When I first ended up on the island I read a story about a fellow, back in the eighteen hundreds, that was ship wrecked in the Cook Islands.
In the time he was there, he gained three wives and alot of weight eating coconuts and fish.
Three years later he was "Rescued" and taken home to England. In six months he lost all his weight, his health suffered badly from daily stress and pollution. The family bickering drove him nearly insane combined with the daily negative news.
He boarded another ship and went back to the Cook Islands, regaining his health and three wives. He penned several books and lived into his eigthies. His qoute that inspired me was " There is something about living on a sleepy atoll
where today lasts forever and tomorrow never comes".
As far as tools go, in Spring Forest Qigong Master Lin talks about "Going into the emptiness" during meditation.
I had this taught to me another way,but Master Lin's is easier and better.
Following this method of POYL is sort of like "Living in the Emptiness" instead of using your mind to do it. I think that doing both at the same time magnifies the results. Monks do it and many others.
The question's you have regarding "who am I, why am I here, etc." can all be answered by going into the emptiness.
The distractions of everyday life prevent you from doing this until you take a time out and develope this ability. Once you have it, you will always have it.
You work at being calm, relaxed, dissolve yourself, and then you find the Emptiness. Keep a smile on your face.
The treasure is there.