Greetings Reader,

I was talking with a friend this past week about an interesting thought experiment he and a few other guys are collaborating on.

The experiment uses a fictional story, set in a post-capitalist future in which AI-driven robots do everything that needs to be done and all basic human needs are (somehow) provided for, as a vehicle to explore two questions, posed by the story’s main character:

1. “Does my life have any meaning if I don’t have to do anything?"
2. "If not, how do I create meaning for myself without any form of obligatory work to create it for me?”

When I heard this, my first thought was, “Why would the character need to create meaning?”

So I asked my friend, “Does your story-experiment assume that meaning has to be invented or does it allow for the possibility that our lives are inherently meaningful?”

This led to a long discussion about whether or not we have to create meaning for ourselves, what underlying assumptions supported created meaning vs. pre-existing meaning, and what the implications of each possibility might be.

My friend was more inclined to think that it’s up to us to create meaning in our lives. I can understand why he would — or why almost anyone would: over the last several hundred years, we’ve been culturally trained to think that meaning is entirely self-constructed.

The connection between Iago’s modernism and his villainy may be debatable even if the crudeness of his expression of contempt for traditional Christian morality is not. Either way, Iago and his fellow modernists clearly think that we make our own meaning and control our own destiny.

Yoga philosophy disagrees.

The yoga wisdom tradition tells us that our lives are inherently meaningful and the extent of our free will is profoundly limited.

Modern philosophies argue that existence precedes essence; we’re born as blank slates, create our own value, and invent our own meaning. Yoga wisdom inverts the axiom and adds qualifiers: spiritual essence precedes material existence; we’re born with the baggage we carry from previous lives but our eternal spiritual essence has inherent value and the meaning and purpose of our temporary material existence is something to be discovered rather than invented.

A modern conception of life runs on a single materialistic track: we are these bodies, this one life is all we’ve got, and it’s up to us to make the most of it. This is what yoga philosophy calls “material consciousness.”

Adding “material” and “spiritual” as qualifiers to a discussion about consciousness, the identity of the self, and the origins of meaning, you get two tracks: one for our temporary material existence and one for our eternal spiritual existence.

On the material track, our karma — the present condition we created for ourselves in previous lives — endows us with natural aptitudes and inclinations which, in turn, direct us toward a particular kind of work that provides us with a sense of meaning and purpose.

This is where yoga wisdom cuts Iago some slack, but not much: our free will contributes to the determination of our destiny, but forces beyond our understanding and control have a far greater influence on how we think, feel, will, and act than Iago would like to believe:

These “qualities of material nature” are the source of our natural aptitudes and inclinations and a social structure that takes this into account is well-equipped to help every member of society discover their meaning and purpose.

On the spiritual track, the Yoga Sutras tell us that meaning is inherently woven into the fabric of creation and the great opportunity of a human life is to free oneself from the influence of illusion:

In yoga’s alternative viewpoint, meaning drives action rather than being derived from action; the work we’re naturally attracted to is a source of fulfillment and the project of self-realization is the fulfillment of ultimate meaning.

If, as yoga wisdom proposes, we are eternal, pure, and joyful parts of an infinite and complete Whole from which — or from whom — our own existence emanates, then ultimate meaning and purpose will be found in the experience of transcendental connection; the realization of our eternal spiritual relationship with the Source of our being.

The ensemble in my friend’s story includes a fictional fellowship: “Keepers” who act as a repository of knowledge that’s selectively delivered to the main character.

I’ll be interested to see if the Keepers cleave to the assumption that the main character is working with a blank slate or if they suggest the possibility that there is no need to invent meaning where meaning already exists, waiting to be discovered.

Wishing you all good fortune,

- Hari-k

P.S: I hope you'll join me for my upcoming live online mini-course on the yamas and niyamas — a comprehensive study of yoga's principles for ethical living, self-care, and spiritual growth. We'll explore the traditional teachings of the yamas and niyamas, examine how they can be applied meaningfully in modern life, and look beyond simplistic interpretations to uncover the deeper purpose of these foundational teachings.

Two live 90-minute classes, Wednesdays, July 8 and 15 @ 7:00 pm EDT (both classes will be recorded). CLICK HERE for complete information and registration.