Chrisfishes
Well-known member
What do you guys think the purpose of life is??
The purpose of life
- Thread starter Chrisfishes
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Chrisfishes
Well-known member
But doyou think there is a purpose or is it completly random or more complicated for us to understand yet?
Dedication
Well-known member
The purpose of life is to achieve ultimate happiness through enlightenment 8O
Chilling__Echo
Well-known member
hmm yeah i also agree with Dedication and Crimefish. i think the ultimate goal is to be happy over all but i think everyone's specific job varies. kinda like how some people are "made for each other" haha that's cheezy
unleashed
Well-known member
Wo and Jah
A troubled man named Wo could not figure out how to live. So he began meditating to find some answers. After many months he felt no progress, so he asked the temple priest for help.
The priest said, "Go see old Jah."
So he hiked to old Jah's village and came upon the happy-looking old man coming from the forest under a heavy load of firewood.
"Excuse me, honored Jah," he said. "But can you teach me the secret of life?"
Jah raised his eyebrows and gazed at Wo. Then with some effort he twisted out from beneath his great bundle of firewood and let it crash to the ground.
"There, that is enlightenment," he said, straightening up with relief and smiling.
The troubled man looked on in shock at the prickly firewood scattered over the ground. "Is that all there is to it?" he said.
"Oh, no," said Jah. Then he bent down, collected all the scattered sticks, hoisted them carefully up on his back and made ready to walk on. "This is enlightenment, too. Come. Let's go together for tea."
So Wo walked along with Jah. "What is old Jah showing me?" he asked.
Jah replied, "First, yes, you are suffering a heavy burden. Many do. But, as the Buddha taught and many have realized, much of your burden and much of your joylessness is your craving for what you can't have and your clinging to what you can't keep.
"See that the nature of your burden and of the chafing you experience as you try to cling to it are useless, unnecessary, damaging, and then you can let it go.
"In doing so, you find relief, and you are freer to see the blessings of life and to choose wisely to receive them."
"Thank you, old Jah," said Wo. "And why did you call picking up the burden of firewood again enlightenment as well?"
"One understanding is that some burden in life is unavoidable — and even beneficial, like firewood. With occasional rest it can be managed, and with freedom from undue anxiety about it, it will not cause chafe.
"Once the undue burden is dropped, we straighten up and see and feel the wonder and power of being. Seeing others suffering without that freedom and blissful experience, we willingly and knowingly pick up their burdens out of compassion joining and aiding others in their various struggles for liberation, enlightenment and fulfillment."
"Thank you, Old Jah," said the exhilarated Wo. "You have enlightened me."
"Ah-so," said Jah. "Your understanding is enlightened. Now to make it part of your living and your spirit, you must go follow the eight practices and meditate. Then you will learn to detach yourself from your useless burden of cravings and to attach yourself to the profound source of being out of which life, creativity, joy and compassion form and flow."
And so Wo went and did. And understanding the truths gave him comfort. And practicing the good behaviors kept him from harming himself or others anymore. And concentrating on the deep blissful potential of life gave him a continuing sense of companionship and joyful awe and of well-being in his spirit, no matter what else of pain he had to deal with.
http://www.gakkaionline.net/myths/Wojah.html
A troubled man named Wo could not figure out how to live. So he began meditating to find some answers. After many months he felt no progress, so he asked the temple priest for help.
The priest said, "Go see old Jah."
So he hiked to old Jah's village and came upon the happy-looking old man coming from the forest under a heavy load of firewood.
"Excuse me, honored Jah," he said. "But can you teach me the secret of life?"
Jah raised his eyebrows and gazed at Wo. Then with some effort he twisted out from beneath his great bundle of firewood and let it crash to the ground.
"There, that is enlightenment," he said, straightening up with relief and smiling.
The troubled man looked on in shock at the prickly firewood scattered over the ground. "Is that all there is to it?" he said.
"Oh, no," said Jah. Then he bent down, collected all the scattered sticks, hoisted them carefully up on his back and made ready to walk on. "This is enlightenment, too. Come. Let's go together for tea."
So Wo walked along with Jah. "What is old Jah showing me?" he asked.
Jah replied, "First, yes, you are suffering a heavy burden. Many do. But, as the Buddha taught and many have realized, much of your burden and much of your joylessness is your craving for what you can't have and your clinging to what you can't keep.
"See that the nature of your burden and of the chafing you experience as you try to cling to it are useless, unnecessary, damaging, and then you can let it go.
"In doing so, you find relief, and you are freer to see the blessings of life and to choose wisely to receive them."
"Thank you, old Jah," said Wo. "And why did you call picking up the burden of firewood again enlightenment as well?"
"One understanding is that some burden in life is unavoidable — and even beneficial, like firewood. With occasional rest it can be managed, and with freedom from undue anxiety about it, it will not cause chafe.
"Once the undue burden is dropped, we straighten up and see and feel the wonder and power of being. Seeing others suffering without that freedom and blissful experience, we willingly and knowingly pick up their burdens out of compassion joining and aiding others in their various struggles for liberation, enlightenment and fulfillment."
"Thank you, Old Jah," said the exhilarated Wo. "You have enlightened me."
"Ah-so," said Jah. "Your understanding is enlightened. Now to make it part of your living and your spirit, you must go follow the eight practices and meditate. Then you will learn to detach yourself from your useless burden of cravings and to attach yourself to the profound source of being out of which life, creativity, joy and compassion form and flow."
And so Wo went and did. And understanding the truths gave him comfort. And practicing the good behaviors kept him from harming himself or others anymore. And concentrating on the deep blissful potential of life gave him a continuing sense of companionship and joyful awe and of well-being in his spirit, no matter what else of pain he had to deal with.
http://www.gakkaionline.net/myths/Wojah.html
lawyerguy
Well-known member
I really don't know what the purpose of life is. No one gave us a choice as to whether or not we would be born. No one gave us a choice as to who our parents are, what genetic disorders we would inherit..what country we would be raised in..whether or not we will hav loving parents...etc.. None of chose to have social phobia. (at least to my knowledge). Life just seems pretty random. I think the important thing is (at least it helps me) ..is to count your blessings. You could have easily have been born in a third world country (which I was, I was just lucky enough to have escaped genocide and moved to america)..and ended up starving or dying of a disease. Millions if not billions of people on this planet don't even have enough to live. Most of us on here live in industralized developed countries where we don't have to worry about daily survival. And when you think about it..you really didn't do anything to deserve it. We were just born in the right place at the right time. And for those millions of people who are starving and dying..right now in parts of the world...they didn't really do anything to deserve their lives either. I'm not saying we don't have a right to complain about our condition..ie social phobia..because its a real condition that affects us...but..when we're talking about the meaning of life..its...good to put things in perspective..yes we have it rough with our social phobias..but if people around the world can survive in the most harshest of conditions..we can survive our condition as well..that helps me accept my condition anyways...
unleashed
Well-known member
hmm good post. i think that everyone should spend a few months in a developing/third world country and wake up to the fact that sometimes you actually have to try for the basics in life that we all take for granted. i dont suppose they have sp chicks in rural india saying "well i just cant face walking to the well and getting water today".