these questions are of obvious importance, you may never have had an opportunity to tell someone your answers. You might be surprised to hear what you have to say on these topics. Unfortunately, in our consumer-oriented society, we're more likely to be asked, “Do you want fries with that?” than be asked, “What is the purpose of life?” You may feel resistance to tackling such big topics and personal issues, yet I'm sure you'll find it well worth your effort to persevere.
You may also find initial resistance to plunging into these topics when asking friends or family these questions. There's a tendency to want to stay with subjects we are fully accustomed to and comfortable with, rather than explore the unknown. Sometimes we even make fun of such questions, which allows us to avoid trying to answer them. However, if you display a sincere curiosity when asking others, you'll find there is a part in every person that yearns to explore these themes. That divine spark can be made to glow and catch fire if you can listen with a keen interest. In fact, asking people these important questions can be a great form of selfless service. It gives the people you care about an opportunity to reconsider the foundation on which they base their lives.
1. What matters most in your life?
2. What do you think is the meaning or purpose of life?
During my first trip to India, I went to visit a famous enlightened master known as Poonjaji. Poonjaji does not lecture. He only has one-on-one interactions with students while hundreds of people silently watch. One day he gestured for me to sit before him. After a minute of silence, he asked me a single question:
“Who are you?”
I innocently responded, ‘'I'm Jonathan Robinson, from the United States.”
Compassionately, Poonjaji said, “No, no, who are YOU?”
I didn't know what to say. Finally, I muttered, “I'm a soul.”
Poonjaji shot back, “Show me soul.”
Looking into his dancing eyes, I realized that soul was just an idea in my head, so I blurted out, ‘'I'm an ego.”
Once again, Poonjaji responded, “Show me ego.”
I realized that ego was just another idea in my head, as were any other answers I might come up with. Sitting there, dropping all ideas of who I was and just being present with him, tears started streaming down my face. I suddenly felt as boundless as the sky.
Poonjaji gently said, “Now you know who you are.”
3. Who are you?
4. What are the three most important things you’ve learned about life so far?
5. Do you think it pays to be a “good person,” someone who is kind and fair? Why?
6. How can you know your higher destiny?
7. How happy or fulfilled are you at this time in your life?
8. What do you consider to be the difference between religion and spirituality?
9. What is your current notion of God? Would you say God to you is an indwelling spirit? A creator who is separate from us? A personal God? An impersonal energy? Who or what is God?
10. How do you differentiate guidance that comes from your ego from guidance that is divinely inspired?
When I was in college, my roommate, Tony, was the only freshman on the varsity basketball team. He was always envious of my grades, and I was always jealous of his athletic abilities. Whenever I'd come home with high grades, he'd jokingly say, “Before you start thinking you're hot stuff, let's play a garrfe of one-on-one basketball.”
After several months of this, I finally said to him, “Okay, I'm ready for a game of basketball on one condition: I get to bring a six-inch gadget onto the court and place it wherever I want.” Tony was perplexed by my request, but was not going to miss a chance to put me in my place.
When we got to the court, I took out a blindfold and announced that this was my “six-inch gadget.” I proceeded to place it in a very strategic location—over Tony's eyes. Then I said, “Let the games begin!”
Admittedly, the game still ended up being somewhat close. The final score was 20 to 12. Despite my lack of ability, I learned that if you make enough shots in the right direction, eventually something will go in the basket. It just goes to show you that to reach a goal, innate talent is not as important as defining exactly what you're aiming for.
11. What does spiritual growth mean to you? What is the “goal” of your spiritual pursuits?
12. What is love to you? What does it mean to give love to another person?
13. What do you think would help make you even happier and more fulfilled?
14. What currently brings you a real sense of joy?
15. What do you think will happen to you after you die?
16. How much time do you devote to spiritual practice and exploration per week?
A Meditation on “Who Are You?”
Behind the various roles we play and desires we have is a part of ourselves that could best be described as “pure awareness.” In the course of our lives, we are always identifying with the latest sense of what we're doing and who we think we are: I'm a person reading a book; I'm a person in a hurry; I'm a parent, and so on. This meditation is designed to help you go beyond all identifications and glimpse being the part of you that just “witnesses” life. When we become totally in the moment, free of all past or future ideas of who we are, we enter into a world where we are in the eternal present.
Sit in a comfortable chair, take a couple of deep breaths, and begin slowly and repetitively asking yourself the question: Who am I? If you prefer, you can ask the question: Who is in? Try to feel or sense how you are now, identifying with being a certain “somebody,” such as someone who is trying a meditation exercise, or someone who is thinking about other things. As soon as you realize that you're caught up in a certain past or future identity, relax or let go of that sense of yourself and just be in the present moment. Soon you'll get caught up in more thoughts or a new identity. Once again, let the question, Who am I? or your sense of “me-ness” be a reminder to have you come back to the present moment and relax into pure awareness. Do this exercise for as long as you like. At first, don't be frustrated if you spend your whole time lost in thoughts. With practice, you'll get brief glimpses of pure, timeless awareness. Eventually, those moments can expand, and you'll realize that you are more than who you thought you were.
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PERSONAL SPIRITUAL HISTORY
The past does not have to equal the future.
—Anthony Robbins
When someone goes to a psychotherapist to make changes in their life, the sessions frequently begin with an exploration of their past. By understanding the past, one can
