What is the meaning of life, the universe and everything?

Рет қаралды 64,561

9 жыл бұрын

Thich Nhat Hanh answers questions during a retreat in the UK (April, 2012).
Question: What is the meaning of life, the universe and everything?
~~~
Help us caption & translate this video!
amara.org/v/FzEE/

Пікірлер: 117

@jingyitay6179 3 жыл бұрын

if you can see the beauty in any moment, you will love the suffering despite reaching your goal or not. and eventually you'll reach your goal. So not desiring the outcome but be present with the process and life itself. Meditation helps. Anyone thinks they can summarize this video better for the positive of the community feel free to comment.

@yashumehta4868 2 жыл бұрын

Meditation has great value, however it is not everything. More is required , and that has been very well explained by Thay. Pranaam

@talori5417 2 жыл бұрын

I love connecting with nature. When my husband passed. I tried everything. Meditation helped a little but nature walks & drives as well as Talking to my hubby, myself, support system and God and time helped a great deal. I see the beauty in pain. It brought me here.

@xxPinkyGeekxx 7 жыл бұрын

Umm... seem like there are some people in here misunderstood what Master Thich Nhat Hanh have said. OF COURSE he cannot give you a concrete answer, because whatever the answer might be, people will cling to it, and thus they suffer. You can only be happy when you are non-attached. It's the best to live not having any ideal, not trying to strive or desiring anything. Only then you can experience life fully and be able to live in the moment :) Next time please do not be quick to say hurtful things about someone when you don't understand them just yet. Peace and love,

@lovelifewithchris5683 6 жыл бұрын

Delighted Tofu brilliant. Thank you

@KimHuynh-pd2jo 5 жыл бұрын

Delighted Tofu love your comment so much

@natski4288 5 жыл бұрын

not striving and desiring at all?? is that possible?

@stephenharperisgay 4 жыл бұрын

I was a 19 year old hippie too.

@lauralunaazul 4 жыл бұрын

@@natski4288 yes, but let it go then.

@infinitenothingness 4 жыл бұрын

1. To experience existence fully, and bring your experience back to source energy. 2. To remember who you truly are: (an individuation of God [source energy ~ the universe ~ unconditional love] experiencing itself subjectively). 3. To be fulfilled through creating.

@yashumehta4868 2 жыл бұрын

To decide anything on the spot , it could not be exact. Thinking processing and then decision

@beatrijsdegroote2895 2 жыл бұрын

For me is this answer a wonder . It is nice to see how such a young girl gets such a wonderful answer. I hope she takes it with her and keeps it in her heart forever it is the most beautiful gift. I thank you all for this video. Thank you

@Womberto 9 жыл бұрын

42 of course.

@Acujeremy 9 жыл бұрын

Womberto Biaggi Oh man if he said that how cool would that have been?

@c.crowdz3866 6 жыл бұрын

What ist 42 ?perhaps He meant 69!

@edgepixel8467 5 жыл бұрын

Thinking the same. If he would have smiled and said “it’s 42, of course”, it would have been really cool. I guess he didn’t know about Douglas Adams.

@infoharvester Жыл бұрын

I searched for this comment lol if I didn't find your comment I would've made a similar one myself.

@cristin97 2 жыл бұрын

the meaning of life is to give life a meaning

@dr.sreejithpbabu5116 2 жыл бұрын

The search for meaning in our lives is the sole meaning of our life.

@UN1VERS3S Жыл бұрын

It's to improve different areas in your life and create meaningful not superficial relationships with people. You parents, spouse, kids, friends, neighbors.

@lauralunaazul 4 жыл бұрын

At the end, the answear to everything is meditate :) Then you can explain, understand, find a meaning, enjoy life,, etc...

@hughslevin7120 3 жыл бұрын

I have never heard a better explanation Thank you

@88mitra 2 жыл бұрын

RIP TNH, your philosophy will be never forgotten

@lauralunaazul 4 жыл бұрын

Beautiful, thank you 💜

@nadabhutia3465 Жыл бұрын

We don't know yet untill we get lots of wisdom like Buddha. We just hope and assume that too. We don't know everything. Infact we know very little which Buddha shared with us and great monks like him just tell us. That too will fade if we don't keep that in mind always. So we don't know the meaning of like, we will only fully understand that when we keep gaining knowledges and wisdoms.

@vivekam101 4 ай бұрын

Wonder why people laughing at her question. Such a valid question

@JensGraikowski 6 жыл бұрын

I'd have pissed myself laughing if he'd said, "42"!! 😃🤣😂

@h0ph1p13 5 жыл бұрын

If he said 42 it'd be a zen koan.

@LukePalmer 4 жыл бұрын

@@h0ph1p13 Of course, Zen Master Beeblebrox

@woodlandcritterpunch 4 жыл бұрын

i'd have pissed myself regardless of his answer

@ramaraomaganti8883 4 жыл бұрын

Me too

@mariyakoleva5299 Жыл бұрын

Благодаря!

@denizdemir6298 7 жыл бұрын

Answer is probably Survive Thrive become more efficient. ultimately perfect for whatever it is you are doing.

@thanhn08 4 жыл бұрын

A lot of people gave very opinionated comments that showed their quick response and lack of patience resulted from the nature of the internet and the habits formed in the materialism world we are living. The comments like "he has no answer", "religion is vague", "where is the answer", etc really made me feel like i need to share some thoughts about this. No offense intended, sorry if I did. Because "meaning" is a language element, and a notion that human created. To human being, perhaps the meaning of the tree is there to take away carbon dioxide and transform it to oxygen, but the from the point of view of a tree, do you think if it has own thoughts, would it think the same? This is the same with other matters. Human is creative and curious creatures, but we are so hyped about ourselves sometimes. What if the answer is "there is no meaning", the system just exists because it is? Do you know a lot of religion have definition of hell and it helped a lot because violence is committed less, civilization is more modern not because "majority" of human is more loving but because human is more afraid. That is why, sometimes the wrong answer or no answer is better than having an answer. I don't know the exact answer, but from my understanding of traditional Buddism, there is no meaning of life or universe, it is the system of cause-effect, of left and right, of balance and out balance. However, it is very important and beautiful for human to seek meanings themselves, and that made human more "special" and grow even more. But if monks say there is no meaning, how many people will still understand this and find the meaning for their own sake (peace and happiness) while perhaps the majority of people will commit more bad things and YOLO? In Buddism, there is conventional truth and ultimate truth, same as conventional reality and ultimate reality... so in conventional reality that we are considering ourselves are unique with our own names/ bodies, we need meanings and that is beautiful, but it should be your own meaning because it is your own "conventional" life, you suffer or not is your choice. If you look at the history, you will find violence reduced on many races when they have belief in God and Hell, because they consider the consequences, not just immediately but in long term, and not just with the known people but with the unknown (unknown is scary for people) That is why, perhaps the answer is there, but it is at best to find the answer yourself! And remember, Buddism, or at least traditional Buddism did not come out as a religion, Shanga is there to help each other, not for political reasons. And traditional Buddism is about spiritual, not religion. The difference is that spirituality is about the question, you go find your answer whilst religion is about the answer, you receive (sometimes are forced to receive) the answers. So please remember that language is relevant and impermanent, and a lot of definition and beliefs and thoughts created by human are that way. So there are always different layers of a thing for you to seek answer, do not be closed minded.

@shaikjaveedhussian2909 2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the explanation❤

@hoanganhnguyen5950 2 жыл бұрын

Thank you so much for your enlightening explanation. Can you please elaborate on the idea "you suffer or not is your choice."? I read another comment that said "You can only be happy when you are non-attached. It's the best to live not having any ideal, not trying to strive or desiring anything." I'd love to hear your perspective on that comment. Once again, thank you so much and I hope to hear from you soon.

@thanhn08 2 жыл бұрын

@@hoanganhnguyen5950 Thank you for asking. Non-attached is a definition relating to impermanent and non-self. From my understanding, not everything is suffering and thus we suffer not because of the impermanent or the non-self or the attachment but we suffer because we do not know about those and let those control our lives in different dimensions (mentally, physically and spiritually). In ultimate truth, the less attached, especially mentally and spiritually attached, the more happy and peaceful and “free” or even enlightened we are. In conventional life, we cannot stay non-attached completely. For example, we have to take care of our kingdom and even go to war to protect our people with good cause and in good will if we are kings (this is something Gautama told a king)… or we have to fulfill our role as father/ mother/ child when we are a part of family, etc. These are attachments, and unless one is very lucky to be in a few people who were destined to have few/ no attachment this life, one will have to deal with these attachment and that person better do it with awareness and wisdom of impermanent and non-self. So I think the importance is to observe ourselves, be awake and aware of ourselves (our mind, our body, our transition of thoughts and emotions, etc) and to live our lives with both conventional truth and ultimate truth, at least in the way that we can avoid the attachments if possible and fulfill our roles in the rest of attachments with wisdom. It does not mean to drop/ let go of things or not strive for anything… not desire is good but sometimes you still have to strive for better things in conventional life, but do it in the light of buddhism wisdom. Hope my answer can be helpful to some people here!

@hoanganhnguyen5950 2 жыл бұрын

@@thanhn08 I have learned more from your answer. I saw from your profile that you are from Vietnam and I really hope we can keep in touch. Is there a way to direct message you? Thank you very much!

@hoanganhnguyen5950 Жыл бұрын

@@thanhn08 Hi Alast can you see my new comment a day ago?

@mikechoi1577 Жыл бұрын

🙏💗💋💋💋💋Thank you Sir!!!!

@bryanbloodrayne2257 8 жыл бұрын

The true meaning of life is to grow and create.

@DavidKarlsson-ti6sb 2 жыл бұрын

Brilliant response. And the audience needs to stay home if they are coughing this much. I've never heard a crowd hack up a lung in unison like this.

@supremeplustv1892 29 күн бұрын

Basis of Budhism is reincarnation and law of karma . The necessity of Budhism is impermanence sufferings and concept of no soul . Budhism guides us to stay in human world and heavens until final stage is attained . 🙏🙏🙏

@subbalakshmisubrahmanyam4207 3 жыл бұрын

🙏🙏🙏

@afraidtoask 2 жыл бұрын

and 42

@infoharvester Жыл бұрын

I searched for this comment lol if I didn't find your comment I would've made a similar one myself.

@h0ph1p13 5 жыл бұрын

@haraldrudeisser8956 Жыл бұрын

"the meaning of life, the universe and everything". That question is very simpel to answer. Of course: 42! If you don't know, just read "The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy"!

@gabryg1849 Жыл бұрын

🙏

@TheNalimo 2 жыл бұрын

The meaning / purpose / goal of life is to be happy, more specifically minimize negative emotions and maximize positive. I don't understand how anyone can disagree with this? Any other meaning you might suggest, is simply the best tool (according to your judgement) that will make you happy.

@Olivia-bs5wj Жыл бұрын

I don’t have any goals or dreams I just want to stop existing

@divi2747 4 ай бұрын

I think you might be a teenager?

@0persona332 5 жыл бұрын

What is meaning?

@stevecoley8365 2 жыл бұрын

We are sparks placed here for a brief moment to accumulate light and warmth (love) so that we can become as bright of a star as we can be...shining in heaven (joy, beauty and harmony). Good (god) knows every star by name. We accumulate light and warmth (love) by appreciating this paradise planet lifeboat and the miraculous works of fine art called "life" that inhabit it. If we extinguish our light and warmth (love) with "greed" and it's ignorance (hate)...we become the darkness and emptiness that surrounds the stars. A very cold, dark, lonely, desolate place to be...for eternity.

@naztubez 8 жыл бұрын

The meaning is in the mystery, of course! If it could all be understood, explained away, then how boring would that be! Scientists do make me laugh thoigh, in their attempts to objectify reality, put it all in to words and mathematical theories they only get further away from the tangible. Life is both the means and the purpose. Explore the wonder of it all but don't get too distracted by the questions.

@SaithMasu12 4 жыл бұрын

The best example to that came by an analogy of Hans Peter Duerr. A fisherman came to the conclusion that fish are at the minimum 5 cm long. Due to his lifelong experience with that, this was a constant for him, a natural law so to speak. He told that to the philosopher. And the philosopher replied: This is not a constant. If you would have meassured the distance between the strings on your net, you would have found its 5 cm. The point is that nature can only reveal, what you allow it with your own methods. Science does this too. They use methods, find something and try to proove it. By repeating this process, they define if its real. The problem is that its their methods that gets them their results. Its nothing more than that.

@masandar4923 4 жыл бұрын

I THINK LIFE IS ABOUT YOUR LIFE IS ABOUT HOW YOU LIVE DEPEND ON THE SOULS AND MINDS YOUR MIND IS THE AWARNESS OF THE SIN TO AVOID THE HARM FROM US, THE BUDDHA HAS FOUND THE MEANING OF LIFE WELL HE SAID THAT WE LIVE TO LOVE, TO HATE AND MAKE HAPPINESS IF WE HAVE JOY IN THE SOUL THEN IT WILL BRING THE JOY TO THE NEXT LIFE, LIFE IS ALL ABOUT LIVING INDEPENDTLY

@themeaningoflifeexpert 2 жыл бұрын

My free book has the answer to the actual meaning and purpose of life.

@thuscomeguerriero 4 жыл бұрын

I defy you to find one talk Thich Nhat Hanh gives that DOESN'T sound like he's addressing an infirmary. Cough-Cough 😷..its endless

@se3steelo 3 жыл бұрын

Bro you need to chill, you’ve commented on 4 different videos about it 😂

@thuscomeguerriero 3 жыл бұрын

@@se3steelo Not wrong tho am I?

@divi2747 4 ай бұрын

@@thuscomeguerriero im sorry you cannot find your humanity. if you go to the infirmary and minister to the sick and the needy it would help you.

@eltiogottlieb.4911 2 жыл бұрын

Realmente no logro entender por qué la gente se ríe de que los niños y jóvenes hagan preguntas tan trascendentes. Creo que pasa lo que decía Sagan: se vuelven tontos porque cuando eran niños, les asesinaron la curiosidad y la capacidad de inquirir y preguntar. No hay nada gracioso en la pregunta de esta joven. Qué bueno que Tich Nhat Hanh lo supo entender así.

@The_Other_Ghost Жыл бұрын

FOURTY TWO!!!!

@iOwnzNubz1 2 жыл бұрын

Why do all the experts have different answers? Not just with this question but with tons of other things as well.... The point of everything is obviously positivity. That is it.

@JosephMage 11 ай бұрын

🙏🏽✨❤️☸️📿

@ssoma151 3 жыл бұрын

What is the meaning of life? LIFE!

@jcjs33 2 жыл бұрын

meaning is a heady word...meaning schmeaning...om

@sortehuse 10 ай бұрын

Just read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy to get the answer 😃

@dabeanos9017 5 жыл бұрын

No it's 42 duuh

@infoharvester Жыл бұрын

I searched for this comment lol if I didn't find your comment I would've made a similar one myself.

@woodlandcritterpunch 4 жыл бұрын

All these people in the comments acting as they anyone asked them the question

@0persona332 5 жыл бұрын

See there is no such a thing as meaning.

@MrGunwitch 7 жыл бұрын

There is no meaning. We know from modern physics that particles 'pop in and out of existence' all the time randomly. Similarly, consciousness is an emergent property of nature. We 'pop into existence' and then perpetuate because of ignorance and craving. Via the eightfold path the whole thing can be brought to cessation again. Seeking meaning where there is none is just the delusion of the ego.

@cristinastoia7615 7 жыл бұрын

MrGunwitch How did physics "prove" that and when?

@ernietschetter8073 5 жыл бұрын

Attempting to avoid meaning where it is obvious is clinical insanity.

@vijayippagunta8683 5 жыл бұрын

But aren't we again clinging onto something by trying to end it? Like the 8 fold path you are talking about? And let's for a second say that's the right way to go about it then how do you know you have done it and everything will come to an end? Just curious if you could answer thank u sir. 😊

@marionow6227 5 жыл бұрын

Cristina Stoia quantum physics

@marionow6227 5 жыл бұрын

Ernie Tschetter its not about avoiding meaning. Its just that attaching meaning to everything is a very antropocentric and egotistic thing to do and it has no basis in reality. Buddhism is about happiness and seeing things as they are. Attachment to concepts creates unhappiness. Well im not very clear here but its late....

@infoharvester Жыл бұрын

please will someone translate this video into English?

@grennie46 7 жыл бұрын

The purpose of life according to the Bible Ecclesiastes 12:13: “Have reverence for God, and obey his commands, because this is all that we were created for.”-meaning developed a personal relationship with the Lord savior and love your friends, family even your neighbors as he loves u.

@dustinkelton695 6 жыл бұрын

ann Rennie one of the wisest books ever written

@pedromauro7289 6 жыл бұрын

ann Rennie that's disgusting

@marionow6227 5 жыл бұрын

Buddha: 'come and see for yourself', 'be a refuge for yourself', 'true happiness independant from external causes'

@phu0n9c4yj 5 жыл бұрын

the purpose of life is not to live under someone else's rules and laws that cage you into a narrow space. For people who are only to find purpose through someone else' rules, that saying may work. But for the nature of humanity and all livings, it won't work. In order for all humans and all livings to get out of suffering, you have to know that you are able to live freely, free of suffering, free of blindness of reality and universal rule of karma, free of attachments, when you know that your mind has no limit and is capable of saving your own-self and others.

@marionow6227 5 жыл бұрын

WATER-MAN I dont know about your situation of course, but you can maybe one by one eliminate the causes for unhappiness and nourish the things and people that give you happiness? For me vipassana meditation really helped with living in the now, seeing reality as it is, making better choices and in general: being happier.

@sandponics 4 жыл бұрын

The meaning of life is not to go shopping.

@richardlincourt2519 9 жыл бұрын

Crock

@freeflaminginfinite917 8 жыл бұрын

Sooo.... Crystal Meth?

@MrTetsukobu 11 ай бұрын

He spoke a lot and said nothing, he did not answer the question, just like a politician. Is he an awakened human being? I doubt it. In his shoes I would have replied, I don't know, period.

@divi2747 4 ай бұрын

and that would not have helped the curious child in anyway. A good teacher doesn't just address the question but also the student. His answer gave her a direction for finding her own way in a healthy manner. You would have left her in the dark.

@aqabdulaziz 9 жыл бұрын

Why are these religious guys always so freaking vague with their answers? Oh, I get it! They dunno what it is themselves.

@CDA129 8 жыл бұрын

+aqabdulaziz Because life is a mystery. When one attempts to explain something difficult to those that understand, they come across vague, confusing, etc., when I listen to scientist explain black holes and string theory, I find it difficult to follow. It is because 1, it is theory, and 2, esoteric.

@thanhn08 4 жыл бұрын

Because meaning is a language element, and a notion that human created. To human being, perhaps the meaning of the tree is there to take away carbon dioxide and transform it to oxygen, but the from the point of view of a tree, do you think if it has own thoughts, would it think the same? This is the same with other matters. Human is a creative and curious creatures, but we are so hyped about ourselves sometimes. What if the answer is "there is no meaning", the system just exists because it is? Do you know a lot of religion have definition of hell and it helped a lot because violence is fewer, civilization is more modern not because "majority" of human is more loving but because human is more afraid. I don't know the exact answer, but from my understanding of traditional Buddism, there is no meaning of life or universe, it is the system of cause-effect, of left and right, of balance and out balance. However, it is very important and beautiful for human to seek meanings themselves, and that made human more "special" and grow even more. But if monks say there is no meaning, how many people will still understand this and find the meaning for their own sake (peace and happiness) while perhaps the majority of people will commit more bad things and YOLO? If you look at the history, you will find violence reduced on many races when they have belief in God and Hell, because they consider the consequences, not just immediately but in long term, and not just with the known people but with the unknown (unknown is scary for people) That is why, perhaps the answer is there, but it is at best to find the answer yourself! And remember, Buddism, or at least traditional Buddism did not come out as a religion, Shanga is there to help each other, not for political reasons. And traditional Buddism is about spiritual, not religion. The difference is that spirituality is about the question, you go find your answer whilst religion is about the answer, you receive (sometimes are forced to receive) the answers.

@UN1VERS3S Жыл бұрын

@@thanhn08 yes everything has a subjective meaning.but everything also has an objective one some just don't know it yet. For example: Literally every part of our every cell has a collective objective purpose to give us life, and us ourselves, think that there's literally NONE, is absurd for me. Decades ago they didn't know these but it doesn't took away their meaning. Numbers are objective. It can also be subjective. Preschool sees it as 1 - 10. Highschool sees it as infinity. Scientists sees it as the universe itself. But one things for certain. 0 + 0 will not make 1. No such thing as nothing.

@UN1VERS3S Жыл бұрын

@@thanhn08 no such thing as nothing. Example: What's in your pocket? You're subjective answer will be nothing, but the reality is something is in there you're not just aware of. But thinking, improving will make you aware of it.