LIFE AS A GAME: A Perspective On Life

'Life is like a game'- Many of us might be familiar with this phrase. In this episode, we will explore a different perspective.
I am playing the game not in order to enjoy, but I am playing the game and I am enjoying the game. The act of playing is the act of joy and not necessarily in order to attain joy. This is the aspect that is worthwhile to reflect on in terms of how we live our lives.

Transcript

Welcome.  Life is like a game.  How does this sound?  Many of you might be probably familiar with this phrase.  Are we experiencing life to be a game? 

Are we enjoying all the time?  So when we look at, you know, whether it's a sports game or board game, games are here for enjoyment, right?  But then we know that every game also has certain rules, certain structures, and certain regulations.  And as long as we play according to the guidelines, we are enjoying, we are playing the game.  And ideally, we are playing the game not in order to enjoy, but I am playing the game, enjoying the game. 

So the act of playing is actually an act of joy and not necessarily in order to attain joy.  And this is an aspect that I thought is worthwhile to reflect on in terms of how we live our lives.  When we stop and pause from time to time and step back, it's like you're in front of a picture of a painting, for example, in front of a forest or a house, any scene, and you take few steps back, then perspective starts to change.  You see not only one small part, but you see a bigger aspect of the painting or the object you're looking at.  Let us take a look at life as in a more wholesome way, in a more wholesome approach. 

And, you know, there's always the question, is life, or whatever the scenes, situations, circumstances in life, are. Are they for me or are they against me?  And that is very much connected to our mindset, state of mind at that point in time.  But one thing that I've learned on, or came to know early on on the spiritual journey is that what if life is for me?  What if everything, what, whenever anything started, it started in a moment of harmony, in a state of harmony, in a state of peace. 

It is there to be used, it is there to be enjoyed. It's about experiencing all these beautiful qualities, joy, happiness, peace.  And then, actually, if you ask yourself at different points in times, we have certain feelings, right? And then our self-talk, the way we speak to the self is not necessarily very positive, very uplifting. But when we ask ourselves, deep in our heart, am I a being of goodness? 

Is peace natural to me? Is happiness natural to me? Or is it to be angry, to be anxious, worried, fed up, more natural to me?  Yes, we may have several moments where we are not happy. But when we ask ourselves this question deep within, I think we all agree that peace, love, this pure love, joy, happiness, that these are natural state of beings. 

And when we look at life as a whole, then life as such is there to be enjoyed. Life brings everything. It has everything that we need.  It is not against me. There's a state of harmony, but there's also a state of harmony within me, not only around me, but also within and in terms of playing our games, right? 

Even playing a game can become stressful. What happens? Why does it happen that sometimes we get even angry when we play a game?  Because I have an agenda.  I am not enjoying the act of playing. 

I am not enjoying the journey. But I have one or another selfish motive. I want to win.  I want to be better.  The fear of losing, for example,  or being too competitive,  or if there is another round,  maybe even I'm driven by revenge, even in a play. 

Now, life brings different situations in our lives and brings different people, different circumstances in front of me. And if I'm not really connected to my true self, if I'm not connected to my inner goodness, to my inner world of peace and love, then the way I will look at it, the way I will perceive it, the way I will act, behave,  will not be in a very positive way. And so whatever is going on within my own mind is then also reflected in our way, how we interact with people, with the environment, and how we treat our own selves.  So playing game of life, an analogy, could be simply playing a board game, right? Check within your own self. 

Where are you coming from? Am I enjoying what I am doing?  What am I doing in order to enjoy? Do I have expectations?  Do I want something? 

Do I need something from the other one? Now, these energies that make us break certain natural laws, we are not aligned anymore with our inner truth, with our strength. And so then we become serious and we bring all sorts of motives in the game. And consequently, there are a lot of distortions.  And ultimately, probably I'm unhappy. 

We take things personal and then feel bad, start to blame others. And then one word gives the other one.  So in meditation now, we will  explore  more the inner state of being, but also connect to that point of stillness and come into the moment, because it is really only in the moment  where I can be happy,  where I can enjoy,  where I am able to experience all these beautiful qualities  within myself. And then I speak or do something in that state and it becomes beneficial. So let us stop now for the meditation. 

Sit comfortably.  Feel the support, the chair. 

Connect with your breath. Feel your breath, how you breathe in and breathe out. 

And also, as I share these pose, notice the space between the thoughts. 

There is space between one thought or one word and the other one. 

And as I listen, I consider these moments of stillness and silence between the words, between my thoughts. 

And as I go deeper within, I hold my attention on my awareness, on my own presence. 

The thoughts that come in, I become the observer.  I observe the thoughts and let them go. 

Like a puff of smoke, those thoughts start to dissolve. 

I look at my mind. 

I look at those thoughts as I speak, as I listen.  From the core of my being where a fountain of peace emerges. 

As I am the observer of my own mind, let the thoughts come and go. 

And I hold the focus on the awareness of desires.  As a being of peace, I gradually start to feel calm, relaxed. 

There is an inner sense of peace, even wellbeing that emerges. 

There is no disturbance. 

Even though there may be different thoughts or feelings in my mind.  In the awareness of the observer, the awareness that I, the observer, I am peace. 

I have become still, quiet, silent. 

And when I think of speaking or listening or doing anything, I do that from that inner space of calm peace. 

And when there is peace within, there is also love.  And when there is love, there is also happiness. 

I am those qualities. 

And as I interact, as I move around,  as I do things,  I do so  while being connected  to that inner  source of treasures,  to that inner calmness,  inner joy  that I express  as I interact,  as I do things, as I live my life. 

And in that state of being, there are no thoughts from the past, there are no thoughts of the future.  In this moment I am fully present here and now. 

And in this inner state of fullness, I have everything that I need to be happy, to be peaceful, and to be content.  There's respect for desire, respect for life, respect for others and value, value of the self and value of life. 

Speak or listen. 

I am still connected to that inner fountain of peace. 

Om Shanti.