Thanissaro Bhikkhu on the Ultimate Goal

"So here we are in the midst of a storm. But there’s something deep inside that doesn’t have to suffer from the storm, doesn’t have to be threatened by the storm. Even though we may reflect on the awesomeness of the powers of nature and how huge they are, there is something in the mind that’s even more enormous, more solid, than they are. It can be found through our own efforts, and it offers a security that you can’t find in any place — because it’s outside of places. There’s a recurrent phrase in the Canon of the arahant’s being “released everywhere,” which means released from every where, every place. That idea’s awesome, too. The reality of it, once you’ve touched it, is even more awesome than the idea." ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Awe" (Meditations6)

"One of the important things to understand as you come to practice the Dhamma is that you’re not running away from anything. If you want to run away from the human race: You come out here and what have you got? You’re sitting here under a tree, you’re sitting with a member of the human race. You want to run away from your body: You’re sitting there with your body. You want to run away from the issues of the mind: You find that when things are quiet, the issues have more space to come and confront you." ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "No Running Away"

"You look at the world, and there’s just constant conflict. So your gift to the world is that you’re going to get out. Meanwhile, if you find what the Buddha said is a deathless happiness, it’s not as if you’re just snuffing yourself out and going away into nothingness. You’re finding something better: a type of happiness that doesn’t require that you lay claim to anything. So this practice we’re doing here is not just an exercise in stress reduction. It’s a gift to yourself, a gift to the world. You’re trying to pull yourself out of this constant conflict. Maybe you can’t stop all the conflicts in the world, but you can be one less person to be involved in those conflicts." ~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Papañca"