The Meaning of Life. Part Last.

Here we are. Part last.

Now I must give you something. You’ve been waiting for the answer, and so I am obligated to give it to you. Have you read the first three parts? It would be wise to, but this is your choice.

The meaning of life.

Wow, what a concept. However, it is a concept, you know. You must understand a thing or two about concepts: they are not reality. They are illusions. They are in you and not the world. Your problem is you think you search for meaning in the world but really you are searching yourself. When you see that you and the world are one and the same, you will find the meaning of both the world and of you. The “meaning of life” as we know it, does not exist.

Do not see these words as a cop out, and do not think I am giving you nothing or telling you that you must become an atheist or abandon your morality. You have not been tricked nor fooled. In fact, if you have the sensation that I am leading you on, when here I am in fact, giving you the key to everything… oh dear, that is not the way to get there. But don’t worry yet. I will go on a ways more. I have four hundred or so more words to get there and maybe I’ll even throw in a few extra to make sure you get what was promised.

The meaning of life.

But what is meaning? What is life? Do you know? You have to, if you are to answer the question, no? Otherwise you do not know that which you are receiving information about, and so the information becomes useless. If the boy thinks his cat is a dog, and he asks: “mother, why does the dog purr”? Well, you see the mother cannot give an accurate answer without first correcting the confusion. If she simply tells him: “no, dogs do not purr.” Well, the boy has not understood. He will be confused the rest of his life when he sees ‘dogs’ purring. He can know everything there is to know about dogs and yet will know nothing.

You are like the boy.

I tell you: “the meaning of life is in you,” or “the meaning of life doesn not exist.” You do not grasp it. If you did you’d have no need for me. Does this mean there is no meaning?

Yes and no.

Does this mean the meaning is an illusion?

Yes and no.

Does this mean the meaning is subjective?

Yes and no, yes and no, yes and no. The problem is the words. Can a word ever describe reality? Well, by definition, no -- to “describe” is to convert reality into the symbolic meaning of words and so retreat from the reality. Can a word give you something you’ve never seen before? Can word teach the blind to see?

And so you ask: “what is the meaning of life”? This is what I mean when I say there is no answer: there is none in words. But there is one in seeing, which is what you must do.

What you will see is that meaning is inside of you, and not the world. What you will see is that the world and you are not separate; cannot be separated. There is only the observer and the observed, and what you think of as you is very different than the observer. When you see all this, you will find meaning.

But something else will happen, too. You will forget your need for meaning in the first place. You will say: “Meaning? So what? Why ever did I seek such a foolish thing?”

Coming close, coming close. I have room for just a few more paragraphs.

Here it is: you’ve already got it.

Here it is: seek and you will find.

Here it is: the meaning both does and doesn’t exist.

And yet none of those are true since they are merely words.

Have I led you on?

Listen: I have and I haven’t. Can you see why that is so? Can you find the truth in my words and dispose of the fiction? There will be both, as long as you, the listener, believes in fictions and sees them in my words. I can never change that about you and so I cannot help but give them to you.  You must give yourself the gift of meaning.

How, how, how?

If you are still asking, know you are on the wrong track. You are lost. This is not a problem; there is much time to find your way. But know you are not there yet.

The meaning of life: go out and find it for yourself.

I am nobody. I am a ghost. I can give you nothing. Go out and find it. You have to do it. Everybody who ever found it did so entirely by themselves. The more you read others the more time you waste!

Go!

...

If you are still reading, that is ok. This means you do not yet want to have truth and meaning. Perhaps you do want it, but just not right now. That is wonderful. That is fine. Enjoy the fruits of your own free choices. If you want it, it will be there for you to go get it. All is well.

Perhaps if there is answer to the question of meaning, that is it: “All is well.” “Do not be troubled.” “Worry not.” “Drop the question.” “Do not be concerned with meanings.” However, it’s not so easy that I can just tell you these things and you will do them, or understand them. Like I say, see for yourself.

Let me finish with the strongest bit of advice for you: I promise, promise, promise, no matter how it seems, that only you can find the meaning. You do not need anybody to help you. If you find it, it will be you who does it. Use your awareness of reality. See. Don’t think.

You are the meaning. Find it, find yourself, find everything. But know too there is nothing to find.

Yes and no.

​The end.