What is the ultimate goal of man? We live, we seek happiness, we believe that success and achievement is our goal. But this is a myth. Why? Because ultimately man must die, and everything we achieve is left behind. Man has not stopped to understand that his ultimate goal is liberation, freedom from the continuous cycle of death and rebirth.
Hindus called it Moksha 4000 years ago. The Buddha called it Nirvana. The Western World has struggled with the ultimate purpose of life, calling it ‘Salvation’, but ultimately realizing that it is ‘Enlightenment’ or ‘Realization of the Truth’. Whatever we may call it,the ultimate goal as per all the religions of the world is becoming one with God.
How does one achieve this goal? How does one reach that state of God-realization, the ultimate goal of humanity?
As long as we do not contemplate the truth about life, we will just live and die. Those who ask the question, ‘Why?’ while they are here on earth, discover the Universal Laws like Karma. They realize that heaven and hell are not physical locations that we will go to, but rather, we are reborn in heaven or hell, right here on earth, depending on our past actions. A very few amongst us go on the quest of ‘Koham?’ or ‘Who am I?’ Only a rare minority realizes the answer–’Soham,’or ‘I am That.’ How do the true seekers of God come to this conclusion? It is through a quest.
The journey to God-realization cannot happen without self-realization. Unless we first realize who we are, we will never realize God. And to realize who we are, we must realize who we are not. The reward for self- realization is that it opens the door to realizing God. Most people are searching for God. But we can’t find God. We have to realize the Divine. As long as we live and die in ignorance, without realizing the truth of who we are, we will never realize who God is. There is an equation that reveals the ultimate truth and liberates man.
Man – Ego = God God Ego = Man
What does this mean? As long as man lives with the ego, and believes ‘I am ME’, the Mind and Ego that lives in this body, man will continue to live and die as a human being and return again and again to planet earth as he takes rebirth. When we let go of our ego, then we realize God. Thus, the above equation reveals the truth.
-Air Atman In Ravi
