The human spirit does not originate from the sands of this earth! While the physical body is of the earth, the inner core which makes the real human being is not material. This inner core, which is the spirit has its origin in the Spiritual part of Creation which is far above this our physical world.
Man starts out from the Spiritual Part of Creation as a spiritual seed, which has the prospect of developing into a fully matured human spirit. In order to attain to this maturity, the human spirit seed had to be expelled from the Spiritual part of Creation onto the earth which serves as a school.
It arrives on earth as unconscious human spirit seed in the hope that eventually during its sojourn at these lower parts of Creation it will learn about the Will of God and follow God’s Commandments; this being the way to attain the maturity that will lead it back in the upwards direction to the Spiritual part of Creation from where it originates in the first place.
So, in summary, man is on earth in order to gain from the experiences of life in the material part of Creation. He gains maturity thereby and this then leads it back home. That is the purpose of life on earth. Man should therefore value this period of life on earth, waste no time but use same for the necessary maturing. The period of learning described here is indeed a Grace and Gift from the Almighty! Man has to show appreciation for this grace by seeking always to find out and then do the Will of his Maker.
Many have taken the view that life is vanity upon vanity. Can this really be true?
There is no one whose existence on earth is without purpose, unless he makes his life purposeless! The purpose of life on earth is simple. We are here to learn the Laws of God, live in accordance with them and mature thereby! This knowledge of the Laws of God is to be attained by a full grasp of the Word of Truth.
Where one makes the pursuit of material gains, fame and fortune the sole reason for living, then life becomes a race. There will be no time left to consider that which is really of deep significance, that which concerns the real man, his core which is the spirit! The attainment of the material benefits on their own is of benefit to the transient part of man, his ego and his earthly reputation. If his real core remains neglected, eventually inner emptiness makes itself felt and such a life can be described as being in vain for the most important part aspect of life which is the spiritual has been left unattended.
When we make it a priority to feed our spirit with spiritual food which is the Word of Truth, then will be able to live a life of service to God, a life based on love and harmony with our surroundings which is pleasing to our Maker. This way, our life will be worthwhile, we will feel fulfilled, be at peace and be happy. Such a life will certainly not be one of vanity upon vanity.
Since the purpose of our lives is to gain spiritual maturity by recognising the Laws of our Creator and living accordingly, we need to use our time in engaging in activities that will help us achieve this purpose.
We should not be deceived like the multitudes who have made the acquisition of earthly possessions the main object of their lives. Yes, many are always thinking about money and how to have plenty of it in order to live in a certain style they consider as comfortable. Such an attitude causes distractions that blocks one from what we have identified as the main purpose of life. The money chaser really has no time for higher aims or the time to work on spiritual ascent. Such a person thereby binds himself to what is purely material, thus losing the ability to look upwards and ascend.
Apart from chasing money, many chase titles, positions or fame and make these their life ambition. Where one neglects all that concerns the wellbeing of his spirit for the sake of these things then such a life is a total waste and can be described as a life of vanity upon vanity. And the question to ask in such situations will be: what shall it profit a man if he were to gain the whole earth and lose his spirit?
Furthermore, man does not gain in the true sense nor does it hold eternal values for him if he becomes the fastest runner, a skilful boxer, a winner of a beauty pageant or if he knows whether the horse appeared on earth before or after the fly! All of these are what in scripture has been described as chasing after the wind! In all simplicity: they are all about our craving for self-esteem, power and earthly possessions.
However, what we need to do in the first place, as priority is that which helps in our spiritual advancement and ascent and thus also serves to further Creation and our fellow men. By this is meant that apart from working on our spiritual aspirations we should also fulfil the earthly tasks that are enjoined on us during our journey here on earth. We can set earthly goals, be the best in what we do for a living as long as we do not harm others in the pursuit of these goals. In all our activities we should ask ourselves what good advantage they will bring both to ourselves and to mankind. Let us therefore embrace a high and noble goal in all our earthly activities so that we can be the human beings that are pleasing to He Who gave us life!
In conclusion, I wish to add that we are also on this earth to find supreme happiness! Happiness is a condition of the soul. It is felt within. It cannot be measured by the earthly senses as such. Our earthly senses (the intellect) want to dimension everything but who can measure the size, weight or height of happiness? It can only be inwardly sensed. At best, the intellect can be self-satisfied, but never really happy. Happiness therefore, depends on the condition of the spirit. A spirit which is unburdened and unconstrained in this Creation will be happy. As long as it knows and adheres to all the Laws of God, happiness comes to it as a reward. He is content. Happiness actually is contentment; spiritual contentment. It means contentment with the present, enjoying and experiencing each moment in all its ramifications, taking in all its blessings and benefits, lessons and maturing thereby.
The happiness we are considering has nothing to do with earthly position and wealth. Wealth does not necessarily bring happiness and there are many materially poor people who are perfectly happy, perfectly content. This happiness comes with an understanding of where our path leads us after our life on earth. It comes with the knowledge that our spiritual ascent is the main purpose of life. This way, we will not be intimidated by any condition we find ourselves: whether rich or poor, sick or healthy, at peace or in conflict as we will be able to recognise why we are having these experiences which add to our spiritual maturity. We will see beyond the outward occurrences but consider them as aids towards our spiritual growth. This way we will be happy no matter our circumstances.
True happiness also comes hand in hand with a deep inner feeling of being protected by the Almighty and having confidence in the Will of God.
In one sentence, the purpose of life is to find true happiness by living in complete harmony with the Will of God, which are expressed in the Laws of Creation; and these Laws will naturally lead us upwards back to our place of origin Paradise in the Spiritual Realm where we shall live eternally in the joyful service of God!
The explanation given in this article is based on the author’s understanding of the Work “In The Light of Truth” – The Grail Message by And-ru-shin. The reader is hereby invited to personally examine this Work.
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