Tagged: objective
Life is like playing Bingo
A card is needed to play Bingo. We could say “I have chosen my card,” but we could say: “This card was given to me.” It doesn’t matter. Reality is, we have a card. Because we create the “purpose” of “winning” we create our heaven and hell at the same time. In Bingo as in Life there is nothing to reason about… But reasoning is not “bad” for we need it to be “successful” in the “office world.” A little tiny game inside the “big” game, but yet the “office world” is the most important game for conditioned minds.
That is the first lesson to learn from Life.
Once we hear the calling of “numbers” (a number and a letter) we will start playing in Life. We may think that we are smart, that we have developed a “winning strategy”; but reality is that our job is to hear and to see if we got the number in our card. That is all.
Life calls, we listen… if we are AWARE. If we are not, we miss the call.
That is the second lesson in Life.
Conditioning give us purpose. Our purpose is to win, right? To say “BINGO” out loud, so everyone can see how “successful,” we are. If Life calls for a number and we don’t have it, that means that someone else may have it. We may learn the art of waiting, to seize the opportunity, and to surrender to uncertainty if “success” is our “objective.” Stress, anxiety occurs due to self-created objectives/goals/purpose. When the “monkey mind” is, there is no enjoyment.
That is the third lesson in Life.
“Wait a minute, there. You are saying that I only have to listen to the numbers being called and match them in my card, but nothing else depends on me, correct? Nothing to DO?”
Yes, indeed. Do you like that game?
“Not really, there is not much to DO in it!”
That is what you say now because you are “reasoning”, but when you are playing Bingo, when you are in it, you truly enjoy the game: The expectation that you could be the next winner feeds you with anxiety, expectation and the setbacks of Life when your number is not called; feed you with hope and uncertainty. Are you AWARE of that duality? All because of “purpose.”
Did you win the game?
Did you get to pick your prize?
Whether we win what we want or not, we must play another game! Our “little win” became history. What matters is “now.” Are we aware of that?
Do we have the belief that BINGO is “better” after this Life? Ah! the little mind and its little hopes, looking for little saviors.
Or how about the belief that winning is EVERYTHING, and we must DO anything in our power to win… Wouldn’t that stress us out every time we play?
That is exactly how a conditioned human behaves in Life, but some call that “fun.”
“Wait a minute! Are you implying that winning/achieving is not the purpose of Life?”
Nope. I am implying that “purpose” has no meaning, when PLAYING is all there is. We may say that the purpose of Life is to play, as the mind needs a reason to live; but let me assure you this: If you have a purpose, you are not truly enjoying the game. Have you noticed that?
Nevertheless, many may play the game of giving a meaning to Life.
Have we played the game of Philosophy? Religion? Doctrines? Beliefs?
It is pretty neat! Every game we play “successfully,” will allow us to “improve” and go to the next “level.” That is the ego trip… but for Life, all of those things are just human “mental” games inside the “big game” of Bingo.
Play the game. Enjoy it for what it is, a GAME. Liberate yourself by placing your made up purpose/meaning aside. Life is good as it is!
“What is the purpose of adding a purpose?”
To purposely live in the mind! 🙂
Perfection and completion
When there is a realization that Life is about the experience of “experiences,” which are agents to transform our consciousness; then in that realization we could observe that Life does not have any objectives or goals; unless we assign those to Life.
If our perception of life could change at any time, if every individual has a perception, why are we so stubborn in our continuous creation of a goal, an objective for everyone to follow?
That is how “truth” as an objective arrives, and that is how “truthful paths” come into this picture.
Perhaps the above is not easily explained. Let me put it in another way:
Does your life have an objective, a goal? Do you have a “path to follow” which is an ideal?
No?
Some intelligent individuals could advice you to have one. Our society demands that we have a Life objective. If you do not, religions will give you one through their multiple belief systems. If you don’t have one objective, most probably your consciousness will move into having one objective, path, goal, truth in Life.
Yes?
Most probably Life will teach you that if you choose a path, a truth, an objective, you will still look for meaning, for fulfillment for the “ideal” is not “reality.” The “ideal” is just a perception. Thus, sooner or later you will be pathless, goal-less, etc. when you become disenchanted of ever climbing someplace, ever becoming something, ever doing things to get to the same place. Nowhere…. 🙂
You see, duality is interesting. Choose “yes” or “no” does not matter at the end of the road, for you will experience both anyhow. Paradoxically, it is that experience of both “sides of the rope” which will liberate you from duality, from embracing one side and rejecting the other; BUT… this is not intellectual stuff, you must EXPERIENCE it.
Dear readers, if you are able to understand me by the above paragraphs notwithstanding my limitations of language, you could discover many things for yourself.
Let me just share one.
Perfection is an ideal. The saint looks for perfection under the premise that “we are not perfect,” we are “sinners.”
Embrace perfection. Reject imperfection.
Duality.
The ideal cannot be fulfilled. It is after all an ideal.
Life is complete. It is in that completion how we could observe its perfection.
We are Life itself. Are we not already that which we are looking for?
Perfection is not something to attain in the future. Perfection is now.
What feels like “lacking” is known as lack of completion. To be complete.
The experiences of Life will give us that completion.
When a person reaches the end of his life, there is completion. That completion cannot be compared with someone else. Some may live 10 years while others 99. That is not the point, Life gives completion of every role in Life.
When we live the “now” there is no “Perfection” to chase in our thoughts.
To hurry up to attain “Buddhahood” as some monks will pretend to do in a temple is of no consequence. With honesty, they do not know how to do it, neither their masters.
Do you know why I am so sure of that?
Because it happens automatically when there is completion of experiences in Life. No need to have that as an “objective.” It happens at different times.
It happens when you have gone through the “Yes” and equally through the “No” of experiences of Life, when you have gone through that duality. It does not happen because someone meditates 20 hours per day. Nevertheless, if someone wants to have the experience of meditating 20 hours per day, that is not “bad,” it is part of that person’s experience.. BUT, that does not mean, that “he has found the method.”
Dear readers, Life is very simple. Just enjoy it. Don’t take it as a “life or death” situation 🙂 for whatever is happening, it will go away. “You” will go away as well. Isn’t that beautiful? “You” will be out of this particular “role” in Life and move on. It is just a matter of time.
Shall I do something to speed that up? 🙂
Why would someone who is enjoying the ride, would like to do that?
Are you enjoying it?
No?
Enjoy now …and continue enjoying the next “now.” Allow for your consciousness to change. No need to “do” anything, but to allow for it to happen. Beliefs, ideals, fears, preconceptions are not allowing for that consciousness to move on. Observe that.
Finally, here is the most transcendental Spiritual teaching that I have learned so far, which actually puts all the blah above into a nice summary: (I learned this sometime ago from reading about a Zen master, but it just recently sunk into my core.)
“When I eat… I eat. When I sleep… I sleep. When I play… I play. “
Easy to remember, easy to share. Not so easy to understand … and not so easy to “do.”
Perfect and complete.
Question: Staying alone by yourself gives you immense opportunities to go more closer to yourself, can be challenging too at times. I have realized that when I am in company of others, or taking up something to “do” a service, a retreat, an office project, out for a vacation with friends or family, like whenever on with something new or busy with something or someone, there is a natural sense of zeal, enthusiasm and happiness, but as soon as I came back to my place on my own, I feel the inner temperature of soul going down, doing the mundane things like getting ready for work, cooking for self, eating alone doesn’t give me the same happiness and fulfillment. This is so deep, that I am myself amazed that being an extrovert and able to adjust and enjoy company of everyone, even the most difficult people, I am not enjoying my own company. With others, I feel a sense of sharing, belongingness and expression of self, and probably that’s what I miss being alone. How to make the journey of self more enjoyable and how to sustain the same zeal and enthusiasm for our daily activities? Any suggestions.
Thank you for your great question!
Dear soul,
Living alone is the opportunity to look at the self. It is the opportunity to find out our emotions and how they direct our lives. Living alone is the opportunity to practice awareness of our own thoughts, our own feelings and to feel that “center,” the soul, that which is in itself what we are looking for but that we do not realize by being distracted by the outside world.
Without an understanding of the reason why we are living alone, there will not be an “objective.” We do not live alone just because we cannot find a BK center to take us or because we don’t want to live with the same gender companion.
When the objective is clear, then to eat is an opportunity to observe where my thoughts are going, what do I feel, if I eat with anxiety or anguish; that is the way of becoming aware, conscious, so those sanskaras go away permanently. “Remember me alone” starts with an awaken consciousness. It starts with the self. When you use every opportunity to do something worthwhile to discover the self, you will see that time is actually enjoyable, for there are times when you will have experiences with the self which will allow you to continue looking for more.
For instance, for me as soon as it starts becoming dark, I will shutdown the computer, the cellphone and that night is to eat and enjoy that in awareness and to walk by Nature afterwards and get recharged. A “thought-less” (no thinking) walk is healing. At that time when the “objective” is clear and you truly want to experiment with the self; time to be with yourself is valuable time.
Therefore, a clear objective is first.
Spirituality requires your utmost energy to be conscious, aware. Therefore, eat well, sleep good and learn to discern those activities which are superfluous in your life. Your time becomes precious. Until that hasn’t been experienced, you will be “in between.” You will be longing for company and people around you, just like a “normal” person.
However, this practice of “being alone” is not meant to be “alone” for all time but to be around people. That is the paradox.
That is how you will do “service” automatically, for that introversion will be noticeable, that strength of being awake will be noticeable and your interactions with others will be necessary, but not to “take” their company but to “give” your awareness.
The practice of living alone takes time. Once you have mastered it, life will give you different avenues. When opportunity knocks at your door, be ready to open it.
Best wishes!
Exploring the Depth of Living 