We will not cease from exploration,
And the end of all our exploring
We will arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
T.S.Eliot Four Quartets, Little Gidding

Life seems to constantly draw us in two directions. We have the urge to explore the ends of the earth combined with the sempiternal desire to seek contact with the One who exists from within and without. Mankind has never been able to resist the impulse to explore the earth and now with the aid of technology the universe. The Africans charted the skies as they traveled the world. The Greeks made great maps from their travels. The Vikings conquered many lands, as well as the Mongolians and so on and so forth. However, mankind had always had an additional urge, just as powerful as the compulsion to physically explore its surroundings. The urge to understand the nature of our existence – ontology.

As T.S.Eliot so profoundly wrote about in the Four Quartets, as we indulge in all types of physical sensations eventually, we are returned to our origin which is the spirit. When we return home our perspective is changed and we finally see it for what it really is. The Eastern practice of Self Realization is designed to help us discover our true selves. Once one culls through the effluvia of sensual existence the pure spirit is what is left. This pure spirit is what I call The One and what many of us call God. According to Hindu philosophy, each step away from God is a degradation from our pure existence. This degradation is important because our spirit is informed by our many experiences. As we gain wisdom through those experiences, we discover the truth about what is important and what is merely a learning tool. This physical life, my friends, is merely a tool from which to learn. It is designed to enhance our spirit through direct experience. However, the trick is, as many adepts teach us, to not get caught up in the experience. Enjoy the many experiences but know that life is something that happens so that we can move towards the embodiment of enlightenment.

Those people that we revere through time met their goal of becoming the embodiment of enlightenment. The Buddha, Jesus the Christ, Krishna, Muhammad, are examples of those individuals who became enlightened. If you are a sceptic, then at least accept the fact that their stories are meant to teach us how to live an enlightened life while here on earth. Even if you don’t believe they existed ( I believe they did exist) one has to admit that their stories are great examples for us to follow.
I am a romantic at heart and I believe that eventually we will all return home to the place from which we started. It will be different when we return home and with the wisdom we have attained through the ages, through many lifetimes, we will see it for what it has always been – Pure Existence. We will also realize that there is no separation between us. We are One and we are all a part of the One. His/Her gift to us was physical existence that allowed us to enhance the collective spirit through our experiences. Enjoy the ride, eventually we will all see each other at home.