The concept of Ikigai, the Japanese secret to a fulfilling life, is something which I have been impressed with. I have used Ikigai on many occasions for myself and others. Ikigai encapsulates with clarity the four important aspects about an individual’s life - Passion, Mission, Vocation and Profession, which are key to his/her showing not only where these intersections emerge from but also what these intersections lead to.
It was an epiphany for me when I saw how the Bhartiya Scriptures provide an even deeper understanding of how we can achieve our Ikigai. There are four objectives of life as stated in the Bhartiya scriptures, which are necessary to live life and achieve its pinnacle:
Dharma – following your innate nature with righteousness integrated in all actions and aspects of life. No other life objective can be followed without Dharma.
Artha – the pursuit of making a living – this is achieved by one’s profession
Kaama – the pursuit of fulfilling desires – this is achieved by one’s passion passion
Moksh – the pursuit of becoming One with The Self – this is the Mission of missions. What the Mission of mission does is that it helps us look at every goal of life as a means for a higher end. The Mission of missions (becoming one with Self) is losing of all limitations, bondages and seeking.
Connecting these four objectives with Ikigai, this is what emerged for me:
The intersection of (Artha + Kaam) = Passion
The intersection of (Dharma + Artha) = Rightful profession
The intersection of (Dharma + Kaam) = Rightful vocation
The intersection of (Passion + Rightful profession + Rightful vocation) = Mission
Life can have different missions at different stages.
These four objectives of life are applicable for every individual and individuals are classified in Varna-Ashram order (वर्णाश्रम व्यवस्था) (varna means colour signifying the colour of your nature and has been come to be known as caste and ashram has come to be known of as stage of life).
Just as an organization has Board of Directors, Managing Director, Chief Executive, Executives and Associates, an individual can be or can grow to any of the following according to his or her own nature/tendencies:
Brahman – those primarily involved with learning and teaching
Kshatriya – those primarily involved with ruling and leading
Vaishya – those primarily involved with making money
Sudra – those primarily involved in serving others
Like the internal organs quietly work to make our survival trouble free, the external organs help us serve ourselves as well as others and the organs of perception become our sources for sensation and learning. Similarly this Varna order for life is necessary for the society to function. The Varna system is not an order of superiority or inferiority.
The Scriptures explain that each individual’s life is a journey, just as we would go from kindergarten to PhD:
Brahmacharya – the first stage of life involved with studying and learning, developing skills and forming values.
Grihastha – the second stage of life involved with fulfilment of wealth and desires.
Vanaprastha – the third stage of life of learning to lose attachment/clinging to people & objects, and increasing the knowledge about The Self by studying scriptures under the tutelage of sages/saints.
Sanyaasa – the final stage of life when you renounce all desires and are only directed towards becoming one with The Supreme Consciousness. This ultimate mission of human life is known as Moksh or Liberation from bondages or Self Realization.
These four stages of life must be followed by all Varnas. The level of Gunas (attributes) in an individual leads him to achieve or not the four stages of life at different levels of excellence and fulfillment. For example there can be a selfish Brahman and a selfless Shudra. The three types of Gunas are:
Sattva – the one who is able to see the same consciousness in all and leads life with the objective of good for all.
Rajas – the one who sees each one differently and leads life primarily for him/herself.
Tamas – the one who is dull, unthoughtful and purposeless.
It all finally boils down to the individual’s attitude (passions/attributes/gunas)
(Chapter 18 of the Bhagwad Gita has a detailed expounding on the gunas).
This comprehensive package takes us beyond the mere idea of finding your passion on whims & fancies or peer pressure. It lets us determine who we are and presents life as a dynamic, evolving, and maturing continuum going from the gross to the subtle. It presents the possibility for each to see the inner potential and start grow from wherever one is in life – be it Gunas, Varna or Ashram, inspiring to take on the larger and more meaningful missions of life.
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