The Meaning of Life is to Fulfill One”s Duties

　　Many people ask me, "What is the intrinsic quality of life

　　 What is the meaning of life

　　 Where is the value in life

　　 What is the purpose of life

　　"

　　The meaning of life is to fulfill one”s duties and be responsible. In the journey of life - from birth, to old age, to death - every person plays different roles. For example, children grow up to be parents and students become teachers. You may be a supervisor, an employee as well as a friend. All of these are duties - ethical relationships shared between people.

　　When duties are not fulfilled, it is said that the roles are "neither fish nor fowl". This is a term used to describe strange phenomena. When looking at ourselves from an ethical perspective, we often discover that we are "neither fish nor fowl".

　　The Value of Life Is to Offer and Contribute

　　What is the value of life

　　 Many believe that fame, status, power and wealth make a person highly valuable. However, are any of these real indications of value

　　 Yes and no. The answer depends on how much the person has contributed to society. Where there is no contribution, a person with status, wealth and fame is of limited value.

　　Offering and contributing also begin by fulfilling one”s duties in different roles, taking on responsibility and putting forward contributions.

　　In this world there are not many people that are directly related to us. If you were to write out the names of all those who have a direct relationship with you from the first moment you can remember, how many would you have

　　 Probably not many. Very few people will be able to write out one thousand names of those who are directly related to them. There are only a handful of friends and relatives that one can think of. When it comes to people who are indirectly related to oneself, then the figure will increase enormously.

　　When we talk about responsibilities, it is usually about being responsible for certain matters to a small number or specific group of people. Contribution, on the other hand, is completely different. Whether or not an active role is required, whatever the situation, whoever it is, there is always a chance to contribute in relationships both direct and indirect.

　　For instance, if you are walking on the street and you see a child wanting to cross the road, you are under no obligation to help him cross safely, but this is an opportunity for you to make a contribution. In many cases people will think, "That child will have no problem crossing the road alone. Besides, I”m in a hurry and have no time." But if a car suddenly hit that child, would you not regret it considering that you had the opportunity to save that child”s life

　　Bearing the Task of Contribution

　　Thus, contributing is not necessarily restricted to that of our direct relationships, but rather its scope can be large or small; its effects near or far. The scope may be as vast as the entire world extending to all sentient beings. We should shoulder and bear this task of offering and contributing. The meaning of life is to fulfill one”s duties and responsibilities, and so long as one completes their own tasks, that is sufficient. But it is more than that: Performing one”s basic duties cannot be considered a great contribution.

　　When I was studying in Japan, my late master, Venerable Master Tung Chu, came upon several Taipei Temples in the midst of disputes over land rights and power. He wrote me a letter saying, "Buddhism is currently in a pitiful state. Nobody is undertaking the task of spreading the Dharma but fighting over the property rights of monasteries." The dispute also involved government claims that since the monasteries were built by the Japanese during their occupation, they were assets of the enemy and should have bee…

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