What Do You Live For When Life Is Meaningless

[key]

I'm facing a problem where I've stumbled hard onto the 'fact' that life is meaningless, where it effectively showcases we as identities are the creator of meaning and it's placement within our lives, while simulationaly rendering 'meaning' an empty word, it's caused sever depression out of a resistance to that 'truth', I don't understand fully and I don't know what to live for anymore, I'm lost as hell ...

Any perspective on the idea that life is meaningless?

[Prabhaker]

14 minutes ago, key said:

Any perspective on the idea that life is meaningless?

MEANING CAN BE understood in two ways. There is meaning that is somewhere far away, you have to reach to it. It is extrinsic.

Life is not meaningful in this first sense. And it is good that life is not meaningful in that sense, because then life becomes only a means to reach to the faraway goal, the faraway star. Then life loses its autonomous beauty. It is just a way; the real thing is tomorrow.

Meaning has another category too: intrinsic. Life is tremendously meaningful in the second sense. Then meaning is not separate, somewhere else; then meaning is in the very living itself.

You don't ask, has love any meaning? You know love is itself meaningful, it is not a means to some end. You do not ask if the beauty of a rose is meaningful. The beauty itself is enough; it does not lead anywhere, it contains its meaning within itself.

In existence everything that is really valuable is always intrinsically meaningful. And life is equivalent to existence. Life has meaning. If you just change the word "life" into "living," you will be able to understand more easily. Living has meaning -- each moment -- because living is not something dead like "life." The word "life" is dead -- all nouns are dead. But the language is created by dead people.

Some day the new man is going to create a language which consists only of verbs, because that will be authentic to existence. In existence there is no noun. Have you seen "life"? Have you met "life" anywhere? All that you meet, experience, is living.

Sipping a cup of tea, going for a morning walk, doing your work -- all these small activities make up your living. And each part, each moment of living, is meaningful. You just have to be there; otherwise, who is going to experience the meaning?

People go on drinking tea, but they never are there; their minds are wandering all over the world. People are making love, but they are not there. It is a very strange world that we have created. In one bedroom there are at least four people. Already the bedrooms are so small, too difficult for two people; and in the bed there are four people, or even more. These two people who are making love are not there: the man is thinking of some Hollywood actress, the woman is thinking of Muhammad Ali. So there are four people. Who is making love to whom? These two people are simply going through the gestures of love -- they are not present -- mechanical gestures of love. And then they ask, "Is there any meaning in life?"

You go on losing every moment by your absence.

OSHO : From Bondage to Freedom, Chapter 40

[sgn]

 

[sgn]

Pretty ridiculous that the ego needs meaning. Like isn't the miracle of existence enough? Look around at everything that exists.
Look at yourself and all other lifeforms, nature etc.  I don't experience it as being a miracle either. But I can understand intellectually that it is. lol

[egoeimai]

3 hours ago, key said:

I'm facing a problem where I've stumbled hard onto the 'fact' that life is meaningless, where it effectively showcases we as identities are the creator of meaning and it's placement within our lives, while simulationaly rendering 'meaning' an empty word, it's caused sever depression out of a resistance to that 'truth', I don't understand fully and I don't know what to live for anymore, I'm lost as hell ...

Any perspective on the idea that life is meaningless?

I think you need to believe in something just to calm the mind. Not religious stuff necessarily but anything. Even If theres no meaning,which is totally okay,why not enjoy and create things having the opportunity? Because u have it. If u dont want to play then its okay.it will always be okay.but why not create things and build your fake story? We all have a meaningless fake story to share. Which is true to us,it actuay happened,but then you can call it meaningless,so what? It doesnt cease to be an opportunity. You have this. You have this life you can do anything with it. Live it to the fullest and create,or not create sth big,just be and eat all day. So what? Its your opportunity. You 'spend' it however you like. Altho I want to believe there is not one chance,because that helps me not being afraid of missing out in life,and not being afraid of an end. Who knows If theres an end? Noone. Noone came back from the dead. Just enjoy. Nothing else. Dont give it a meaning ....it is what it is.

Edited May 17, 2017 by egoeimai

[eputkonen]

@key, I would give you very much the same answer to the recent "What keeps you movitaved" question:

Meaning is something the ego wants...because if things have meaning, and it does those things...then it has meaning and it is important.

Meaning is not needed / necessary.  You can just play and have fun.  Children don't need meaning in order to play.

(please read my post in the above topic for more information about this.)

[Gopackgo]

17 hours ago, eputkonen said:

@key, I would give you very much the same answer to the recent "What keeps you movitaved" question:

Meaning is something the ego wants...because if things have meaning, and it does those things...then it has meaning and it is important.

Meaning is not needed / necessary.  You can just play and have fun.  Children don't need meaning in order to play.

(please read my post in the above topic for more information about this.)

This is so true. It is actually what makes this so hard to explain to loved ones at times. I can see my brothers mind just trying to assign meaning to things I say about my experience, or taking whatever meaning is assigned and running to the most extreme possible meaning in order to disqualify what was said. I have essentially stopped trying to explain it to people, which has made that need fall away in large part.

Definitely look at the definition your mind is using to define  "meaningless". Be very wary of that action and just watch it closely. The rational thinking mind is always inserting connotation and meaning into what is. Reality is what it is regardless of what meaning the mind inserts. This is a normal part of meditation. What you are feeling will rise and fall. Just be interested in why the mind is reacting in the way it is.

[Shin]

21 hours ago, key said:

I'm facing a problem where I've stumbled hard onto the 'fact' that life is meaningless, where it effectively showcases we as identities are the creator of meaning and it's placement within our lives, while simulationaly rendering 'meaning' an empty word, it's caused sever depression out of a resistance to that 'truth', I don't understand fully and I don't know what to live for anymore, I'm lost as hell ...

Any perspective on the idea that life is meaningless?

Do you realize that the statement "life is meaningless"

Is just a thought ?

Edited May 18, 2017 by Shin

[key]

23 hours ago, sgn said:

Pretty ridiculous that the ego needs meaning. Like isn't the miracle of existence enough? Look around at everything that exists.
Look at yourself and all other lifeforms, nature etc.  I don't experience it as being a miracle either. But I can understand intellectually that it is. lol

Its beautiful is it not? the problem that's arised for me is when your whole life has been based on:

23 hours ago, Prabhaker said:

A means to reach to the faraway goal, the faraway star.

And to see the pointlessness of such action, resistance has arised in shifting perspective towards where

23 hours ago, Prabhaker said:

Meaning is not separate, somewhere else; then meaning is in the very living itself.

[key]

 

21 hours ago, egoeimai said:

I think you need to believe in something just to calm the mind.

Oddly enough the depression has been more calming than the constant chatter that usualy habitated my thoughts

 

20 hours ago, eputkonen said:

You can just play and have fun. 

Yes that is whats always going on when you really take a look is it not, alas seeing through all my thoughts that say otherwise seems a difficult thing ...

 

2 hours ago, Shin said:

Do you realize that the statement "life is meaningless"

Is just a thought ?

Yes but then isn't what makes up our entire 'life' a thought? Thinking that its a thought doesn't cut all the baggage you're still carrying around that says otherwise.. guess it's just a matter of contemplation and patience

[Shin]

3 minutes ago, key said:

 

Oddly enough the depression has been more calming than the constant chatter that usualy habitated my thoughts

 

Yes that is whats always going on when you really take a look is it not, alas seeing through all my thoughts that say otherwise seems a difficult thing ...

 

Yes but then isn't what makes up our entire 'life' a thought? Thinking that its a thought doesn't cut all the baggage you're still carrying around that says otherwise.. guess it's just a matter of contemplation and patience

But "all the baggage you're still carrying around" are thoughts too ...

Yes, be patient and don't skip your meditation, and be more present whenever you can, and it will all be very clear.
You don't need the ""ultra orgasmic "rare and difficult" enlightenment shift"" to realize this.
It's way simpler and easy to feel than that.

Edited May 18, 2017 by Shin

[Gopackgo]

The minute a person thinks that life is happening to them, a victim is born. Reality is impersonal, it just happens as it does regardless of what is believed about it. The great news is that you are the untouchable canvass that provides the space for it to happen. Nothing has ever happened to you, that is the misunderstanding that I struggled with. The self thought thinks that reality is happening to it, but that thought is just another thing happening. Self loves to be a victim because it hides the truth. All of these thoughts, and every other sensation is constantly changing and morphing, but there is one things that is always constant. Just do your best to abide in what is always present, and has never been touched by anything arising. For me, it was all about dis-identifying with thoughts by watching them and recognizing that I had no control over them, and they couldn't be what I am.

For me, the moment I truly saw that thoughts are not in my control, and that the feeling that I am controlling them was a farce, It all began to fade. There was a short time of depression, but then I realized that if this was the case, it had always been this way, and so there was nothing to be upset about. Really watch and be attentive to thoughts and decisions. Every answer you need is contained in those experiences. A lot of enlightenment stuff is said to be mystical and amazing, but the thing is that this can be a huge distraction. The base of it from this perspective is simply watching and being attentive to thought processes, and then it falls into place. Just keep working at it, and don't let thoughts scare you off. Some may not agree, but I can only speak from my experience, and the labyrinth of mind is often contradictory. Stick with it. 

[Capethaz]

@key Yes, life is meaningless. Whats bad about that? 

[eskwire]

@key Meaning is like breathing for the mind's chatter. You breathe in, it fills you up, you breathe out, it is gone, you begin anew.

As you age, much will gain and lose meaning.

The idea that life is meaningless gave me great freedom and relief, and therefore meaning, and surely this meaning will be lost as well one day. 

In summary: It's ok. The point is to detach, let go.