Who Am I? What Do I Want? What Is My Purpose?

“Desire fades as you merge into the Whole. How could you want when you are? How can you desire when you are fulfilled? You are that which you desire; Your perceived separateness creates an illusion that you must seek. Realize.” ~Moving beyond Mind

About a year and a half ago while attending a meditation retreat with Deepak Chopra, he instructed us to ask ourselves three questions as we entered into silence. Who am I? What do I want? What is my purpose? Since then, I ask myself these questions twice a day, every day.

You would think that these are easy questions, but the answers are elusive. At first, I answer with my role in society-father, son, husband, author, investor, etc. My wants are material-my daughter to sleep through the night, my next book to be finished, more book sales. However, my purpose always takes a little more thought. What is my purpose? Many times my mind falls back to the labels of Who am I? My purpose is to be a father, a husband, a provider for my family. My purpose is to inspire those with whom I make contact, to make the world a better place, to spread love.

What I realize as I continue to drop my intellect in exchange for infinite intelligence is that this whole methodology, like so many in meditation, is a trick for the mind. For they are all the same question proposed in different dimensions of time. Who am I? throws my mind to the past to look for labels and definitions. What do I want? takes me closest to the now as I look for needs in the present. What is my purpose sends me far into the future where I must then turn back into the past to find labels to project.

As I continue to drift into silence, all thoughts collapse on themselves creating a hole from which emerges the answer to all three questions blinding me as if staring directly into the Sun so obvious that it is stunning that I just now have uncovered it.

At the intersection of the three proposed planes of time (Who am I? What do I want? What is my purpose?), another dimension emerges. The questions merge: for I am that, this is that and that is all there is. The circle collapses on itself, the mind stops and pure experience emerges.

The love of the Cosmos is your love, the desire of the Universe is your desire, your purpose is to awaken to this fact. Be in the world, not of it.

Realize. Experience. Awaken. Who am I? What do I want? What is my purpose?

You are that which you desire.