We are busy playing with the toys of ego. No doubt, this is the life of most people in the world.
The truth is, every individual is imprisoned in a body. A body is a prison, a family is a prison, the world is a prison, and we are the prisoners of our own minds.
“This body is pre-thought, pre-planned.” Before we are born into this world we plan our bodies. We decide what kind of body we want. But we do not remember this; we have forgotten. We also decide where to be born; it is our plan, nobody else’s. The same holds true for the kind of life we want to live. When we travel, we decide where to go. When we go on a trip, we arrange many things. Similarly, when we travel to earth we arrange and prepare our bodies, our families, what kind of life we will have; it was all our doing. That is why it is said, ittham prakalpite dehe: “In this body that was preplanned by you.” Thus, we need not be unhappy with our bodies. Why? We receive what we wanted. We receive the body we desired. If we want to experience freedom we have to cherish this desire in us. Ittham prakalpite dehe: “This body is our thought, our creation.”
Through our karma we made some plans and acquired a body. We arrived in this world decorated with beautiful ornaments. What are the ornaments? It is said, anadi vasana malah: “You have a garland, a necklace, made of desires without beginning.” Vasana means “desires” and anadi means “without beginning”; thus, we have a beautiful necklace of desires without beginning as well as endless ambition. But this garland is not new. Anadimeans that from time immemorial we have been carrying the vasanas, the desires, life after life.
Spiritual experience is not a degree or a diploma. When words and the world disappear, you experience the play of Consciousness everywhere.
How long do we wish to continue this drama, this play of karma, this play of emotion, anger, jealousy, fear, frustration, and worry? We choose whether we want to continue the drama a little longer. Gurudev liked to use the expression, “The world is the play of kiss and kick.” This world is full of suffering, but little pleasure. A little sweetness, lots of sourness. Gurudev used to call it a “sugar-coated bitter tablet.”
And the final reason is that the world is just a play. The saint was enjoying the play of a child, and the child was enjoying the play of a saint.