(12) What is the Significance of Life

　　What is the significance of life

　　 This is an important question. After birth, a human being rapidly ages, then dies. Between the processes of birth, ageing, being sick and dying, he is busily working, eating, and grooming... But what is there to achieve

　　 What is the significance of this

　　 These questions are a puzzle. As children, we unconsciously follow the social norms, and often live without thinking about these questions. This is common. But for those who have a more sensitive perception of their situations, those living in unfavourable environments, those experiencing failure in their career, or those who are debilitated by illnesses, may lose some, or all of their hope. Then questions arise, "What is the significance of life

　　 What are we busy indulging in

　　" Although these questions sometimes come to us, or linger in our mind, we may feel there is no way out. We keep on indulging in working, eating, and grooming.

　　But what actually is the meaning of our lives

　　For some, "Everything is void" is the answer. For them, it is meaningless to engage oneself busily in working, eating, or grooming.... Let me tell you about one of the old popular songs. It was called the "Awareness Song". The initial part of the song was,

　　"The sky is nothing,

　　the earth is nothing,

　　and human beings are pervasively in between."

　　It then continued,

　　"The husband is nothing,

　　the wife is nothing,

　　and when disaster comes, all must part.

　　The mother is nothing,

　　the son is nothing,

　　there is no meeting after death."

　　In the last line it says,

　　"Living is just like the bee collecting nectar,

　　after the collection of nectar from all the flowers,

　　and the manufacturing of honey,

　　the effort eventually becomes void as old age arrives."

　　How depressing this song was, how lifeless! "Everything is just nothing". It suggests that life is meaningless. This is vastly different from the concept of "Everything is empty" in Buddhism.

　　The "Awareness Song" represents perceptions which are dull, depressing and nihilistic. Buddhism rejects the notion of ultimativity, but recognizes the relative significance of reality and lives. The Buddha discovered the universal truth about life which revealed an ultimate refuge for us all.

　　Although there are certainly insecurities, sadness, and sorrow in the journey of life, it does not mean that life is meaningless. Although life may be imperfect, there should still be something meaningful that can console us to continue our lives. The old saying in Chinese,

　　"To achieve virtue,

　　To achieve distinction,

　　To achieve glory by writing,"

　　are the "Three Immortal Acts". That is, if we have lived and performed these Three Immortal Acts, then the purpose of our lives is fulfilled and this has will be an ever-lasting significance.

　　Generally, the significance of life for most people can be pided into two groups; (i) the significance is within the present life and world; and (ii) the significance is in the future heaven. Those who belong to the first group can be further pided into three types.

　　1. Life is for the family - Some people place great emphasis on the continuity of the family. For them, even though the inpidual may pass away, the fact that the family continues means that there is an ever-lasting significance for their lives. This concept is common to Confucian philosophy in China. People must remember and appreciate their ancestors. The elderly only wish for a few grandchildren. While alive, they propagate their families and look after the grandchildren. For life after death, they look forward to the worship of the descendants. With this view of life, they are able to withstand all the suffering, and lead contented lives. According to this concept, there is a saying in Chinese,

　　"There are …

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