What Is The Point Of Life?

[ratdog]

Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious.

Brendan Gill

[dr.gt]

ah wait, now i remember... it's 42

[Randalizer]

beat ya to it randy

[Guest Zeah]

What is the point of life? when we are born what is the point? what is the point of life, what are we supposed to do? how do we go about with our life?

?

*; What is the Point of your life?

Withnailed.

[ninorc]

to really know if existence has a "point" surely there must be an observer capable of judging if it has "no point",

The point of meditation is to become your own observer, to detach from identifying with one's sensory stimuli and cease to make them mean anything. In fact, nothing means anything, but we humans are meaning-making machines and from first drawing breath we compulsively attach meaning to everything.

In the time of the Buddha, there was a deep seeker, a very old man, who was far advanced along the spiritual path but had not quite achieved enlightenment. When he heard that there was a Buddha (enlightened person) teaching in Northern India, he walked halfway across the sub-continent to see him. Arriving at Gotama's compound, he demanded to see the Buddha, but was told that he was out in the town, begging for food, and advised to wait for his return. But the old man couldn't wait. He went into the town and tracked down Gotama and asked for instruction. Buddha told him that he was busy begging and suggested he wait until later. But the old man couldn't wait. He told Buddha, I need to know now, because I might die before this afternoon! The Buddha looked at the old man and saw that he was indeed close to death, but also that this was a very wise man, who needed little prompting. So he told him, seeing is just seeing, hearing is just hearing, smelling is just smelling, touching is just touching, tasting is just tasting and thinking is just thinking. Aha, said the old bloke (in the manner of Alan Partridge) I get it. And, with that, he achieved enlightenment and died happily.

then without the input of the observer, (who must theoretically live beyond our existence to be able to judge) we remain uninformed so we can't answer the question..... as to how we go about OUR life.. that's a personal choice, but i'd say just live it on the basis of a one off great life and secretly hope for a "pleasantly surprised" post death..... if it never happens there is no one to complain to anyway so wtf, if there is a god/ gods hopefully they aren't a petty super being seeking sycophants followers that judge against the faulty creations that fail to believe! .... my own philosophy is to improve around me: helping people makes me smile, the reverse doesn't

You make god in man's image and assume yourself to be inferior to it. In fact, there is no 'god' - or we, collectively, are 'god' - but an immutable natural law ('dhamma') that operates completely impartially, like gravity. Nothing is the universe is superior to you (or me) and we each know all there is, if only we can realise how to access that knowledge and bring it into consciousness.

[groovelick]

So your saying you judge yourself.

[ninorc]

So your saying you judge yourself.

No.

[Cosmic Dick]

Never mind not understanding it, I haven't seen it.

Yet somehow you managed to respond to it.

Must be my stupidity.

CD

Or what Gotama called, 'moha'.

I guess my moha must be increasing, as I'm still baffled.

I'll assume that according to the teachings, that is a bad thing.

That's karma, I suppose...

CD

oh, I'm also assuming moha does not mean medal of honour airborne...

[Randalizer]

moha

mojo

[Cosmic Dick]

In the time of the Buddha, there was a deep seeker, a very old man, who was far advanced along the spiritual path but had not quite achieved enlightenment. When he heard that there was a Buddha (enlightened person) teaching in Northern India, he walked halfway across the sub-continent to see him. Arriving at Gotama's compound, he demanded to see the Buddha, but was told that he was out in the town, begging for food, and advised to wait for his return. But the old man couldn't wait. He went into the town and tracked down Gotama and asked for instruction. Buddha told him that he was busy begging and suggested he wait until later. But the old man couldn't wait. He told Buddha, I need to know now, because I might die before this afternoon! The Buddha looked at the old man and saw that he was indeed close to death, but also that this was a very wise man, who needed little prompting. So he told him, seeing is just seeing, hearing is just hearing, smelling is just smelling, touching is just touching, tasting is just tasting and thinking is just thinking. Aha, said the old bloke (in the manner of Alan Partridge) I get it. And, with that, he achieved enlightenment and died happily.

(following on from my previous post)

... but all that, and the rest of that post, makes perfect sense to me.

CD

[Boojum]

Can't say that I think there is any point whatsoever to life (other than the most basic, the selfish gene), but I'm pretty sure if there is one it certainly isn't to amass more money than anyone can spend in a lifetime (generally by shitting on people from a great height), which appears to be what many people think the point is nowadays. Get rich or die trying ? He who dies with the most toys wins ? If the point of life really is that shallow and, well, pointless then the sooner we wipe ourselves out the better.

[Cosmic Dick]

Aye Boojum, we were happy though we were poor...

... because we were poor..

[forest dog]

What is the Point of your life?

To have a goooooooooood time.

[Guest grandad]

we are as the catterpillar and butterfly,

[Guest Nunsacred]

There isn't necessarily any "point" to life; why must there be?

The tree of life is like a lightning strike along lines of truth of good design. It's not permanent but the truth is.

If you choose to view the truth as a 'loving God' or a cold logical progression, might make some difference, who knows?