The Meaning of Life with Dr. Bob

“What’s the meaning of life, Dr. Bob?” asked Chuck.

Chuck was a man in his late 30s who was recently divorced. He now saw his two children on weekends and alternating holidays. He was neatly dressed in faded blue jeans and western style shirt. He was manager of the local farm and feed store.

“To be happy, Chuck,” was my answer.

“Yeah, I knew you were going to say that,” said Chuck. He had been attending, for some time, the community I led. He was familiar with my philosophy. “But what’s that got to do with me? I mean my day-to-day life? I mean, I think I know an answer, but I am not sure.”

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“What’s your idea?” I asked Chuck. Always good to let the counselee answer if they can. Helps them to own their own ideas and statements.

“Well, I think it means that when I find happiness, I will spread that happiness by beaming my bliss into the world. And while spreading that happiness I will reinforce my own inner happiness and my outer worldly happiness.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself,” I said.

Chuck said, “You have said it often enough, Dr. Bob. But I still have trouble wrapping my mind around the idea. At the moment, because of the divorce and the absence of my kids, I feel kind of lost.”

“You are not feeling happy, then?” I asked Chuck.

“Nope.”

“First off, to be feeling down because of the change in your family situation is normal. To be a little lost or confused is also normal. But I suspect that your personal happiness is not as connected as it needs to be.”

Chuck asked, “What do you mean by ‘connected’?”

“I mean you need a solid and steady connection with The Source Of All That Is. How often do you meditate?”

“Not regularly and not very often, Dr. Bob,” said Chuck.

“Thanks for being honest with me and with yourself, Chuck. You know what I am going to say next, don’t you? You need a regular meditative life. There is just no substitute for it. Of course, we all skip a day now and again. But that skipping has got to be the exception, not the rule. Let’s do a guided meditation right now.”

I led Chuck in the guided meditation where you dump all your cares, concerns, troubles, victories, joys, into a beautiful blue mountain lake. Watch as they sink out of sight, as if absorbed by the lake. Then just sit by that lake and absorb the beauty and peace that surrounds you.

Most everyone comes away from such a meditation refreshed and feeling happier.

“How are you feeling now, Chuck?” I asked.

He said, “It’s awesome. I feel a lift after just that short time in meditation. Now what do I do?”

“What do you feel like doing?” I asked.

“I feel good enough to text my kids and see how they are doing.”

I said, “Do you see the carry-over? You feel a noticeable bit better and you want to share yourself with your kids. There is the way it works. You feel good. You have bliss and you want to beam that bliss into the world. What better place than with your kids.”

“Come on, Dr. Bob, it can’t be that simple.”

“I get that a lot,” I said. “But it really is that simple.”

Chuck and I shook hands as he rose to leave. He was pulling his cell phone from his pocket as he walked through the door of the office.

It is that simple. Develop a real and regular connection with The Source Of All There Is. The meditative arts are the way to go with that, in my opinion.

Then, when you are feeling exuberant, to one degree or another, use that enthusiasm to beam your good feeling into the world.

Go to it.

This has been Dr. Bob 4 U, and I invite you to change your life for the better by claiming your Free Instant Access to a Force-Source-Resource including a monthly newsletter titled The Force-Source-Resource Newsletter. Just Click Here. Remember, one bit of information can give you a lifetime of satisfaction.

My Vlog: http://themeaningoflifewithdrbob.com/drbobslifephrases

One Person Can Change The World

I am not a Zen master, nor pretend to be. However, Zen seems to be part of my life and, I bet, it is part of your life. Perhaps we can define Zen as a way of seeing that is beyond the ordinary.

That said, I feel there are three stages that will fulfill your purpose in life. I believe that purpose is to experience as much positive stuff as possible. These three stages, when recognized and developed, propel you forward toward fulfilling your purpose.

Here they are:

Stage One: Affirm Yourself – You are here and now to fulfill your karma. The responses that you have accumulated over lifetimes need to be fulfilled in this lifetime. In other words, you have a purpose.

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You fulfill that purpose by finding happiness which is the result of your search for meaning. Meaning is found in a profound and wonderful relationship with the Source of All There Is.

In that relationship you discover that you are affirmed fully, completely, unconditionally by the Source of All There Is.

You take that affirmation and affirm yourself. Affirming yourself means to unconditionally accept yourself as you are, right now. It does not mean that there is no room for improvement. It means you all right just as you are.

Stage Two: Mature Yourself – Reorient yourself to benefit other sentient beings. The expression of your own happiness is to let that joy overflow you and let it well over onto all others.

This takes a change of thinking. We are all naturally oriented to ourselves. This is a survival mechanism. If we did not desire food and safety, etc., we would not survive.

But, of course, this can be carried too far. We cannot only be for ourselves. When one is only for himself or herself, others can be cut off from what they need.

You need to turn in the direction where others benefit from your life as well your benefitting from your life. Why? It fulfills your karma and creates more positive karma. In other words, by sharing your happiness you reinforce it.

But to do this you need an attitude of sharing. In others words, you want a mature attitude – one that goes beyond, but does not forget, the self.

Karma may be another way of saying experience. By doing all you can to experience all the positive you can, you are fulfilling past karma and building new and favorable karma.

Stage Three: Dissolve Yourself. Here is the ultimate mature attitude. You let go of everything. You detach. You seek complete freedom from self. In some ways of thinking this is called achieving Buddha-hood.

When you wish complete freedom, complete happiness, you let go. You detach from possessions, achievements, relationships, even your own life.

This does not mean that you can have no relationships. It means that you need to realize that all relationships end in this life. It does not mean that you can have no possessions. It does mean that possessions are vanishing even as we speak.

It does not mean that you ought not take care of the body in which you now reside. Your present body is also your responsibility and you need to see to its well-being. But you must also always carry the notion that you will one day lay down this earthly shell and walk as spirit through the corridors of the Universe.

There you have a Zen View of Life in Three Stages:
    1. Affirm Yourself.
    2. Mature Yourself.
    3. Dissolve Yourself.
What are you doing about these three right now? Do something about them, now.

This has been Dr. Bob 4 U, and I invite you to change your life for the better by claiming your Free Instant Access to a Force-Source-Resource including a monthly newsletter titled The Force-Source-Resource Newsletter. Just Click Here. Remember, one bit of information can give you a lifetime of satisfaction.

My Vlog: http://themeaningoflifewithdrbob.com/drbobslifephrases

One Person Can Change The World

You were born as you were. Strange statement, isn’t it? And what does that have to do with the goal and the purpose of life?

To say you were born as you were means that you were just perfect in that new-born state. I do not mean you had all the fingers and toes you were supposed to. Though they are important too.

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You were perfectly human. And then you grew through toddler-hood, elementary years, teenage-hood, young adult-hood, etc., to whatever age you are now. In other words, you progress through your ages and stages.

Progressing through ages and stages is what life is all about, really. You are moving on toward enlightenment. I believe you will reach enlightenment in this life or one of your lives to come. It is inevitable.

So the goal of your life is to accomplish enlightenment. Enlightenment, in my view, means you have realized your full self in relationship to THE Full Self. Self-realization. Someone looking at you from the outside would not be able to discern where you leave off and where the Full Self begins.

A goal is an end toward which effort is directed. Enlightenment will be obtained eventually, but perhaps not in this lifetime.

The purpose of life, on the other hand, is to be happy. A purpose is an end to be obtained. Happiness can be found in this lifetime – for sure.

Do you get the subtle yet real difference?

Finding your happiness through meditation and attachment to the Full Self is what you are about in this lifetime. Ever keeping the simmering pot of enlightenment on the back burner.

Every time you make real your linkage to the Full Self, thereby developing or reinforcing your happiness, you move one step closer to enlightenment. But enlightenment is the goal. It may a distant goal for you, as it is for me.

By distant goal I mean I know I will take lifetimes, plural, for me to reach it. This is not to put myself down. It is to be realistic about my present state.

Yes, I was born perfectly human, just as you were. But when I try to look objectively at my present state of spiritual affairs, I see that I am miles away from the goal of enlightenment.

But that’s okay with me because I have the purpose of being happy in this life time on my way to the goal. And being happy in this lifetime moves me down the path toward enlightenment.

Why ought you to care? Because it is the same for you. You were born perfectly human with the goal of enlightenment and with the opportunity to be happy in this lifetime.

By practicing the meditative arts you can be happy here and now. You are moving on toward that final blessed state called enlightenment where there is no desire and no suffering.

In the meantime, you can begin to understand that state through happiness wherein you can leave suffering behind, even in this lifetime.

Liken this to physical health. You workout to increase your physical health. That is your goal. It may some time to attain that goal.

Your purpose in working out is taking the steps toward physical health. Each workout adds to the previous and strength and stamina increase.

Finding happiness is a workout (or workouts) on the way to enlightenment. You really cannot have the goal without the purpose. You really cannot have the purpose without the goal.

Begin today to make a distinction between goal and purpose. Develop your purpose in life, which is to be happy. You will automatically be moving toward your goal of enlightenment.

 This has been Dr. Bob 4 U, and I invite you to change your life for the better by claiming your Free Instant Access to a Force-Source-Resource including a monthly newsletter titled The Force-Source-Resource Newsletter. Just Click Here. Remember, one bit of information can give you a lifetime of satisfaction.

My Vlog: http://themeaningoflifewithdrbob.com/drbobslifephrases

One Person Can Change The World