,
You know,
Go to work and collect a paycheck when we're doing something profound for ourselves or others.
We see it as part of a meaningful thing to do,
To live a Dharma life,
A life that's on this path of practice.
So this is possible,
You know.
We can do this path and we can cultivate ourselves and we develop ourselves.
We can have a sense of purpose that has meaning and value and connects us to others.
It's helpful when we go about making decisions in our life,
You know,
To just to ask,
You know,
Why am I doing this?
What's the,
What's the intention?
What's the purpose of this activity?
And does it really serve what is most valuable to me?
Does it serve the world around me?
What is the purpose of this choice that I'm about to make or this decision that I'm about to make?
And we don't often think about it this way.
You know,
We habitually do simple things that distract us or are kind of designed to relieve us of our stresses and challenges.
I know many people get lost in these like television series on like Netflix and Apple TV and all of the different programming.
These series,
They,
They take up so much of their,
Their life and they get so captivated by the,
The storylines and,
And they distract us and they are stress relievers for some people.
I'm not actually placing judgment on that,
But I,
I,
I just want to look at that too.
They might take us away from ourselves and not really help us do what's important for us to heal and develop and move in this world in a full and dedicated way.
So asking the question,
You know,
What is the purpose of this?
It's kind of a form of,
Of checking in with ourselves and we don't want to add judgment to what we find.
You know,
Maybe it's,
It's perfectly fine if you are captivated by a show,
You know,
It's perfectly fine.
Don't add judgment to it.
Just again,
To know I offer this teaching on purpose to reflect on,
You know,
What,
How am I developing myself?
I'm just in an,
This is an effort to share with you some of the ways that are,
Have been valuable for me to practice in the world.
And hopefully these reflections can be a catalyst for you to look at and think about for yourself.
You know,
Maybe you come up with different understandings of purpose.
It's so important to see for yourself what is true in your experience in this life.
So my suggestion is in the next 24,
48 hours,
Just to reflect on,
You know,
What is,
What is my purpose?
What are the purposes or the meaning that you live by?
And is there some sense of purpose that's really foundational or fundamental deeper than anything else?
And just check it out.
Maybe even write it down.
I know that some of you have a writing practice.
Write it down and then revisit it.
Add to it.
Get clear.
It's like what Mary Oliver reminds us to do,
The poet.
What is it that you'll do with this one wild and precious life?
And consider that,
Really consider that for yourself.
So thank you for your,
Your kind attention and your consideration.
