Is there any point in living a life other than a monk's life, meditating primarily and trying to achieve nirvana or enlightenment for true peace and happiness?
I mean, there's a lot of monks who live pointless lives as well, so... The point is not to be a monk.
But the parenthesis part, meditating primarily and trying to achieve nirvana or enlightenment for true peace and happiness,
Well, my teacher said it just comes down to whether you want more suffering or less suffering.
What you're saying is correct, but some people still want more suffering and some people want less suffering, so they go quicker or slower towards that.
Is there any point besides meditating?
No, not really.
No, because the only point that we see in Buddhism is nibbana, nirvana.
So if it's not something... I mean, the other thing is, it's not just about meditating, right?
There are many other ways you can cultivate wholesome states.
You can be charitable, you can be moral, you can study the Dhamma, listen to the Dhamma.
These are all things that help to create wholesome states of mind.
And
will help to bring your mind together and lead you closer to the goal.