​We go into the pure non-physical. We are mostly non-physical even when we are in our physical bodies now. We consist of many energy fields, which are invisible to our perceptual senses but are there nonetheless. These are spiritual fields in which no earthly problems exist.

When we pass away to the Other Side, we then dwell in the pure positive energy of the non-physical us, along with other souls who have passed. This is a glorious state to be in, as anyone who has passed away and then returned reports. But if your soul still seeks additional growth, or if you have some karma to clean up, you may choose to come back into the physical and take up the challenges and fascinations of life again.

​Most meditation teachers will ask you not to smoke weed before meditating. They feel it interferes with the true experience of clearing out your mind.

Yet there are gurus, sadhus, and sanyasis (men devoted to holiness) in India who regularly smoke as part of their practice. They are devoted to the god Shiva and it is part of their ritual, which includes extensive meditation.

Meditation, under any circumstance, is better than no meditation at all. The question is, how effective would meditation be if you smoke weed before it? If you just nod off and go to sleep, then it would not be an effective way to go about meditation.

​The whole point of a mission and vision in an organization is to get things done. But that is not what we are here for. We are human beings, not human doings. We are not here to get things done because there is some master plan about improving the universe. We could never get it all done anyway. There is no end to what “needs” to be done if we see the universe as a large corporation.

The Universe is like music. There is no point or mission about a Beethoven Symphony other than the beauty of its creation and how it stirs the souls of others. It’s not about getting something accomplished or being useful in any way. There is no meaning to it, it means whatever the listener brings to it.

The old idea, according to the hymn, that “God is working his purpose out, as year proceeds to year,” is a human construct of how things work. It is a concept that most people can grasp: That we are on a mission because God has a plan for us. It is neat. It is comforting. It is much more understandable than saying, “There is no meaning or purpose in the sense that the human mind can grasp, it just IS.” But this is miraculous in itself. And it is even more amazing and awe-inspiring that the universe resides in us now. We don’t have to do anything about it.

"Almost always when I’m learning more in programming or something else, I start wondering about life and if we are immortal beings who will experience something more after this life and if so why the struggle which starts with waking up and lasts all day? TL:DR I lose my focus, how to deal with it?"

I think of the meaning of life almost constantly. It is what you do when your main concerns are the deeper issues. After a while, though, you realize that seeking meaning is a function of our human brains, that need explanations and stories. It thinks that if we apply meaning, such as: We are here to struggle through, clean up our karma, and hope we are OK with God so we don’t have to go through even more hardship and boring work.

Or, earth is a training ground for heaven or hell, or whatever.

It’s not about meaning. There isn’t any. For example, is there any meaning to the beauty of a flower? You could say, the beauty is to attract the bees to pollinate it so it can reproduce. Actually, the bees see the flower differently than we do anyway and don’t attach concepts of beauty to it. It is a source of pollen, period. But reproducing is not the meaning of life. It is just survival.

It is good that you are asking the age-old question, though. This kind of contemplation will lead to to seeing that even though there is no meaning to it, life is living itself through us and it is a miracle to witness.

​People, in their desperation for salvation and spiritual peace, will try to cover all bases. I knew someone who wore a necklace with Jesus, Buddha, the Star of David, Krishna, and other religious symbols. He said, “If one doesn’t answer my prayers, maybe another one will.”

As a child in Brazil, I regularly attended Voodoo religious services, went to Christian church, and then was taken to a Catholic church, all in the same day. This showed me, even as a young child, that people have a superstitious attitude and want to make sure they will get what they want by appeasing a number of entities from which they feel a vast separation.

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Some spiritual thinkers have made a case that our karma is the DNA of our soul. Just as the body has its genetic code, the soul has its karmic code. The soul’s karmic code is based on your life patterns over many births and incarnations. This includes habits, tendencies, influences, and desires.

According to Dr David Frawley (Pandit Vamadeva Shastri):
“These karmic tendencies ripen like seeds in the soil of our lives, taking root and sprouting according to circumstances. Our soul’s energy is filtered through our karmic potentials, which create the very pattern of our lives down to a subconscious and instinctual level.

“For the evolution of our species and for our own spiritual growth, we must consider both the genetic and karmic codes. We cannot understand ourselves through genetics alone, which is only the code of the body; we must also consider the karmic code, the code of the mind and heart. Note how two children in the same family can share the same genetic pattern, education and environment and yet can have very different lives, characters and spiritual interests. This is because of their differing karmic codes.”

According to him, you can read your Karmic DNA through Vedic Astrology.

I meditate because it is fun to get into that realm of inner peace. It is enjoyable to fly above thought and get into the bliss that meditation brings.

I do not think it needs to be a duty or as a means to a material end. Some people think they are holier than thou if they meditate. Especially if they torture themselves for hours in postures that are uncomfortable and painful. This is like crawling to Lourdes on your knees. It becomes a form of penance.

If it is not a delightful process, there is no point in it. It will not help you win the lottery or appease God or do anything that produces a material result. It is all about getting in touch with your spiritual self because it feels great!

​We are all Eternal Souls, each on its individual journey towards growth for the greater glory of the Universe. It is our soul-chosen purpose to experience the growth-promoting environment of being in the Physical.

This is why we “get” born. When our soul is ready to go to the next step, we incarnate at a certain time in history, to certain parents, which will provide the exact environment for this progression.

Some have Karma they need to address and balance. Others come to teach about the world of the Spirit from which they emerged. Some don’t know why they were born because the human mind is not capable of grasping the enormous potential of who they are. Some know because their past lives have been revealed to them.

Each person has a soul-chosen “reason” for why they are in the physical form on this planet now.

​The “end” itself may be harmful, hurtful, and ultimately destructive. In this case, no means are justified. Example: A criminal who cheats and kills to get money he refuses to earn honestly.
 
The “means” may be very harmful too: Mao killed more than 45 Million of his people in 4 years during “The Great Leap Forward.” The End was supposed to be a better way of life through Communism. 49 Million of his own countrymen were killed by Stalin’s directives, also in the name of improving society through Communism.
 
Good does not come from bad. But bad can come from what people think is good.

"​I am 31 year old and torn between chasing a high paying powerful career and spiritual growth. I know the latter makes me happier and content but the former seems more practical and keeps pulling me towards it. They both consume time so I need to choose a path sooner than later."

It is possible to be in a high-power career and have a lot of money and still be on a spiritual path. It takes great consciousness and the desire to dwell in the spirit rather than be propelled by the reptilian brain and its fearful drive towards acquisition.

The survivalist reptilian brain only wants to win, at whatever cost. It doesn’t reason out, “Win for what?” Win so you can die with the most toys? Win so you can struggle and be miserable your whole life, looking to the future as a way to happiness while sacrificing the present?

There are very successful yet spiritual people who have been able to keep balance between the world of the Spirit and the world of commerce. Those are the ones to model.