Introduction

An examination of one's life begins with three basic questions:

1. Who am I?
2. What is the meaning of life?
3. What do I want?

Though there are myriad things I may find attractive, what I want and choose to actively pursue will be determined by what I feel is meaningful or important. And what I feel is meaningful or important will be predicated upon who I believe, think, or know I am.

The Identity Question

While it would seem obvious who I am, when I start delving into this issue the waters can soon become more than a little muddy.

What exactly is it that defines my identity? Am I my body? My emotions? My thoughts? My abilities? My aptitudes? My deficiencies? My flaws? My achievements? My failures? My morals? My beliefs? My behaviors? My job? My associations? My experiences? My attitude? My personality? The various roles I play?

It is obvious that numerous factors impact my idea of who I am.

But do any or all of these factors truly add up to me?

The Meaning Question

Equally indeterminate is the meaning of life. While I have my own ideas concerning this matter as well as my own preferences concerning what I want to acquire, attain, achieve, and accomplish within and perhaps even beyond my lifetime — how can I be sure that any of these things is what is truly important in the grand scheme of things or in the ultimate purpose of life?

And what is the ultimate purpose of life in the first place?

The Desire Question

Perhaps, then, it is best to begin with the third of these three questions, for what I want seems readily evident, if not in terms of long-terms goals then at least in terms of more immediate desires.

There is no denying that I want certain objects (eg: money, house, car, boat, computer, jewelry, clothes, kids, etc.) and circumstances or experiences (eg: romance, love, friendship, professional prestige, success, fame, power, etc.) — at least to some degree.

But are these things in themselves what I am really after when I pursue them?

If so, then it would stand to reason that getting what I want would provide me with lasting satisfaction. But such is never the case. In fact, quite often no sooner have I fulfilled one desire than a penchant arises for something more, better, or different.

Whether sooner or later, it is invariably the case that no object or experience ever completely pacifies me. Maybe I'm not as sure about what I want as I thought I was.

The Existential Dilemma

In short order, inquiry reveals that I cannot provide a clear answer to any of the three questions upon which virtually all of my thoughts, words, decisions, and deeds are based.

At first glance, this might not seem like a big deal. Haven't I gotten along just fine so far, you might ask, without even knowing that I didn't know that I couldn't answer these questions?

I am forced to admit that such uncertainty gnaws away at my internal sense of competency, confidence, and contentment. Deep down, I know something is awry but I can't put my finger on exactly what it is. Mired in this predicament, most people, as Thoreau put it, live lives of quiet desperation.

Due to the incessant conditioning I have received at the hands and from the mouths of parents, teachers, preachers, politicians, reporters, advertisers, bosses, friends, and romantic partners throughout one's life — it is little wonder that I have come to consider myself incomplete and inadequate.

Riddled with the feeling of being “never quite good enough” and finding myself in a world that is a veritable wonderland of objects seemingly available for the taking — I center my life upon the pursuit of various things (objects, experiences, relationships, and achievements) that I think, believe, or hope will complete me and, thus, make me happy.

What Is an Object?

Before proceeding further, it is important to clarify what we mean by the word “object.”

Though we commonly think of objects as tangible items that we can see, touch, taste, and smell —  Vedanta's definition of an object is far more expansive.

Vedanta says that life can essentially be divided into two categories: subject and object.

I am the subject, and everything else is an object.

Not only are physical entities considered objects, so too are subtle phenomena, such as:

• Air, fire, music
• Emotions, thoughts, beliefs
• Opinions, memories, fantasies
• Dreams, desires, and fears
• Even time and space

Basically, anything perceivable, conceivable, or experienceable is an object while I am the singular subject by whom all objects are known.

The Four Human Pursuits

Whereas animals and plants behave according to instinct, people are governed primarily by their capacity to make rational choices concerning their present condition and future possibilities. Consequently, the human being entertains many ideas about what he or she wants and does not want – and gains motivation from possibility of achieving any number of goals.

While the specific goals a person might pursue are extremely varied and virtually innumerable – any goal will ultimately fall into one of four general categories: security, pleasure, virtue, and freedom.

Hence, all human endeavors are essentially pursuits (puruṣārtha) motivated by the intention (conscious or not), of obtaining one of these four ends.

Since security, pleasure, and virtue all drive us in similar ways and we can easily see how they make us act – we'll start by looking at them.

Only in light of a sound understanding of these three motivations, as well as a logical analysis of their efficacy in producing their intended outcome, will we be able to comprehend the practical implications and ultimate value of the pursuit of freedom.

Security (Artha Puruṣārtha)

Due to the facts that the world is in a continuous state of flux and nothing stays the same for long, it is only natural that we seek various forms of security that we hope will quell our fears, foster our continued survival, and calm our frazzled minds.

The pursuit of security (artha) refers to the procurement of resources necessary for providing safety and ensuring survival. This can take the form of:

• Physical necessities: food, clothing, shelter, and health care
• Economic means: cash, liquid assets, and real estate
• Psycho-emotional stability: skill enhancement, educational qualifications, titles, power, social status, reputation, recognition, self-esteem, and relationships

Pleasure (Kāma Puruṣārtha)

Once our material needs have been met and we have established a reasonable sense of security, the intellect reorients itself toward recreation and amusement, diversion and delight.

The pursuit of pleasure (kama) refers to the enjoyment of all objects and activities that satisfy our senses, please our minds, and touch our hearts. Pleasure essentially takes the form of sensory, intellectual, and aesthetic gratification. Activities in this category include:

• Movies, television, computer games
• Music, art, travel
• Gourmet cuisine, sports, fashion
• Creature comforts, etc.

By no means necessary for survival, these experiences and conditions are sought for the sheer sake of enjoyment.

Virtue (Dharma Puruṣārtha)

Even if we are fortunate enough to have achieved a sense of security, surrounded ourselves with various comforts, and partaken of numerous pleasures, many of us still find ourselves wanting something “deeper” and more meaningful to imbue our life with purpose, or at least to ensure a pleasant afterlife experience.

The pursuit of virtue (dharma) involves the performance of actions that are in accord with universal values (samanya dharma). Such actions are performed for essentially two reasons:

1. The accrual of merit (puṇya karma)
2. The refinement or purification of the mind (antaḥkaraṇa śuddhi)

Merit is basically an invisible form of latent wealth that inevitably manifests as good luck or good fortune in the future.

The refinement of the mind allows for a peaceful life at present and also prepares us for the practice of self-inquiry and the eventual assimilation of self-knowledge.

Virtuous action yields two types of results:

1. The visible or immediate result (dṛṣṭa phala): Enhances our wellbeing in the present life and manifests as a deep sense of satisfaction and/or a peaceful mind.
2. The invisible or future result (adṛṣṭa phala): Takes the form of accrued merit that produces a happy situation in this life, affords pleasurable experiences in the afterlife, and influences the circumstances of our next incarnation.

Why Objects Seem to Be the Source of Our Joy

If we carefully consider the pursuits of security, pleasure, and virtue — we find that the fundamental character of each is the pursuit of some form of object-oriented happiness.

Each of these three pursuits essentially boils down to an attempt to obtain a certain gross and/or subtle experience that we believe will bring us peace, happiness, and hopefully a permanent sense of contentment.

If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that none of these pursuits has ever produced the lasting satisfaction it seems to promise.

Hence, we must ask why these pursuits fail to erase our feelings of incompleteness and inadequacy.

To be fair, we do experience happiness when we get what we want. Does this mean, however, that the object is the source of our joy?

The irrefutable truth that the object is not the source of our joy is clearly revealed by two obvious facts:

1. No single object pleases everyone
2. No single object pleases anyone all the time

Everyone has different likes and dislikes, attractions and aversions. These preferences arise from a combination of our inborn character and environmental conditioning. Present circumstances also exert an influence.

Why We Misinterpret the Source of Joy

Though our lives have been guided by the assumption that joy comes from objects, close analysis reveals a different dynamic.

Due to our deeply ingrained sense of inadequacy, we constantly hanker for objects that we hope will complete us.

When we obtain the object of our desire or avoid the object of our fear, we suddenly experience:

• The mollification of mental agitation
• Alleviation of our sense of inadequacy
• A surge of personal empowerment where our inherent happiness floods forth

Though the source of the happiness was ourselves, we associate the happiness with the obtainment of the object rather than the removal of the subjective limitation.

Ironically, the very belief that removed the block to our innate tranquility is the factor that sets it in place again. Because nothing in creation stays the same, as soon as we associate our happiness with an inherently mutable object, we doom our happiness to certain termination.

Temporary Happiness Is Not Enough

The common thread in all objective enjoyments is limitation and impermanence. Because all objects are inherently limited, none can provide us with lasting satisfaction and happiness. Though we can experience temporary joy through indulging our cravings and accomplishing our goals, these pseudo-fulfillments are invariably fleeting.

But temporary happiness is not enough. If we were satisfied with temporary happiness, we would neither seek to sustain the joy we do experience nor suffer disappointment when that joy dissipates. Intuitively we understand that what is impermanent is unreal.

Life Is a Zero-Sum Game (Dualities)

Further evidence indicating that objects are not the source of joy is the fact that life is a zero-sum game.

For every loss there is a gain, and equally true, for every pleasure there is a pain. While positive thinking is not a bad practice for overall wellbeing, the fact remains that for every positive in one's life there is a negative.

Hence:

• No action or object can produce all-encompassing fulfillment
• No object can actually affect one's essential nature
• Since all factors are impermanent, they cannot permanently change our underlying feeling of lack

We believe that satisfying the personal “I” will solve our problems, but the personal “I” is inherently limited, inevitably changes, and is ever dissatisfied. We are convinced that we are limited, small, inadequate, incomplete, and separate from everything around us.

If limitation were our true nature, we would be comfortable with it and would neither complain about it nor seek to alleviate the discomfort. We would not continue searching for a spiritual solution to our existential dilemma, for the very act of seeking itself is nothing more than a symptom of dissatisfaction.

Joy Is Our True Nature

The only logical conclusion we can draw from our inquiry is that the joy we seek cannot be had through the obtainment of any object, for that is not where the joy resides.

Simply put, the joy is not in the object; the joy is in us. Even more to the point, joy itself is not a thing; joy itself is who we are.

Given their experiential implication, perhaps “joy” and “happiness” are not the best words by which to convey the true nature of our being.

To be clear, as we have been using them in the context of our inquiry these words do not refer to the emotional state of giddiness we feel when we get what we want.

The joy or happiness to which we are referring is not the result of a happening. Rather, it is the limitless freedom that we realize in moments of desirelessness.

Vedanta tells us, and logical analysis of our own experience reveals, that this limitlessness is our true nature.

And since that which is limitless in its very nature cannot by definition be limited, our true nature is moreover invulnerable.

Understanding ourselves in this way imbues us with a sense of rock solid confidence and contentment.

While for the most part such conviction does reflect experientially as a cheerful attitude, we should nevertheless understand that the joy and happiness to which we refer in this context are not emotions that we feel, but our inherent nature.

How We Know Joy Is Our True Nature

While our inquiry has thus far been pointing us toward ourselves as the true source of peace and happiness, it is important that we establish with absolute clarity just exactly how we can be certain that permanent joy or limitless happiness or perfect fullness or complete freedom (call it what you will) – is our true nature. As ever, we need only examine our own experience in order to do so.

To begin with, we know that happiness exists because we have all experienced at least a modicum of happiness at one time or another, and we know that there are only two things in existence: objects and self.

Because we have already established that the object is not the source of joy, the only alternative is that we ourselves are its source.

Additionally, the fact that we seek happiness through our every action serves as a strong indication that joy is natural to us, for we never seek to obtain or retain that which is awkward, unpleasant, or otherwise foreign to our natures.

This is compounded by the fact that we never seek unhappiness, nor do we seek to eradicate or even reduce any happiness we have found already.

Now, the nature of any given thing is determined by two essential criteria:

1. It is that which is intrinsic to or inherent in that thing. That which obtains neither as the result of any effort or modification. 
2. It is that aspect of the object upon which its identity as that thing depends. That which cannot be negated or removed without sacrificing the thing's existence. 

For example, fire is hot, water is wet, and space is open. If we were to remove the hotness from fire, the wetness from water, and the open quality from space — these things would cease to be the things they are known to be.

Similarly, we are that which requires no effort for us to be. In this regard, when in the waking state, our desires and fears abate; when in the deep sleep state, we cease to dream; or when in a thought-free meditative state, the mind remains dormant.

We are not only saturated in unsought happiness — but the “character” and “substance” of this happiness is formless, attributeless, limitless, eternal awareness.

Were this awareness withdrawn at any time, we would cease to be. It is therefore, entirely transcendent of time and space, for even time and space depend upon awareness for their existence (how else could they be known?).

The happiness that is our true nature is “permanently” existent and wholly without limit.

Freedom Is the Fourth and Ultimate Human Pursuit

The obvious conclusion that joy is our true nature leads to a series of further conclusions that reveal the ultimate end we seek. As we have seen, joy essentially equates with a sense of fulfillment, for we are always happy when we have what we want. Moreover, the fact that we are not satisfied with fleeting fulfillment or temporary happiness indicates that the fulfillment we seek is limitless, for what is limitless contains everything and thus would provide us with an endless supply of whatever we want, which would in turn give us no end to satisfaction and enjoyment.

The fact that no limited object provides us with permanent fulfillment indicates that what we want cannot be derived from any limited objective phenomenon — for what is limitless has no boundaries with regard to either time or space, which are the essential parameters required for the existence of objective phenomena — and by extension cannot be produced or procured by limited means.

Therefore, what we really want is something altogether transcendent of objects (including time-space). What we really seek is freedom.

With regard to this realization, our inquiry into the nature of object-oriented human pursuits has clearly revealed that despite the difference in their surface appearance – a common goal undergirds them all.

We seek to attain, acquire, achieve, accomplish, and obtain in order to escape the lashing whip of want, to be at last liberated from longing. Thus, while security, pleasure, and virtue are relative ends – the absolute end is limitless happiness that we equate with complete freedom.

The Nature of Ultimate Inner Freedom

Freedom in this context refers to ultimate inner freedom. In other words, it means freedom from slavery with regard to security, pleasure, and virtue.

These objects enslave us in two ways:

1. They enslave us by their absence: When we feel empty or worthless as a result of the absence of a particular object or person, then not only is our sense of self-esteem dependent on the object – but we also become obsessed with the object and are neither emotionally nor intellectually free of it. We become consumed by thoughts about and feelings regarding the object and we are compelled to pursue the object through actions that present varying degrees of risk to our wellbeing and peace of mind.
2. They enslave us by their presence: Even while we enjoy the presence of the object – we feel the burden of keeping the object or maintaining the relationship or sustaining the state of mind. This disturbs our mind, causes emotional stress and tension, and even contributes to physical ailments. Here again, we thus become consumed by thoughts, feelings, and plans regarding the object and are compelled to act in ways that may impinge upon our wellbeing and even contravene our ethical values.

Ultimate inner freedom, however, is in no way associated with objects. Rather, it manifests as the inner strength, maturity, and self-mastery that enables us to remain comfortable in spite of the absence or presence of objects.

The Choiceless Choice of Mokṣa

Once we are thoroughly convinced that no impermanent object will ever produce lasting happiness, we are ready to embrace the fourth and final human pursuit – moksha, or freedom.

This desire for freedom can be likened to inherent inclinations such as hunger and thirst. Just as hunger and thirst are not gratuitous desires whose pursuit is impelled by a decision, but rather innate urges prompted by the instinct for self-preservation, so the desire for freedom is a choiceless choice.

Though we can certainly survive without realizing our true identity, our mind will not rest until freedom has been attained. Knowing with unequivocal certainty that freedom is our choiceless goal is called puruṣārtha niścaya. Only when we have reached this understanding can a legitimate pursuit of freedom truly begin.

And since the ultimate inner freedom that essentially equates to permanent happiness is our inherent nature – it only makes sense that we forego all the toil and trouble that characterizes our pursuit of impermanent objects – and seek the joy directly in ourselves through self-inquiry.

Conclusion: The Path Forward

Our inquiry has revealed several profound truths:

1. The three fundamental questions of “Who am I?”, “What is the meaning of life?”, and “What do I want?” are intimately connected and defy easy answers.
2. External pursuits for security (artha), pleasure (kama), and virtue (dharma) never yield lasting satisfaction because:
   • No object pleases everyone
   • No object pleases anyone all the time
   • Life is inherently a zero-sum game (for every up, a down is inevitable)
   • All objects and experiences are impermanent
3. Joy is not in objects but in us. The temporary happiness we experience when obtaining objects comes not from the objects themselves – but from the momentary cessation of desire.
4. Freedom (moksha) is the fourth and ultimate human pursuit – the choiceless choice that becomes evident once we recognize the limitations of object-oriented happiness.
5. Our true nature is limitless awareness and joy that requires no external validation or enhancement.

When we understand these truths deeply, we naturally redirect our energy from the endless pursuit of objects to the recognition of who we truly are. This shift in understanding transforms our relationship with the world and with ourselves.

The purpose of self-inquiry is not to gain anything new – but to recognize what has always been there — our inherent completeness, our innate freedom, our true nature as boundless awareness.

This recognition doesn't reject the world of objects, but places it in proper perspective, allowing us to engage with life from a foundation of fullness, rather than lack.

The journey from bondage to freedom, from ignorance to self-knowledge, begins with this simple recognition: what we have been seeking through countless objects and experiences has been our own nature all along. From this understanding arises true contentment, genuine peace, and the unwavering confidence that comes with knowing oneself as that which is forever free.