The 4 Aims of Life

What's the point? 

An interesting question? A resigned statement? An lifelong exploration?

I am having a 'What's the Point" week. I am sure I'll be able to be more personal and open about it as the days pass. But today I am capable an academic spin, as the emotional wave is not complete yet.   

The 4 Aims of Life, from Vedic and Hindu philosophy (the Purusharthas), provide a holistic blueprint for a balanced, meaningful, and fulfilling existence. We use these "goals" in the Year of YOU to outline what we are working towards as we dedicate our time and awareness to our own health, energy, joy and ease.  

Lets peek at them:

dharma (Duty). Dharma can be translated as "personal truth,"  we think of it as life purpose. It is our responsibility to live true to ourselves.

artha (Abundance). This is not a quest for success, wealth, or possessions, but an acknowledgement that some things are important - house, home, adequate income, a healthy & capable body. We must have a level of prosperity, ample Ojas,  to find ease in life.

kama (Pleasure). A goal to embrace the enjoyment of earthly pleasures, including sexuality, food, music, and the arts. Pursuing activities that bring joy and delight. 

moksha (Freedom). Liberation. Freedom from... and Freedom to be.

Look at this Pyramid: heirarchical, linear, structured, and progressive - and we can probably assume it was created by and taught to men.  I really wanted to shift from thinking of it as an achievement at the end of a steady "work". The result of persistent effort and determination. The built-in assumption is that we are climbing a mountain, effortful, work, tedious discipline. And at the top, we imagine we have arrived! We have have conquered life and now sit in ease at the top forever. 

It isn't true. It's a false belief, a structured process to a destination that will leave you feeling as though all the trials of life are over. 

AS IF. 

Ok, so here is my proposal... we choose a new way to approach the 4 Aims: 

Would a Venn Diagram work better? Three equally important areas of life, where they merge together, we find this delicious place, where the sweet freedom from/freedom to - that Moksha offers. Where we are working in with the unique qualities of one aim, and where we are experiencing the shared qualities of those aims. 

Perhaps and even more Ayurveda way to look at it would be to think of it as a cycle. That at any given time we are working on Artha/Kama/Dharma, and a maybe all 3 at the same time. Moksha the foundation, the underlying principle, holding up the other goals. When we tackle life with presence, taking each step with freedom from the outcome, or freedom to make the right choice for the moment, we are living the 4 Aims of Life authentically. 

How do we be in relationship with the 4 Aims? How do we step intentionally each day toward the invitation they offer?  

Here are some ways that you can be in conversation and inquiry with these ideals: 

Dharma/Life Purpose: What is my role in the world? What are my obligations? Which ones feel right? When I am serving the highest good, what am I doing? How can I best serve the world around me? What would Martin Luther King do? (substitute your grandmother, Gandhi, Mother Teresa, or anyone else you consider a paragon of dharmic living).

Artha/Prosperity: What do I need to play my role in the world? Where do I place value? Do I have enough? Are my things making me happy, or are they stealing my joy? Am I afraid of having more? Am I afraid of not having more? What does wealth mean to me? What is a solid foundation? What do I need to feel safe, and to grow?

Kama/Pleasure: What am I passionate about? What brings me pleasure? Am I enjoying my life? Am I happy? What do I care about? What do I most desire? Am I hooked on anything? Are my pleasures leading me toward or away from my life’s purpose?

Moksha/Freedom: What am I doing to free myself from activities and perceptions that make me unhappy? How can I witness my emotions and not need to "fix" them? Where can I let go of a need to control? Do I feel trapped? Can I be free from blaming myself and others? How can I assure my mind that nothing in permanent?

Answering these questions is one of the steps we can take to re-ground in a world that feels increasingly chaotic, unstable, unfamiliar. Allow ourselves time to mine the wisdom within us, sit with our truth, see where we are feeling solid and sure, where we are itching for change, and where we are denying our truth, pretending it is all ok.

Oh... and do that easefully!!  Ha Ha. the sneaky trick that is the hardest bit to actually do.

This world is full of contradictions. Yoga always asking us to do hard things without stress. To feel fear and step forward anyway. To notice the resistance and push through without effort. Damn. 

Take stock. Sit in silence. Acknowledge your Truth. Move toward building your foundation, finding joy and fullfillment, free from the limitations of our mind, and free to make life as big as we can ever imagine. 

If you want to play in these ideas with me, the Year of YOU enrolment is open. We start Summer Season on Thursday. It offers slow steady steps, a practice, on repeat, imperfect, messy, and with the love and compassion of the community.