The Little Book of Big Questions. Jonathan Robinson

lives. By asking our friends and family to explore these questions with us, we can experience a deeper level of intimacy and support than ever before.

      The magical thing about love is the more you give it away, the more you end up having. The same could be said about spiritual questions. The more you offer these questions to friends and family, the more you get back. In the past, most of us have yearned to explore these profound topics with others but have not known how to ask such things without appearing “weird.” With this book in hand, you now have a “legitimate” reason to explore these topics. With an open mind and a sincere desire to learn, you'll find that nuggets of wisdom can be found in the answers of every person with whom you explore these ideas.

      In recent years, people in the West have displayed a growing hunger for spiritual wisdom and experiences. With increasing age, we see the limitations of trying to find fulfillment in the material world. We come to understand that our time on Earth is short. We feel in our hearts a thirst for greater meaning and purpose and a desire to share a higher love with our kids, our family, and our friends. Yet, the means for deepening our spiritual lives has not always been clear.

      Perhaps we can learn from the great advancements in science over the past hundred years. What has allowed technology to accelerate has been the ability of scientists to share their discoveries with like-minded researchers throughout the world. In the same way, as we share our spiritual questions, beliefs, and experiences with each other, perhaps a great leap forward can take place in human consciousness. By asking and exploring the “big questions” together, we can inspire each other to discover our own answers to life's greatest mysteries.

      My own spiritual path has taken many unexpected twists and turns. As an agnostic sixteen year old, I experienced a sudden glimpse of “another world.” The ecstasy and bliss I felt were so intense that I wrote in my journal, “ten seconds of this experience is worth a lifetime of effort.” I began my intensive spiritual search the following day.

      Over the years, I've been led to various mentors, teachers, and spiritual methods. I've traveled to twenty-seven countries, lived in three different spiritual communes, and taken countless retreats in search of greater spiritual understanding. Then, in 1992, I began interviewing many of the foremost spiritual leaders in the world, figuring that the best way to learn any subject is to ask experts for their best ideas and techniques. Their answers to the questions I asked them were compiled in a book titled, Bridges to Heaven: How Well-Known Seekers Define and Deepen Their Connection with God.

      Because I interviewed such people as Mother Teresa, Marianne Williamson, Wayne Dyer, and Ram Dass for the Bridges to Heaven book, I would often be asked what it was like to talk with such notable people. Typically, I would say how each of the interviews glistened with a sense of the sacred. At first, I thought this was because of the caliber of the people I was talking with. Yet, in my interview with actor LeVar Burton (of Roots and Star Trek fame), he said something that gave me another point of view. I had asked him how he goes about contacting God, and he said, “You know, no one has ever asked me a question like that before. I think simply asking a question like that, and talking about these subjects, helps us to contact our essence.”

      Indeed, I've found that asking anyone questions that explore our essence can be an aid for letting Spirit manifest. Encouraging people to talk about how they open their heart is a way of getting a foot in the door of the world of the sacred. What we focus on grows. We just need the right stimulus (that is, the right questions) to help guide us in a beneficial direction. The fact that you have this book in your hand means you long for something beyond the ordinary in life. I hope you'll continue to use this book with friends, with family, and with yourself to keep the spiritual spark in you glowing.

      How to Use This Book

      There are four ways to answer the questions in this book. The first is to simply say the first response that comes to mind. This method is especially useful for becoming aware of what you've believed in the past. A second way is to allow yourself to open up to a quieter, more intuitive place within. When doing this, it can be helpful to repeat the question several times to yourself, then sit silently and listen for the still, small voice within. When you get an “Aha!”—a sense that an answer feels “right”—you've got the answer you were looking for. You can also play a special game: Try pretending you're a great, enlightened being who knows the answers to all of life's mysteries. The answers you come up with may very well surprise you.

      A final way to use this book is in a loose, informal manner with friends or family. Asking people around the dinner table or at a discussion group a question from this book can begin a process of inquiry that can go anywhere you want it to go. Conversations based on these questions can be quite fascinating and can lead to a deeper level of friendship and understanding. If you have kids, you'll find that they also love to be asked the “big questions,” and their answers may very well be surprising and profound.

      As you read through this book, you'll find that some questions affect you much more deeply than others. Perhaps they bring up an issue you need to focus on at this point in your life, or they excite your imagination in new ways. It may be helpful to circle such questions in order to easily access them for further contemplation. In addition, many people find writing their answers in a journal to be useful for exploring these questions in greater depth.

      You’ll notice that amid the many questions in this book, I occasionally provide stories from my life. These anecdotes serve as an introduction to the question that follows. My hope is they will remind you of meaningful moments in your own life and stimulate you to think of new and creative ways of approaching each question.

      The questions and reflections in this book are like a launching pad, and you are the rocket ship. The fuel to blast off into the cosmos is provided by your sincerity, wisdom, and imagination. Once you've launched yourself into one of the book's questions, feel free to let the conversation or reflection meander toward related ideas and questions. You're also invited to skip the questions or chapters you don't care for, and go with the ones that most excite you. Follow your bliss. Follow your curiosity. Follow your sense of wonder. Happy journeying.

      2

      WHO ARE YOU?

      Life is a lot like football-if you want to be the Quarterback, you first have to know where your Center is.

      —Swami Beyondananda

      Before commencing on any journey, it's good to first know where you currently are. The inquiries in this chapter include many of the most frequent “big questions” people have asked themselves throughout history. When athletes want to go to the next level of their sport, they frequently begin by mastering the fundamentals. You can consider the questions that follow as the fundamentals of spiritual exploration. The answers you come up with now will help lay a foundation for exploring ideas in more detail later on in the book.

      Although these questions are of obvious importance, you may never have had an opportunity to tell someone your answers. You might be surprised to hear what you have to say on these topics. Unfortunately, in our consumer-oriented society, we're more likely to be asked, “Do you want fries with that?” than be asked, “What is the purpose of life?” You may feel resistance to tackling such big topics and personal issues, yet I'm sure you'll find it well worth your effort to persevere.

      You may also find initial resistance to plunging into these topics when asking friends or family these questions. There's a tendency to want to stay with subjects we are fully accustomed to and comfortable with, rather than explore the unknown. Sometimes we even make fun of such questions, which allows us to avoid trying to answer them. However, if you display a sincere curiosity when asking others, you'll find there is a part in every person that yearns to explore these themes. That divine spark can be made to glow and catch fire if you can listen with a keen interest. In fact, asking people these important questions can be a great form of selfless service. It gives the people you care about an opportunity to reconsider the foundation on which they base their lives.

       1. What matters most in your life?

       2. What do you think is the meaning