Is life only meant for enjoyment?

Isn’t life meant to just have fun? Isn’t life meant to enjoy?

The world thinks this way, but why did a prince, who lived several centuries ago, think differently? Siddhartha Gautama, a rich prince in ancient India, had all the riches, all the pleasures that the world could offer him. Why did he give it all up? Why didn’t he think that life was just meant to be enjoyed? What inspired him to seek the truth? He found the true meaning of life - that life couldn’t escape suffering, that this gift of life given to us is checkered with pain and misery; we cannot escape it. Think about it. - we all have to face death.  We grow, we get diseased, we decay and we die. We all face misery in life and while there may be pleasures, joy and happiness, eventually, we are going to face unhappiness and be miserable. Therefore, if we just close our eyes, have fun and enjoy life, we may escape the minor miseries of life only to be hit by that big misery finally. But, if we start living and realizing the truth of who we are,  what we are and why we are here; if we come face to face with the truth, then we will not have to face that ultimate suffering. By realizing the truth and living a life of liberation by achieving Nirvana, we would attain the highest state of bliss and happiness, ‘ananda’, and move to Nirvana, Liberation.

Therefore, we have a choice. To escape life by just having fun, or realizing the truth of life and reaching that state of ultimate bliss, which is what Buddha chose. What would you choose??

AiR

Of course the Buddhist teaching is about self whilst Spiritualism is about service. Here are some thoughts from Silver Birch Air, go seek some others. Our own enlightenment is from enjoying and being in in yjos life, not outside it but remembering our Spiritual Self and a need to be of service. Your thoughts are too full of man made divinity and theology.

Quotes from More Philosophy of Silver Birch
You must live for the day, for the hour, for the minute, for the second, live in the ever present moment. Have no anxiety for the morrow and do the best you can. The Great Spirit is aware of the fact that you are all human beings and imperfect. That is why you are on earth. If you were perfect you would not be where you are now. The function of your earthly life is simply to eliminate the imperfections.
Quotes from Light From Silver Birch
Of course there will be problems in Life. Earth is a place where you are presented with difficulties, frustrations, obstacles and handicaps. The whole purpose of earthly existence is to meet conditions that are a challenge to the evolving spirit so that it can have the chance to epxress some of its latent qualities that can be called on in times of crisis.
You cannot achieve spiritual mastery without conquering the problems that you encounter; but none is so insuperable that you cannot overcome it. You will have to be patient and pray for guidance that at the right time the door will open and the way will be shown. I always tell my friends in very simple language never to bang against a closed door.

Quotes from Silver Birch Companion
You who live in the world of matter are most unoriginal creatures. You do not, except very seldom, create anything. You are receiving stations and transmitting stations. Thoughts come to you; they lodge within you; you add to their wings and send them forth where others receive them. The thought that comes to you is not the same as when it leaves you; your personality has quickened it, or slowed it down, enriched it or impoverished it, made it more beautiful or more ugly, given it new life, or perhaps vitiated it. But over and above all that, you can, when you attune yourself, receive positive inspiration from those of like mentality to yourself.

We're here to learn, and to make spiritual progress: to develop our characters.

I do enjoy reading Silver Birch. Thanks Jim