Confusion or lack of certainty is an important barrier to progress. When we don’t have a clear understanding of what we want out of life, we don’t know how to effectively use our time or other resources. Our efforts can then become dissipated over to vast a range of uses.
The problem of uncertainty of purpose arises because we tend to get distracted by various worldly pursuits that can never yield a certain result. The Buddha described four pairs of worldly conditions that all of us must experience and none of which can reveal a certain and lasting result. These four pairs are: gain & loss; fame & obscurity; praise & blame; and pleasure & pain.
In order to obtain a clear and enduring purpose, we cannot put our stock in worldly conditions because they will never last. Instead, the Buddha encouraged us to put our attention onto what we refer to as the super-mundane condition, that state of mind that does not depend on mundane or worldly conditions. The super-mundane condition is not a secret. It is simply the condition in which the mind is in the present moment, not lamenting or pining for the past and not worried anxious, fearful or covetous of the future. This state of mind is the sublime peace that awaits all of us who practice insight meditation.
That path to peace is a genuine and authentic training in insight meditation which supersedes the mundane changes in worldly states mentioned above. This works by removing us from our daily routine and the distractions of our usual pursuits. We instead sequester ourselves temporarily so that we can pursue a higher ideal aimed at spiritual realization and lasting happiness.