Science isn't looking for a purpose or a meaning, it's tryinig to find out how things work, then passing that knowledge on to engineers who can make something useful from it.

Philosophy is either figuring out how the mind works (for the 20% of us who actually have minds), of finding ways to live our lives that don't make us miserable. Or make us less miserable. Or in the case of existentialism, how to be miserable properly!

Religion is about forcing the 80% to work now, rather than have to do so in Hell, and to make them accept their miserable lives by promising a happy life after death. The key to it is convincing the poor that the rich will go to Hell while assuring the rich that only the poor are heading for the Inferno.

Is there a reason why the Universe exists? Don't know, don't care. Does the Universe have a purpose? Again, don't know, don't care. As my daughter would say "Not my circus, not my monkeys."

Given that our limited senses can only perceive the tiniest fraction of reality, we are hardly likely to ever understand the foundation of it. To do that, we must transcend our humanity. That won't be achieved by prayer, meditation or introspection, but by technology. If it is achieved at all, it will be by Transhuman or Posthuman entities, hybrids of human and artificial intelligence without physical, sensory or intellectual limitations. Then again, perhaps we'll just go extinct. In the context of the Universe at large, both are equally likely, and equally irrelevant.

An eternal afterlife? I sincerely hope not! One ride on this roller-coaster is entirely enough for me! There must come a time when the noise stops!

A Supreme Being? What difference would it make if there were? With an entire Universe to run, They are hardly likely to be interested in us! A mere side-effect of much larger process. Maybe even a minor glitch - not worth fixing. No being would have created such a vast, wild, chaotic environment simply to house one species of tool-making ape!

Stoicism teaches that the only things we have true power over are our own thoughts and actions. If that is the case - and it's no better or worse than any other suggestion - then our thoughts, choices and actions are where we find or define our purpose and reasons. Enough for us; the Universe doesn't care, and it's far too big for us to have any real effect.