what is the universe?
simply put, it is "something."
as opposed to what? "nothing"?
our universe exists because it also can't exist. and what is the alternative to the universe, which is everything? nothing.
and not the typical "nothing" we think of as empty space, because empty space is something to us. space is particles of oxygen, waves of light, sound and among other things, the distance between everything, and everything else. so even if we created a total vacuum in space, void of every particle and wave, we would still be left with the concept of distance. distance may be nothing more than a concept, but that is something!
the "nothing" we are discussing goes beyond even the idea of nothing itself. in our reality, if there is no former, there is no prior. and if there is no prior, there is no former. to have a universe, there must also be the possibility of no universe. they are mutually dependent.
so if the universe is everything we could possibly imagine no matter how we evolve, then how can we conceive what a lack of everything is? we can't. but we can try. and if we can try, then why not try?
think about the concept of perfection. many people think they've seen at least one thing in their life that was perfect. this however is not possible.
the truth is, if one thing is perfect, then everything is perfect. if nothing is perfect, then perfection is "nothing." which is different than the saying "nothing is perfect."
let's think of our universe as "perfect chaos" and leave "perfection" to the realm of nothing. if everything is perfect, what we're really saying is everything is exactly the same. because once one thing exists, it must have a counterpart. and consciousness must acknowledge a difference, at which point there can be no perfect unless an imperfect choice is made. of course that imperfect choice is made by the same consciousness that shattered perfection to create that one thing. so in a way it too, is perfect. but again, we're still sticking with the definition of perfect as "nothing."
but back to the shattering of perfection. why did it shatter? because it had to for us to conceive that it did. what shattered it? the existence of the possibility that it could... all that can be said is that what was once nothing, is now something. different, yet one in the same. yes this is a paradox, but it adds up. patience.
now that we have a better understanding of what the universe (life) isn't, we can attempt to understand what the universe is (the meaning of life.)
any further probing of what life isn't, will continue the paradox. so it can be understood that to explain what life IS will lead to the same conclusion. they are inextricably linked. this is where the reality within which we live resides. this place could be thought of as "the middle way."
what is the middle way? it is neither thinking nor not thinking. it is what is happening outside of, but also including conscious thought. non-thought. what happens if we stop conscious thought? things continue to happen. something is always happening inside and around us. even after the death of our personal perspective as we know it, the molecules that made up our body continue to exist in relation to all the other particles and waves in the universe. it is this relation BETWEEN the particles that creates THE particles. the relation is neither particle, nor either particle.
we can't stop it, or make it go. it just goes. and if we let go and stop pushing our self around, we'll keep moving, even after the death of our mind and body.
so then it could be that the existence of this action is the meaning of life, because this action is the only constant that can be. this ever changing, always moving action exists for no other reason that it can exist.
and this action is the meaning of life. this action is creativity.
there is no conceivable beginning or end to creativity. it can not be created, abolished or controlled. anything that attempts to control creativity is merely a servant of itself. if it ceases to exist, then it never did exist. if it is created, it always existed.
not even death can separate us from creativity. there is no escape. it is WHY we exist.
trust in it. it is you.
you are pure creativity.
recognizing this is crucial to letting go.
letting go is crucial to enlightenment.