What is the Aim of Life?

What is the aim of life - the question seems to be very simple but it is very complicated one.  If we see it deeply, any answer to this question will be wrong only. Because, there is nothing more than life for which life can be the medium to reach the destiny. Life dwells in man, animal, insects, everywhere. The life itself is  complete one. Others may have aims and means to reach the aims. But the life itself is an aim. Life is the part and parcel of the almighty. Asking the aim of life is like asking the aim of the almighty.  

There are many things in the world which are of no use if they are not used for any means. For example, what is the aim of a car? The car itself does not have any aim. If you want to reach somewhere, car can be the means for the destiny. If reaching somewhere is the aim, then car can be the means for reaching.  A sword does not have any aim in itself. If fighting is the aim, then sword can be the means. So, in life if things can be used to reach the destiny, they can become the means. Else, they are of no use.  When we think of love, it is self complete. Neither there is no aim of it nor it becomes the means of something. Happiness is also like love, which is self complete. Life is also self complete. Nothing is beyond or above this for which the life can be used to reach. 

Then why are we asking the aim of life? Because, we have not realized the life yet. Who has realized the truth of love, will never ask the aim of love. Who has realized the happiness (Aanand) will never ask the aim of happiness. These questions can be asked by those who have neither realized the love or happiness. Merely by knowing love and happiness, one will attain its aim. Because the aim is within it, it is self sufficient. After knowing love or happiness one will never ask about its aim. 

The question "Aim of life" will be repeated till we do not know the life completely. The life we know is totally an illusion. If we try to know even a bit, we will realize the life we are talking about is not the life but the journey of death. We are dying daily. We are dying gradually. One day over means one day of our life is over. 

The child started dying once comes to this world. Till the child is in mother's womb, life is there. Once the touches the world, the count down of death starts. But we are celebrating on the birth of a child. Every year our life is curtailed by one year. But we do not realize this. From life to death is the journey to death. Death is not sudden. It is taking life day by day. Yet we do not realize it. We are perceiving the long death of this journey as life. There we are mistaken. The difference between yesterday and today is, we have died one day by this time. Tomorrow we will die one day more. Hence, when we are growing day by day, we are becoming old. Else, there is no chance of becoming old. The gradual process of death takes us from child to young to old. When we misunderstand the long process of this death as life, then how can we understand the real meaning of life? That's why, we are in search of the aim of life.

With this illusion we have never been able to understand the charm of happiness, love,  peace, the rays of light. We will never understand also. Because, the life we are perceiving is not the real life. What we are assuming as life is the long process of death. Hence, we are going through stress, pain and unhappiness. 

That's why we usually say the childhood life was much better and happier. Since then the stress, pain, disturbance started hitting us. Because, after touching this world the journey of death started. For some the journey may be days and months, and for some the journey is for 10/20/50 or 100 years. But the journey has been started. As per our logic, the life we are familiar with, more the life means more must be the happiness. And the most beautiful moment must be the old age. Because there is more life in it. But nay! The old age is the most saddest moment of everybody's life. Because the journey of death has taken a long time and prevailed upon our all happiness. Darkness is around us in this lengthy journey. More the journey, more is the darkness. 

 A beautiful story in the life of Budha. Once an old monk came to Budha. Budha asked the age of that monk. The monk replied 4 years. Other monks around Budha shocked. Budha asked again his age. The monk said 4 years. Budha said, my friend, you looks like 70 years old. You are saying 4 years. The monk said I may be 70 years old, but 4 years back I understood the meaning of life. 4 years back I dived inside. 4 years back I understood the charms of peace and happiness. Life was inside and death was outside. But I continued my journey outside. Till 4 years back I was knowing the death. Then, how come can I tell the age of life. I forgot all those. That's why I am counting these 4 years. Before that I was assuming the journey of death as life. The life was inside and I was counting outside. 4 years before I realized it. Budha advised all his disciples to keep this in mind. 

We are all on the same path. We are travelling the journey of death and assuming it as the journey of life. That's why the trauma, disturbance, stress and all negativities all around us. It is never too late. Let us start the journey of life from this moment. The people around us will look more beautiful, peace will be all over, there will be no pain, no unhappiness and there would be no regret in this journey. We will be self sufficient.