#5 Goal in Life

The Goal in Architecture PART.I Goal — 3

Focus on the Goal

The goal of life is proposed as an orientation toward the attainment of what life offers to us in the most meaningful and valuable way possible. This goal could be within life, whereby life ends. Or it could be transcendent of physical life, extending beyond this one lifetime we can perceive. There are all manner of arguments over hundreds of years on this topic. Architecture does not 'argue' this. It presents our environment as how that is lived.

Two scenarios help to illuminate the issue accordingly:

1) Our life today is as result of evolution that built up from rock and elements, through primeval slime, single cell life, marine life, amphibians and vertebrates, arriving at humanity.

2) The big bang in science or kshob in Indian traditional knowledge descended from a purely subtle and pre-material quality as a swirl of movement, which in turn generated the energy for all life, forming ever more solidly until the heavy energy of matter resulted. The cascading impulses formed entities that Nature embodies, and entities that embody Nature. Humanity originated in that beginning and now appears embodied with Nature's elements that we may quantify.

The first model orientates to humanity arising from the ‘mud' and focusses on our bodies and the physical properties of life, the other on consciousness animating the universe and Nature. The latter model is by far the older. The model that brings our bodies and brain up out of primaeval mud cannot account for consciousness. The ancient model that describes the Big Bang as kshob does. Science has created proof for the former and evidence for both models.

We need to work with consciousness because architecture is not building. It is what we become aware of or presence at places that are prepared for dwelling. It is consciousness experienced. There is no need to deny either model, but architecture orientates to consciousness. This project takes the supposition that the purpose of human life in its highest form achieves nearness or identicality with ‘Reality’, and that we live for this goal in essence. By Reality¹ is meant existence uncovered and free of ignorance in principle, which is not limited to what may be sense-perceived and attainable by anyone. Reality reflects the original, still and pure condition of consciousness. If we life for this goal, how we dwell is very important. There is close correspondence with our individual condition, individual evolution, transformation and growth as revealing what is ‘true’, or the truth of ‘what is’, and where we live. We suppose that awareness and Reality are linked, as architecture and spirituality.

A goal of life is conceptually conceivable even if its ultimate character is inconceivable. No doubt it is a very high aim, and it is rarely attempted, so far. Even as an intention, the aim harmonizes doing with Nature and provides for rightness in anyone's life. We are also limited by what is sense perceptible, while limitations posed by the quality of our awareness can be transcended in the course of life with practice. Practice becomes is a path, a way, and a vector, as the point of view changes with evolving awareness and the advance of consciousness through the experience of self–transformation. This form of flow may be called spirituality.

Discrimination (viveka) is called for in refining our path to point toward the goal in all experience. Meditation is an example of a practice for such refinement. Speculative orientations on this path can be envisioned as stages that we evolve through and leave behind. In this sense spirituality demands that the unknown be held with certainty, but in unknowing. The goal is an ever present, as yet unknown constant, that we must respond to. Spirituality cannot exist when the unknown is denied while the aspiration generated in consciousness implies that the unknown is always beaconing. This is a facet of humility's utility.

Our profession of architecture, tradition or style does not include such a goal or spirituality. Yet, qualification as a practicing architect allows the engagement of potential that cannot be measured and is infinite beyond the matter of building. This can be considered to be within architects' freedom. The possibility to go beyond materiality is ever present, which is proven in our environments as architecture’s presence. Everyone is consciously aware and is granted aspiration. Taking on value beyond material quantity in intentional constructed environment may be provided as good will and is assumed by many of us, especially in newly aspiring students.