SPIRITUALITY: A Serious Game for Serious Players

It's interesting how some folks tend to take the spiritual game very seriously.

You see them all over the internet often informing others about what "spirituality" is all about; what you must do or not do, say or not say. They tend to apply strict rules to the spiritual game, and woe be it, to any who break with those rules. (no doubt the rules were learned from some teacher somewhere).

They don't take kindly to conflict or disagreement of any kind (especially when it conflicts with the principles they espouse as "the truth"). When you do present an opposing viewpoint, they often attack you personally attempting to highlight any character defect that may have shown through your typed words (because obviously those who do not play by the rules must be a deviant of some kind)

Nevertheless, it is of the utmost importance that you take the rules seriously.

The problem with rules is that they tend to make the game finite, allowing for little change. Rules demand conformity to some teacher or text and they tend to box you into a belief system that allows little freedom of movement (the irony is that many of these serious dogmas actually claim that they will "set you free").

But for the serious player, there must be rules because there must be winners and losers that we can easily identify. Of course, to be a winner in the spirituality game means you have attained the desired outcome. For some that outcome is simply to attain the title of teacher, guru, yogi, etc, etc. Obviously to win that title you must play by the rules that your guru followed, else you will not win.

Therefore, all the rules are fairly evident (though often unspoken) and based on past precedent. In other words, to be "awakened" like your guru, you must adhere to the strict practices and procedures as set forth by your guru's guru and his guru before him, etc, etc. Those that play the game by these rules may one day be granted the title of "awakened" (yet the rules do state that there can only be a limited number of winners) and will be afforded the reverence that the title deserves (based on the rules for the un-awakened).

However, there is another type of player that, although they recognize it's all a game, they love playing anyway. For those folks the object of the game is simply to continue playing by engaging as many players as possible. The only rule for those players is that there are NO RULES and the game is never-ending. As if there were only one finite way or path to realize the infinite. LOL!

Happy Trails!