Purpose?

[On a podcast today, I was asked about purpose. Below was my response.]

If I had to define my purpose, I would say it is to serve life's emergence. By serving what lies in front of us -- not because it increases or reduces the suffering of the world, but simply because it is ours to do -- life itself becomes a moral gymnasium in which we untangle and transform a completely unique set of energies -- internal and external, as unique as a fingerprint.

Inside the kitchen of a local monastery, a sign reads: "Life is an endless series of dishes. I vow to do them all." As we do those dishes, our flute becomes hollow once again and the winds of nature effortlessly play its symphony through us.

Growing up, I used to think that I was initiating projects and creating change. Bit by bit, I started seeing that I was never actually in the driver's seat, that my effort was a small sliver of a larger rainbow of grace, that perhaps I was in the passenger's seat. And now, I'm unclear if I'm even in the car -- yet, just seeing the flow of movement is enough to overflow my cup of gratitude and leave me with great joy.

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