Human Nature: An Indo-Eastern Perspective

Over the years, as we grow up, we often wonder about the purpose or reason of our existence. Is life simply a matter of obtaining food and shelter? In fact, animals are mostly occupied in activities related to survival. But surely human
existence must have a greater purpose. This has been the basic concern in the Indo-Eastern perspective on human nature. The Indian approaches tell us that many of the problems that we face in life are due to faulty ways of thinking and understanding the world. Therefore, the concern in the Indian perspective is on removal of faulty knowledge which keeps us in a state of ignorance (avidya). Once we have realized this, it is possible to live life with a new kind of freedom. In this state we come to experience a deep and complete joy. This happiness or state of bliss is present in each of us. We only have to unfold and experience it. Such a state enlarges the human consciousness in such a manner that a person’s goal becomes recovering the experience of beingness or existence that is common to everybody.