Finding Your Purpose Through Enlightenment Happy New Year, everyone! It’s wonderful to be here, sharing space and ideas. Today, I’d like to dive into a profound topic: enlightenment and discovering our purpose. Let’s start with a story that offers deep insights. A Zen master named Hui Sen, before becoming a master, sought a teacher to learn meditation and master the art of focusing the mind. When he found a teacher, the master told him, “You’re already 95% there. I can’t teach you much.” Hui Sen requested to stay and serve, and the master agreed, assigning him to wash pots. For twelve years, Hui Sen did just that—cleaning and cooking without attending classes or speaking much. His peers dismissed him as insignificant, assuming he lacked knowledge. When the master fell ill, he asked all students to write four lines on enlightenment. One wrote, “Enlightenment is like a mirror; we just forget to clean it.” This impressed everyone, but the master wasn’t fully convinced. Hui Sen, for the first time, stepped forward and said, “There is no mirror, and there is no dust.” This simple yet profound statement silenced the room. It highlighted a truth: the essence of enlightenment is beyond concepts and labels. We often identify ourselves by our names, roles, and affiliations. From childhood, layers of identity are built: our name, gender, culture, beliefs, and interests. These layers create a persona, but do they define who we truly are? Consider this: How do you introduce yourself? Most start with their name, followed by their job, hobbies, or affiliations. Yet, these are external markers. True self-awareness requires peeling back these layers to uncover the essence of who we are beyond societal labels. Many of us carry the weight of past experiences, judgments, and societal expectations. These burdens shape our perception and can lead to feelings of inadequacy or victimhood. To break free, we must let go of these attachments and embrace the present moment. Our identity often clings to material or superficial aspects, leading to comparisons and insecurities. Social media amplifies this, making us compare our lives to curated snapshots of others. But this constant comparison distorts our self-perception and hinders our growth. Awareness goes beyond our senses. It’s the realization of a deeper presence—a self-awareness that transcends the physical and mental. This awareness connects us to the universal consciousness, reminding us of the interconnectedness of all life. Each of us has the potential for self-actualization, but it requires nurturing our inner being, much like a seed needs care to grow into a tree. Through practices like meditation, mindfulness, and self-reflection, we can unlock this potential. True enlightenment involves harmonizing our physical, emotional, and intellectual centers. The physical center, or hara, plays a vital role in processing emotions and energies. By working on this area, we can release stored tensions and achieve emotional and mental clarity. Healing begins when we address the root causes of our emotional and physical pain. Practices like massage, meditation, and conscious breathing help release these knots, allowing energy to flow freely. To truly find our purpose, we must first strip away the layers of false identity and embrace the simplicity of our being. It’s not about “becoming” someone but rediscovering who we’ve always been. Let’s remember: life is happening now. By being fully present and letting go of judgment, we open ourselves to the boundless potential within. Love and light, Hari xox
