The Purpose of Life is to Be Happy

The purpose of life is to be happy. As a Buddhist I have found that one’s own mental attitude is the most influential factor in working toward that goal. In order to change conditions outside ourselves, whether they concern the environment or relations with others, we must first change within ourselves. Inner peace is the key. In that state of mind you can face difficulties with calm and reason, while keeping your inner happiness. The Buddhist teachings of love, kindness, and tolerance, the conduct of nonviolence, and the theory that all things are relative, as well as a variety of techniques for calming the mind, are sources of that inner peace.

The Dalai Lama in the Introduction to
Thoughts Without a Thinker by Mark Epstein