What is the meaning of life?

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
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seeker242
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Re: What is the meaning of life?

Post by seeker242 »

BlueLotus wrote:What do you think?
The meaning of life is to find the meaning of life. :lol:
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Sam Vara
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Re: What is the meaning of life?

Post by Sam Vara »

This just in on the Thanissaro thread;
Thanissaro Bhikkhu wrote:
Last week I was teaching up in Canada, and the question came up: Isn’t the purpose of all this practice to find the ultimate truth about things? And the answer is No. We’re trying to find a particular truth that’s useful for a higher purpose, the purpose of true happiness. It’s truth with a purpose. After all, there are many truths of the world. We can talk about how lasting things are, and in some ways it’s true. We can talk about how ephemeral they are, and in some ways that’s true as well. We can talk about the happiness in relationships, and there really is happiness in relationships. But we can also talk about the suffering in relationships, and there’s a lot of that, too. The question is, what use comes from focusing on which truths? Where do they lead you?
From: Less is More by Thanissaro Bhikkhu
lonewolf
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Re: What is the meaning of life?

Post by lonewolf »

BlueLotus wrote:What do you think? Did the buddha answer this one?
Assuming the following is true, there is no beginning to this mess, there is no real substance to anything, a bunch of processes come together, then unravel over, and over, and over again because there are some laws to this whole mess that keep this mess going, seems pretty pointless. There is a catch, those pointless impersonal processes that form a particular stream of pointless existence can free themselves from the utter pointlessness of the pointless, and beginless existence to escape the pointless, and beginless reality, by paying attention to pointlessness of existence. Makes sense.

Ain't life grand? :coffee:
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manas
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Re: What is the meaning of life?

Post by manas »

BlueLotus wrote:What do you think? Did the buddha answer this one?
I'm pretty sure the Buddha would have put that question aside, BlueLotus, although I don't even know if it was ever put to him.

I have been pondering that one from time to time, since I was a child. Yet to come up with an answer. I suspect there is none.
To the Buddha-refuge i go; to the Dhamma-refuge i go; to the Sangha-refuge i go.
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manas
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Re: What is the meaning of life?

Post by manas »

'Meaning' is a mental construction. It is something we create. I don't think it exists outside of the mind.
To the Buddha-refuge i go; to the Dhamma-refuge i go; to the Sangha-refuge i go.
pathulat
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Re: What is the meaning of life?

Post by pathulat »

life is a causal process (paticcasamupada). A good simile - a perfect virtual reality show where the user is totally deceived into reality. The ultimate goal is to see the process as it is and unbind accrued deception until the user disappears:candle:
bpallister
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Re: What is the meaning of life?

Post by bpallister »

to be happy and help others
Ontheway
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Re: What is the meaning of life?

Post by Ontheway »

To me, the meaning of this life is to understand the Dhamma and striving to get rid of cankers.

For those still need to support family and live as a layperson, we ought to practice Dana, Sila, Bhavana frequently.
Hiriottappasampannā,
sukkadhammasamāhitā;
Santo sappurisā loke,
devadhammāti vuccare.

https://suttacentral.net/ja6/en/chalmer ... ight=false
justindesilva
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Re: What is the meaning of life?

Post by justindesilva »

lonewolf wrote: Sun Nov 09, 2014 1:11 am
BlueLotus wrote:What do you think? Did the buddha answer this one?
Assuming the following is true, there is no beginning to this mess, there is no real substance to anything, a bunch of processes come together, then unravel over, and over, and over again because there are some laws to this whole mess that keep this mess going, seems pretty pointless. There is a catch, those pointless impersonal processes that form a particular stream of pointless existence can free themselves from the utter pointlessness of the pointless, and beginless existence to escape the pointless, and beginless reality, by paying attention to pointlessness of existence. Makes sense.

Ain't life grand? :coffee:
The mostly discussed subject without a proper answer even in Nasa. But we got to understand that any matter has the property of dispersion which drives to anicca. Anicca causes dukka. Anicca is understood with science as enthropy, discussed in paticca samuppada as jara marana or dispersion of energy called apo, tejo, vayo, patavi. However it is life energy that holds apo, tejo, vayo patavi as rupa to keep nama darma or sangna, sankara, vingnana to hold other elements varna, ganda, rasa, oja for manifestation of energies. It is the same manifestation said in paticca samuppada. Here in paticca samuppada the energy that holds all elements together is life energy. This is why with death of rupa consciouness or mind dissipates to find another source of life energy in another womb or birth. Hence life energy is the source that keeps all other datu called suddastaka to keep the earth and cosmos together which is also identified as negenthropy . This is the reason why we have to protect prana, or life of beings as identified as the first precept, "panathipatha veramani sikkapadam samadiyami".
Bundokji
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Re: What is the meaning of life?

Post by Bundokji »

I think the question of the meaning of life is more suited to the mindset of Abrahamic religions than to the Buddha's teachings. As a mindset, acknowledging design or order in the world is a prerequisite for the search of meaning. In other words, design implies meaning, then it is necessary to come up with flawless theory of what that meaning possibly is. That problem is solved by the Abrahamic religions through emphasizing a first cause (God), then meaning of life is what God intended it to be, or to live in harmony of his creation. This necessitates the creation of another being, which is Satan, who tries deviate you from your real purpose, that is, worshiping God and aligning your acts as per his instructions. As such, any doubts of the original meaning as intended by God has to be the work of Satan. People will be eventually judged by the degree of their alignments and/or deviations from their intended purpose, and be rewarded or punished accordingly.

In Buddhism, things are turned upside down. There is no first cause, but realms of which a god called Mara, who is equally subject to impermanence, pleases himself by seeing us stuck in our search for meaning and ensures that we do not deviate from this state of bewilderment. The anti-dot to this confusion is to follow the Buddha's teachings. From that perspective, any search for meaning in the conditioned is a useless excursion taking you away from the goal, which is extinguishment.
And the Blessed One addressed the bhikkhus, saying: "Behold now, bhikkhus, I exhort you: All compounded things are subject to vanish. Strive with earnestness!"

This was the last word of the Tathagata.
Spiny Norman
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Re: What is the meaning of life?

Post by Spiny Norman »

42 (again). 😋
Buddha save me from new-agers!
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Coëmgenu
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Re: What is the meaning of life?

Post by Coëmgenu »

B-U-D-D-H-A
2-21-4-4-7-1

2x21+4+4-(7+1)

=42

:jawdrop:
What is the Uncreated?
Sublime & free, what is that obscured Eternity?
It is the Undying, the Bright, the Isle.
It is an Ocean, a Secret: Reality.
Both life and oblivion, it is Nirvāṇa.
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Nicolas
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Re: What is the meaning of life?

Post by Nicolas »

G-O-T-A-M-A
7-15-20-1-13-1

-7+15+20+1+13*1

=42

;)
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Nicolas
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Re: What is the meaning of life?

Post by Nicolas »

S-A-T-I-P-A-T-T-H-A-N-A
19-1-20-9-16-1-15-15-9-1-14-1

19+1+20+9+16+1-15-15-9+1+14*1

=42

:spy:



A-R-I-Y-A-S-A-C-C-A
1-18-9-25-1-19-1-3-3-1

1+18+9+25+1-19+1+3+3*1

=42

:popcorn:



M-A-I-T-R-E-Y-A
13-1-9-20-18-5-25-1

13+1+9+20+18+5-25+1

=42

:oops: sorry, wrong spelling.

M-E-T-T-E-Y-Y-A
13-5-20-20-5-25-25-1

13-5+20+20-5+25-25-1

=42

:juggling:
Spiny Norman
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Re: What is the meaning of life?

Post by Spiny Norman »

Coëmgenu wrote: Fri Oct 01, 2021 8:51 pm B-U-D-D-H-A
2-21-4-4-7-1

2x21+4+4-(7+1)

=42

:jawdrop:
Spooky. That was mentioned during my last abduction. In between the probes.
Buddha save me from new-agers!
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