MEANING OF LIFE

INTRODUCTION

Despite centuries of Man`s continued existence on this planet, he has failed to conclusively solve the riddle posed by two indelible facts of human existence—Life and Death. What is Life? Religions have preached about it, philosophers have pondered over it and ordinary mortals have lived through it. But the eternal mystery of Life still eludes us.

Post your article on Life

View posts on Life

Teaching Trash

An enterprising duo from Auroville has devised a course on waste management for kids, says Punya Srivastava
More...

Pottering with pots !

A tryst with clay cooking pots in Spain recalled memories of her childhood kitchen in Kerala, and revived Sridevi Lakshmi Kutty's fondness for cooking in them
More...

Choosing life

A physical ailment is offering Suma Varughese a spectrum of lessons to learn and rewards to reap
More...

Garden of Paradise

A home right in the middle of chaos and pollution can be traumatic. Chitra Jha makes peace with her new surroundings by discovering the hidden delights of the garden that surrounds her home More...

When being practical is suicidal

Narendra Murty questions the damage we are causing to the environment in the name of practicality
More...

Are you a Hindu ?

Does being a Hindu depend on your convictions, way of life or birth, asks Pradeep Darooka while travelling through the temples of Orissa with a motley group of friends
More...

The R4 philosophy

Preethi Sukumaran flags off a regular column on environment issues by examining the four principles that underlie sustainable living
More...

Madam Butterfly

Anupreet Kaur Dhody rears butterflies for a hobby and then sets them free, a small act that adds beauty and colour to our world, says Shivi Verma
More...

Zen in the marketplace

Karen Sivan recounts her stay in a Zen Centre near Kodaikanal, and her return to the ‘marketplace’ to set up a Zen meditation centre in Kerala
More...

The time of your life

In our hectic pursuit of material affluence, we are suffering from a poverty of time. And time, says Narendra Murty, is life. Isn’t it time you took your life back?
More...

Have spunk, will travel

Quitting her job in favour of travelling across the world, launched Archana Srivatsan on the road less travelled, and enriched her life manifold.
More...

Where love lies...

What you see is what you believe, says Megha Bajaj. So if you believe in a love-filled world, that is what you will experience
More...

Getting vocal about local

Akila Jaikumar reports on the recently held People’s Biodiversity Festival at Hyderabad More...

Live beautifully

Life becomes beautiful when you learn to live simply, says Sanjiv Ranjan More...

My life, my truths

From being a film-maker to a spiritual writer was a journey that took her through South-East Asia and to many layers of conditioning within, says Tammy T. Stone More...

Laugh your way to ageing

The ageing process is usually accompanied by problems like fading eyesight, deteriorating hearing and memory. More...

In beauty I walk

When you respond to beauty, you take a giant leap from the mundane to the sublime. Beauty can be a healing tool, a deeply moving experience, or even a form of meditation, says Aparna Sharma
More...

With a little help from friends

If we can go to doctors to help us heal from physical ailments, there is absolutely no reason why we should not go to those who can help us heal from our emotional and mental issues, says Suma More...

Ananda ever after

When her son, a brahmachari from Ananda Sangha, decided to marry a brahmacharini from the same order, what followed was a wedding perfect for the New Age, says Chitra Jha
More...

Whose development is it anyway?

In the rush for material prosperity, are we losing sight of precious treasures such as clean air, water, natural resources, and above all, happiness? asks Sadhvi Bhagawati
More...

Make a habit of it !

Our happiness, health and success depend on our ability to cultivate good habits and let go of bad ones. Cultivating habits is not easy, but here’s help, says Suma Varughese
More...

Take care

While cultivating the right brain increases our spiritual quotient, for those with a dominant right brain it is equally imperative to cultivate the left brain for only that will enable us to mature More...

On your own

Leaving home and coming to a big city is an adventure, but it can also be an ordeal. How can we be sure to meet this rite of passage triumphantly, asks Suma Varughese More...

A radiant dusk

Creativity, quest and zest enable 80-year-old Saroj Jain to make her twilight years the richest and the happiest time of her life More...

Language of the soul

The mantric nature of Sanskrit alphabet, word roots and grammar purifies consciousness, deepens wisdom and engineers a profound inner transformation, says Dr Sampadananda Mishra More...

Sex is sacred

There is never a good reason to have casual sex, because sex is a powerful force, says Suma Varughese More...

This is life

I had always believed that life would happen in the future… after I had achieved ‘something’. However, that something could only be found in the now, says Megha Bajaj More...

Morning of the flowering

Nandini Sarkar narrates how an ordinary day exploded into a celebration of love, light and spiritual bliss for a householder devotee More...

Heal your inner parent

Are the voices of your parents in your head your moral compass? Here is how you can get them to give you sound advice, says Maninder Cheema More...

Honour your heart

A spontaneous decision to follow her heart turned around a dissatisfying career path and led Satya Wanvari towards her true calling More...

Master of the high note

Legendary Uttarakhandi singer Narendra Singh Negi’s songs are as holistic in their vision as they are rich in the rustic idioms of the Gadhwal Himalayas, says Satish Purohit. More...

In the flow of abundance

Can we shift from being obsessed with money to a state of abundance-consciousness where we attract peace, prosperity, health, happiness and all good things, simply and effortlessly? asks Nandini More...

Out of my mind

What am I if I were free of identification with all thoughts and feelings and bodily pleasures and pain? wonders Suma Varughese More...

Being human

My father was okay, but some little girl’s father would not return home that night. My husband was safe, but someone’s husband wasn’t. My mom was in the kitchen cooking food, but someone’s mother More...

Breathe your beliefs

Reality is dynamic, ever-changing; but our interpretation of reality is often jaded, which keeps us looped in repetitive patterns and prevents us from growing says Neelam Mehta More...

Laugh and live

Laughter is the over-the-counter medication, available 24 hours a day, to cure a variety of physical and emotional ailments, says Freyaz Shroff More...

Mistakes are okay

There is life after failing. Mistakes are not the end of the world says Suma Varughese More...

Power your will

No matter your age or situation, play out your role in this life with an unparalleled dynamism, and the very gods will applaud your performance, says Nandini Sarkar More...

Bless and be blessed

As human beings, blame comes more naturally to us, but if we bless the person or situation, it is a blessing for us too, muses Ruchira Sehgal More...

Failing forward

It’s okay to fail. It can even be instructive to fail. For in the school of life, failure is de rigueur to help us correct perspectives, come down to ground reality, learn valuable lessons and help More...

When friends set me free

Entrenched in the trauma of a difficult marriage, the author slowly came to life through the support and care of her Facebook friends More...

Happiness, right here, right now

Being gloriously joyful is invariably a matter of choice. It is ours to have, where we are, to who we are, and in this very moment. More...

Embrace your inner introvert

Society rewards the easygoing extravert but fails to notice the profound contribution of the introvert More...

My little woman

When I first found out I was expecting, I fervently prayed to God for a little girl of my own. I filled my heart with images of all things pink and pretty, bows and ribbons, dolls and kittens. More...

Knowing, playing, growing

A rich brew of powerful workshops, illuminating discourses, retail therapy, free services and the presence of kindred spirits made the Life Positive Expo an experience of a lifetime More...

Then and Now

15 years of LP – Before and after More...

Not by Bread Alone

The men and women who collectively make team LP share the joy, camaraderie, and growth that light their workdays at LIFE POSITIVE, India’s premier magazine for the new age More...

15 and in love

Life Positive has taught important lessons in patience, dedication, respect and selflessness, says our vice-president More...

The Magic of the Unknown

A fortuitous leap in the dark made all the difference, says the life positive editor-in-chief More...

A World United

With its all-inclusive stance life positive brings together a world divided by communal passions and religious bigotry, says the life positive president More...

What Life Positive taught me

Despite long-delayed salaries and elusive profits, the LIFE POSITIVE publisher explains why the magazine has been going non-stop for 15 years More...

Mother mine

The mother is the single most civilizing factor in our lives. For better or for worse, we become what our mothers teach us to be. By god’s grace, mother’s love is mostly for the better. Readers doff More...

A Student of Life

When Life is the Guru, There is no Distinction Between Spirituality and Life. More...

Beginning here

Sometimes, Taking Care of the World Outside can Massage the Ego far more than being there for One’s own Close Ones More...

Children Of The Light

The Writer’s usual Train commute turns special when she sees that her fellow commuters, complete strangers otherwise, are all made of the same spiritual stuff as her. More...

The Good The Bad The Other

Acknowledging that we are animated by the same Life Force frees us of the Poison of Religious and Political superiority More...

How green is your future

This quiz can help you predict the shape of your days to come More...

Make Your Inner Critic your Inner guide

Thwarted, Ignored or Feared, the inner critic can cripple you. Treated with awareness and compassion, it can be a wonderful guide in the journey called life More...

What will be, will be

destiny and not random events determine the circumstances of our lives. therefore, why worry? More...

Breakdowns lead to breakthroughs

Could the rising food prices compel us to grow our own food? More...

Parenting in the New Age

Seers, Mystics and Teachers say the world is at the cusp of an important shift in consciousness. It is important that we raise conscious children who become partners, agents of change and winners in More...

Alone In The Crowd

You came alone and you will leave alone. In between, you will want the world to be a part of you, and that will be your struggle. More...

Be Vulnerable

the capacity to be vulnerable and admit your mistakes will determine the strength of your relationships More...

Confront the recurring problem

when the same problem comes to you repeatedly, it is time to confront it More...

Let INDIA inside you

Once it has entered our being, whether we invited it or not, once it has held up the mirror of ourselves to ourselves, once it has turned us upside down and inside out, then and only then has India More...

Life in balance

All of us on the planet aspire to a life in balance – to balance our outgo with our income, our heads with our hearts, individual needs with societal needs. When this delicate balance is won, we More...

The circle of influence

We continue with the saga of the sathe family (see lead story, september 2010 More...

The Sabbatical

This sunday put your chores aside, and do nothing for some time. Being with yourself, even for a short while, has amazing results More...

Role-playing? Get real

Just like crabs discard cracked shells, we too need to give up our outdated or non-functional identities and be flexible More...

Sweet solutions to life’s little troubles

Life is nothing but a series of problems, posed by the great examiner above. often, it is the vexing little issues of everyday life that stymie us. here are a few spiritual and practical ways to More...

Word made flesh

Representing the primal power of creation words can be the source of both healing and hurting. So use your words with care More...

The value of Discipline

Without correct and sustained effort, there is no awakening of the divinity within More...

The shaping of a life

An experience of grace in action More...

One without a second

The foundation of the new age is based on awareness of the fundamental truth of life which is oneness. It is this perspective which will govern our relationship with ourselves, others and the More...

A New Earth

Rediscovery of the oneness of creation is transforming the world as we know it More...

Little masters

The wisdom the adult learns through hard lessons comes naturally to children who appear to be born perfect More...

The T-Group Syndrome

Ramblings at a T-group* lab More...

The Helpless Helper

The author shares an anecdote that happened in the 1980s which shows him how life can bring unexpected results, even to one with the best of intentions. More...

Bringing up baby

According to research conducted by Ministry of Women and Child Development Department, Government of India in 2007, 66 per cent of children are physically abused, 53.22 per cent are sexually abused More...

2012 Apocalypse

By now all of us are prepared for 2012 to either rain brimstone and fire or milk and honey, depending on where we stand in the doom or boom theory. More...

The gift of Life

When I researched on organ donation, I discovered that there was nowhere one could go to understand its ramifications,” says Prashant Mehta, an Information Security and Business Continuity More...

Dreamtime

Readers share their vision for the new world More...

Small Steps Or Giant Strides

Small steps is an initiative based on the premise that it is not necessary to take big steps and big actions to make a difference More...

Social Change Through Films

My personal journey began with my graduation from the Academy of Art University in San Francisco, California. I had a major in motion pictures and television. While I was there, something was incom More...

Slow and Steady

Slow Living is about making human values and simplicity the central tenet of living More...

The Audacity Of Hope

Does the arrival of Barack Obama on the world political scene portend a new era of enlightened politics? More...

Love In The Time Of Calamity

As the present civilisation collapses, and a new age prepares to rise from its ashes, our collective pain is immense. How can we thrive through these times? The great gurus teach us the way More...

In Search Of St Thomas

The author visits Chennai to delve into the life of St Thomas, an apostle of Christ More...

The Art Of Experiencing

Experiencing your thoughts and feelings frees you of them and restores your equanimity More...

The Last Legacy

How would you like your mortal remains disposed of, and how would you like to be remembered? Seekers discuss this through the concept of a ‘spiritual will' More...

A Call To Greatness

The terror attacks in Mumbai have left the country shaken, coming as they have on the heels of a series of attacks across the country. How can spirituality help us to accept and transcend the peril More...

The Secret Of My Motivation

Exactly what determines our belief systems? is it the cumulative experience and influence of one lifetime or infinite lifetimes? More...

A Blade of Bliss

A A Blade Of Grass Is Bliss For The Goat More...

Wake Up

The most discussed date in spiritual history is just round the corner: 2012. What lies ahead and what should we do? More...

A Curious Kinship

To the simple folks of kokkrebellur it is not just a simple co-existence with the birds but more of affection that borders on reverence More...

Seize The Day

Nothing is more fulfilling than a day well lived. here are some incredible ideas to add life to your days, and days to your life More...

I Me Myself

What do you mean to yourself, without all the roles you play? Here is a poignant recount, interestingly portrayed by the author when he peeped within More...

Learning to Live Through Life and Death

A personal account of a man whose life and death enriched and transformed the writer More...

The Power of Coincidence

How the writer discovered the truth behind coincidences and used it to launch his spiritual journey More...

The Perfect Imperfection

Have you heard of the intriguing wabi sabi philosophy –of seeing beauty in simplicity, in finding appeal in the natural imperfection of life?

Gitika K Kaji and Megha Bajaj More...

Where are the Women

A search for the sacred feminine in contemporary india More...

Zen and the Game of Cricket

Cricket’s just a game; not the index for national self-esteem. lighten up, will you! More...

The Growing up Game

When do you really grow up, if ever? Hhere, an analysis of the various stages of maturity and what it takes to get there More...

Present Imperfect

For those of us who are convinced that the consumerist culture is an aberration, there is a sense of exquisite torture about living in these times More...

UP and Running

Having emerged from tamas, India is in a fever of rajasic activity – achieving, creating, and consuming. However, to achieve its destiny as world guru, India will need to move from rajas to the More...

Goldie

Goldie Hawn’s new autobiography is a record of self-exploration and lessons learnt More...

Towards Tao

Don’t look now, but things are changing. women are becoming like men and men are becoming like women. what it means is that society on the whole, is learning to balance its male-female energies, a More...

Un Zen

Living for the Wow More...

Forever and Ever

Only character and relationships follow us beyond the grave. Why not invest in these? More...

Freedom From Time

For most of us, time is a tyrant, relentlessly pushing us forward. The spiritual journey is all about escaping from its clutches and resting peacefully in the present moment. How do we crest this More...

Forward not Backward

We are meant to flow with life, to follow its inexorable twists and turns without asking why. More...

Make up Your Mind

Just like shakespeare's hero, hamlet, pondered, "to be or not to be", at times, we are unable to decide on choices and end up feeling torn and confused. read on for tips on how to decide More...

Laughing Buddha The Holy Potato

Humble, democratic, at ease in company and in solitude, the potato's balanced attitude makes it deeply spiritual. A tribute to everyone's favorite veggie. More...

Necessary Detours

Detours and sidesteps on the path are sometimes inevitable for we need to exhaust all our wants and desires before we can get to self-realization. More...

Laughing Buddha

Life Positive reviews some not-so-famous sequels of popular self-help bestsellers More...

Lessons for the Soul

Under the guise of mishaps and tears there is always something to smile about. And beneath all the smiles there are the tears. More...

Let Go and Let God

When you live in surrender, life becomes a celebration. More...

Carpe Diem Seize the Moment

Squeeze the most out of a moment. Live in the now. Grab life by its collar! More...

World as Laboratory World as Self

There can be no positive social change without internal individual change. You have to be the change you wish to see in the world. More...

Lets Play

If the universe is a manifestation of the lord's play, it follows that life is a game. So lighten up and dance your way through the lord's lila. Swirl and twirl through victories and defeats, joys More...

Loving What Is

Byron Katie is a revolutionary spiritual teacher who invites us to conduct a penetrating analysis of our beliefs and concepts through a process she calls 'the work'. These four questions and a More...

The Pilgrim Progress

Mirdad’s quest for the mythical ark, and other journeys in mythology and folklore mirror the deep psychological truths that we must grasp on our own journey towards the absolute More...

Training for Enlightenment

only in mumbai local train can you practice a plethora of spiritual techniques, witness a beautiful interplay of opposites, and display of human emotions More...

The Process of Feeling Human

In a five-day lab experience conducted by the Indian Society for Applied Behavioural Sciences [ISABS), participants are fast-forwarded through a compressed section of life to learn to recognize, More...

An Unmixed Blessing

Good is good and bad is good. When you can ford this duality and accept both in the same manner, the grand design of life reveals itself. More...

Life in Balance

The key to balancing the spiritual and the worldly lies in living them in tandem. When you lead your daily life consciously, the two become one. Until this delicate equipoise is won, however, enjoy More...

Travel Light

Drop the baggage of the ego-self and travel unfettered and free in the journey of life. More...

The Housewife's Yoga

At a time when women in search of their self break out of the confines of home and family, a small movement in south India paying allegiance to Rama Devi, exalts the householder life as a woman's More...

Going away to come back

In the cross-cultural churning, an urban, westernised Indian has always been sceptical about the spiritual richness of the country. But it is never too late to come home. Back to the source… More...

Seed Scrolls

“Though I do not believe that a plant will spring up where no seed has been, I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there and I am prepared to expect wonders.”More...

The relevance of irrelevance

Irrelevant. Immaterial. Insignificant. Believe it or not, these words have had a central part to play in my spiritual growth. You could say that they are a very relevant, significant and material More...

Sacred Spaces

Most of us have our own altars, enshrined in a small room, if we can afford it, or we make do with a makeshift alcove in a wardrobe or kitchen shelf. More...

Life force overcomes entropy

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately on the relationship between entropy and the life force. More...

The Truth About Enlightenment

Jed McKenna loves to sky-dive, watches sitcoms and uses slang. To think that once he ran an ashram! Not quite a New Age guru, he is what he calls ‘a truth guy’. And the title of his latest bestseller More...

Live Life the Vedanta Way

Most people take Vedanta to be heavy philosophy. What they don’t know is that it can just as well show us the way towards better relationships, health, work and understanding ourselves. More...

Revelations - paradise lost

More...

A Life Less Ordinary

When cornered by the finiteness of life, when hope is on ebb, believe you have reason to rejoice. A miracle is on its way More...

You are here on a purpose

Each one of us has a unique purpose in life, and in its realization lies our happiness, growth and success. Here is how you can discover and fulfill your purpose, and in the process move further More...

WANTING VS. INTENTION

Wanting, though necessary, stems from a dissatisfaction with the present and may be counter-productive. But intent comes from an acceptance of what is and a calm determination whose power goes beyond More...

A SANE RESPONSE TO TERRORISM

Hatred cannot be cured by hatred, only by love. We can end terrorism only by More...

TO BE, OR TO HAVE

'Having' means wanting to possess, to make things mine. In contrast is 'being'—alive and in direct relatedness with society, nature and the whole world. It is time we chose whether we want to be, or More...

LIFE IS EMPTY AND MEANINGLESS

Moving up the five levels of consciousness in the waking state we realize that nothing ever happened. This world is just a projection of the Universal Mind. But in the emptiness and meaninglessness More...

Meaning of life

We are born. We study, find a job, get married, have children, grow old. And die. In between, we chase money, fame, sex, knowledge and indirectly, happiness. But is that all there is to living, or More...