Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." If you live a self-examined life at all, you are searching for the meaning of life. Here are things I've found in my search that contain parts of the puzzle:
The Bible is the source of most aspects of our society in America today. The ideas of individual rights and the worth of each human being were originally expressed in the Bible. Further, all of human nature, behavior, and society are on display. It's more than a religious text; it's a manual about humans. You will find everything you want to know about people between these covers. This is the best place to look for the meaning of life. This is THE book of love and life. In my FAQ on Christianity, I cover what to read in the Bible if you don't want to tackle the whole thing. (Here's another web Bible.)
Introduction to Zen Buddhism by Daisetz T. Suzuki, Carl Gustav Jung
Zen is a unique perspective that can grant deep serenity. This book is a great introduction to Zen. I read several books on Zen, even after I'd "gotten" it, and this was the best. It's very short, too - always a plus. Zen allows you to strip away all the emotional coloring you infest every single perception and thought with, good and bad. Clarity of thinking and the ability to experience the moment to moment vividness of living result from understanding Zen.
The Tao of Pooh by Benjamin Hoff
Not real Taoism, but gosh, who cares when a book's this good? This has another useful perspective to offer. It's more playful than Zen and is easier to do. The basic idea is "going with the flow," while being gentle and good to yourself and others.
"Secret O' Life" from the Album JT by James Taylor
"The meaning of life is enjoying the passage of time," sings James Taylor in this wonderfully concise coinage of the art of living. I can't say it any better than he does. His lyrics are a great summary of a perfect viewpoint to have.
The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran
The Prophet is hard to describe. It's very beautiful and very profound.
"Desiderata" by Max Ehrmann
This poem never wears out. In cynical moods, it seems trite and cloying (cynicism is something to avoid anyway). But, in times of happiness it's a life-affirming joy, and in times of sadness it's a warm comfort. I end up reading this about every turn of the season. Print this out or save it; you'll want it later.
"Advice, Like Youth, Probably Just Wasted on the Young." by Mary Schmich
This article has a great story behind it. Originally columnist Mary Schmich of the Chicago Tribune wrote it, but somehow it got attributed to Kurt Vonnegut Jr. on the web. Now it's become a song called "Everybody's Free (To Wear Sunscreen)" by Quindon Tarver (with the voice overs performed by Lee Perry) found on the album Something for Everybody compiled by movie director Baz Luhrman. It deserves this odd little life it's achieved because it's good advice. It's wise and true, and as time goes by in your life, the truth in these sentences opens up like the petals of a rose.
Finally, some of these quotes have clues in them.
I am a Christian. The books, poems, and articles offered on this page are here in part because they do not contradict Christianity, nor do they offer alternatives or alternate paths to God. These are just some of the things I explored on my path in life that gave me new ideas, ways of looking at the world, which proved fun or useful. I have looked into things that are contradictory or are expressly in opposition theologically to Christianity, as well. Those are not offered on this page because of that reason, but also because they simply did not contain anything I found useful in the search for the meaning of life, in my opinion.
The books, poems, and articles found here are not to be "put into the mix" with Christianity, but on their own secular terms they are fun avenues of thought to explore. Further, they are secondary to Christianity. In my personal opinion, and in relation to where I've arrived on my journey, Christianity contains all that I need. I have even stopped doing/using Zen because, while it has many useful applications, I found that removing negative colorations and interpretations of thoughts and events also often meant removing joy and the positive colorations of the same. I became as clear as glass, and discovered that being glass is boring. And it occurred to me that removing pain isn't necessarily a goal to pursue.
For example, Buddhism teaches that life is pain or suffering, and the way to gain freedom from suffering is to cease one's attachment to desires; this is done by following the eightfold path of "right ways" of living and thinking. I disagree that avoidance of pain and suffering should be a goal. Pain and suffering are almost always the manifestation of a lesson that needs to be learned, some information needs to be obtained, or some event or occurrence needs further thought and perhaps a coming to terms with. We learn from our pain. Trying to bypass it or not experience it seems to lead one to miss the lesson hidden inside the pain. Of course, I also disagree with the concepts of reincarnation and the other aspects of Buddhism. Consider that the most serious adherents of Buddhism, Buddhist Monks, typically sequester themselves in remote communities and remove themselves from the world. How can you search for the meaning of life if you are hiding from life itself? Buddhism is a beautiful and noble path; it's just not the one for me, and it does not lead to God. Please don't take this as a criticism of Buddhism, per se, these are just the reasons why I have rejected is as something useful for discovering the meaning of life. Right now Buddhism is gaining popularity in the USA because it does not require the adherent to express a statement of belief that the "diversity police" would find troublesome, as there seems to be little of the element of "I'm right, you're wrong" that other religions, including Christianity, seem to have organic to their makeup. Strong statements of that sort are out of style these days, because they fly against the postmodern idea that everyone is right in the context of their own understanding. Also, Buddhist fundamentalism hasn't spread wide enough to taint the seemingly benign aura of Buddhism, so it's viewed as a nice, safe, cuddly religious viewpoint. The fundamentalists of every belief system or philosophy render it unappealing. Buddhism in America hasn't faced that waterloo, yet.
I also have reasons why I rejected Hinduism, Islam, Taoism, paganism, and atheism, but I will not belabor them here. Though let me state explicitly that by "reject" I mean I have decided they are not paths for me. I respect everyone's right to make their own choice in these matters, and I respect their right to believe as they do. It wearies me when I encounter the postmodern diversity police who disdain the act of respecting those who believe differently than you do, as if respectful tolerance of other ways of being, religions, or approaches to life are not worthy of respect in their own right, even if you do not agree with them.
Zen Buddhism is not true Buddhism, and at least in the books I read, they contained nothing regarding our spirit life, what happens to our soul when we die, or our relationship to God. The "Tao of Pooh" is the same. Real Taoism is difficult to boil down into a pithy sentence or two that are legitimately descriptive, but an oversimplified definition would be: Taoism was a reinterpretation of a form of nature worship that originated in China as an alternative to Confucianism. "Tao" - or "the way" - is the origin of all creation; it is unknowable in its essence but observable in its manifestations, and to live in harmony with nature one should live a simple, easygoing life, conforming to the natural way of things. So real Taoism is a form of nature worship which conflicts with the rightful worship of God. Zen and "Tao of Pooh" are both suggested approaches to daily life, both of which are agnostic to the concept of God, and thus don't collide with Christian theology. In a nutshell, both more or less state, "take it easy, everything will be ok."
I have come to the conclusion that God is all I need. He provides all and is the ultimate source of comfort, hope, joy, and love.