The Game of Life

Normally, it seems that many people are not interested in God. People just want to be happy. Interest in God and Truth becomes stronger when there is dissatisfaction with life. There is nothing wrong with this; rather, it is perfectly natural. After all, God put me here on this earth; He gave me eyes to see my parents, brothers, sisters, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc.

I am able to interact with them, and if I am lucky, develop meaningful, loving relationships, and enjoy a nice life. I was taught about the existence of God, but it is does not seem natural to love someone you don't ever remember meeting.

I see many things that please me, and I want to taste, touch, and experience everything the world has to offer. However, if I do not observe boundaries with regards to ethics and morality, maya (ignorance, illusion) will surely drown me.

For some people, life seems to go very smoothly. It appears that some people do live a pleasant, adventurous life, and it also seems that some of these people do not appear to be interested in Truth or God. Perhaps they do not evolve or grow spiritually, and that is all right. High ethical standards are important; that we do not hurt others is important; that we love and respect our fellow man is also important. These standards are the only universal requirements, which determine "right" and "wrong."

Many people pretend to be religious, but religion without ethics is hypocrisy. They chant the name of the Lord, and sing bhajans, but when they speak, they hurt others. God showers more blessings upon the person who is kind and does not hurt others through words and actions, than the person who is chanting His name with the idea that this is what God wants, and that some benefit will come from chanting His name. It is better that you take your family out to the park and have a good time, than you chant His name with the false belief that God will reward you.

This does not mean that chanting the name of the Lord is not important. For many people who have encountered numerous difficulties in life, chanting the name of the Lord becomes very important. But the aspirant must not fall into the trap of selfishness; liberation, for some people, becomes a selfish goal. When this happens, there is no concern for the feelings and thoughts of others. As demonstrated by Bhagavan Shri Ram, it is a man's duty to be kind and pleasant to one's wife, brother, father, mother, children, and the world.

Presently, it seems, there is a pre-occupation with material goods. In many cultures, people follow the tradition of presenting and receiving gifts on various occasions, but it does not come from the heart. People who receive measure how much is received by whom and the people who give, give excessively, in order to show other people how much they have given. All of these things are formalities. One should give gifts from the heart. If the budget is small, spend less money, but try to buy something that will make the recipient happy. Or don't give, that too is all right.

Because of this type of superficial behavior, God puts most of us through difficult situations. He does this because He knows we are capable of evolving out of our selfishness. We are put through hard times in order that we may rid ourselves of pride, greed, anger, lust, etc. Through these difficulties, man becomes understanding, compassionate, humble, and charitable.

Many people turn to religion, and sometimes get discouraged when they read from the Bhagavad Gita, which says that seekers of knowledge are very rare (and among the seekers of knowledge, per chance one really knows God). What, then, is the hope of gaining knowledge? However, the truth is that it is everyone's destiny to gain knowledge of the Atma (soul). When you turn an hourglass upside down, it will appear that at any given time, not very many grains of sand are interested in going to the other side. But actually, they are all moving closer to the other side, and eventually, little by little, they all fall to the other side.

In order to acquire knowledge, you must first become honest; if you are not honest with the world, at the very least, you must be completely honest with yourself. The problem with many people is that they believe that they have to be angels; it is hard for them to accept that they have any negative qualities. If greed exists inside of you, acknowledge, "Yes I see greed inside of me." Then pray to the Lord. If anger exists, then acknowledge, "Yes I see anger inside of me." Then, place this observation at the Lord's feet; tell the Lord that you see this negative quality inside of you and leave it at that. If fear or selfishness exists, do the same. There are countless vices in each of us. We have to be honest if we want to acquire the knowledge of Atma.

What is the Truth that one is meant to realize? There are two points of view on this matter. The first point of view is that man and God are different, man fell from heaven, and man is meant to re-establish his relationship with God. In this system, worship of God is performed in order to go to Vaikuntha (Akshar-Dham / Heaven).
The second point of view is that man and God are one and the same. This gives a different explanation of the reasons for creation. Bondage exists so that freedom has meaning. Good and evil are relative terms. They are both servants of God, although the result of "bad karma" will always inflict the evil doer. The evil will one day be good; the good will one day be Divine. But all forms are created, sustained, and destroyed by one Being, He who is the director and also all of the actors. It is God who is dreaming millions of dreams through millions of egos. It is also God who is waking up all of these dreamers. He alone Is. Therefore, He alone does everything. You, the small, individualistic, ego-you, do nothing. The destiny of every being is to reach Divinity. Every being is meant to struggle to reach Divinity. Without the struggle, man would not appreciate freedom.

Many argue that belief in destiny is harmful, because it causes a person to stop personal effort. However, if it is the destiny of a person to stop personal effort, it is also the destiny of the person to suffer the consequences. And once the consequences are felt, the person will not make this mistake again. A lion may become lazy and wait for Destiny to put a deer in his mouth, but his nature will not let him sit for long. Eventually, he will have to burst into action.

How far am I from my goal? The answer to this question is that I am not far at all from my goal, because I AM what I seek. Firstly, it is a matter of acceptance. You have to accept this teaching, and have faith in this teaching: that you are the Self, that you are happiness. When you have accepted this teaching, you will not carry the burden of insecurities or questions. In order to accept, you must continue to affirm this truth, and try to let this "hypothesis" penetrate through in such a way that you use it to positively effect your behavior. You must consciously act with the knowledge of the "hypothesis" that I AM HAPPINESS in the background while you are performing the actions.

Every time that you show an interest in tasty food, you are involved in a process that further convinces you that you are dependant on something for your happiness. Every time that you carry the weight of questions on your head, you are not accepting the fact that you are happiness. Experience and imagination tell you that happiness is elsewhere, or that you have been robbed of happiness. You are not dependent on anyone, or anything, or any situation for your happiness, although experience and imagination suggest otherwise. To realize that you are happiness, you must suspend all ideas about what it is that you are lacking, and happily perform your duty.

Continue bhakti (devotion), and devote all your actions to the Lord, without ambition, without a time-line, without expectations. This simplicity and kindness in life will lead to freedom. You will discover your true nature in the form of an infinite happiness.