Thanissaro Bhikkhu on the Ultimate Goal

"There’s a higher well-being, happiness, pleasure — the Pali word sukha covers all of that — that comes with the deathless. Everyone who’s attained the deathless says, “How stupid I was not to go for this.” That’s why people who gain genuine awakening don’t become proud over the fact of their awakening, because they’ve seen how stupid they were for so long." ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Smart about Lust" (Meditations12)

"We’re not here to save the world. Sometimes you hear people saying that the Buddha wanted us to get rid of all kinds of suffering, wherever the suffering is found, and they use that as an excuse for not meditating and getting involved in all kinds of social programs instead, saying that their programs are Buddhist. But the Buddha was very particular. He focused on the suffering that comes from the mind’s own actions, because that’s where suffering is caused. He’s not here to save the world. He’s here to go beyond it, and that’s where our practice should be aimed." ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "The World is Aflame"