Who Actually Wants Enlightenment?

[Darcy]

Funny thing about Buddhism, there's no black and white heaven or hel_l ending to it. With that in mind, is anyone here really striving for enlightenment, or do they just use Buddhism as an enhancement to their rather materialist lives? I think I fall into the latter class. I'm not ready to give up all desire or forgo the suffering it causes. These are the things that to me, makes life feel real. I do however find that the more I learn about the world, the more Buddhism makes sense, and vice versa. While I'm happily wandering through life, learning new things, forgetting old ones, and experiencing things on a level that I couldn't ever do without a knowledge of Buddhism, I'm just not fussed on getting to the point of enlightenment. What happens will happen, and I think I only have a minor say in it all. Irregardless of whether or not anyone achieves what may, for all we really know be a purely mythical state, I think you clue in to the intricacies of life better when Buddhism is part of the picture. It reminds me of that old 3M advertisement, We don't make a lot of the things you use, we make a lot of the things you use better." Does anyone here really want to shed all desire and shoot for the state we call Enlightenment? Or does Buddhism just make the life you lead better?

[Shook]

I think your view is simlar to that of many Buddhists.The idea of contstantly passing from life to life is a bit depressing to me though. I enjoy life but want to make as much progress as I can in this one. There is no guarentee that I will make any progress in the next one. The idea of enlightenment can sometimes seem scary but I reassure myself with the knowledge that the road to it is such a great one that the destination must be fantastic. So yes , I would say that 'I' would like to be enlightened.