It
is too difficult to 'guess' .... why a person does something
regularly/frequently...
I
loved the game of caroms...
But,
it was not as a sport.... not for health(physical or mental).. ...
not for entertainment... etc.. There was a 'hidden' agenda !
But
as a consequence.... I could not avoid the incidental benefits...
Skill improved...
People
felt, I ought to participate in 'tournament'... they just pushed me
into it.. a few prizes came in...
There
again, my hidden agenda worked better, when I could 'very-keenly'
observe other players on a regular-basis!
One
such player friend said, "Do you know... there are a few people
, who just mastered the skill at this game for 'purely' their bread &
butter/livelihood... ?"
I
normally wait... for the other to finish saying something... (lucky
that I do.. else I would have missed to get the
corollary-wala-comment, which, for me.. was more educative !)
He
added...
“they
do not bother to play it as a 'game'... they do not participate in
any tournament.. they just sit in a rented room, at a prominent
place, and wait for 'customers'...
The 'customer'... is usually a carom-lover!...
They (the customers)... for example...place two white coins 'stuck' at the centre of the opposite edge, a black one sandwiched tightly between the two whites.. Now, this 'bread winner' has to 'attempt' to somehow-pocket that black in a single stroke with the striker (as per the rules of the game)... If he does it, he earns the rupee note offered as a 'bet' by the customer... if he fails, he has to pay-back double of it (2 rupees), to that customer... Usually, he does pocket it.. and the customer is 'entertained' watching the skill!”
I smiled...
I now asked this 'player-friend' “what has prompted you to share this with me?”
He said, “I have been watching you at the game, for nearly some 8 years now... I couldn't guess your real-motive, for pursuing this game... You just walked out, too-casually, when a win was certain, just because the opponent became desperate and turned glaringly-unethical, and even the appeal of 'tournament-committee' did not impress you ( later, the 'secretary' decided to sponsor a special-prize, during the 'prize distribution ceremony'... and even that turned into a politics!.. But a politician was the chief guest... so he handled that 'politics' well, saying, “I will bear the cost of this prize, ... so no more allegations of 'misuse' of sports-funds”... )...”
he continued... “ you were never disappointed by loses of games... it never affected your performance at the game!... that intrigued me!.. I felt, you do look 'closely-similar' to those 'bread-winners'... though you do not intend to make it a living, or a source of fame etc!... “
He summed up saying.. “perhaps, you might now be persuaded to share your real-intent!”...
“Oh!”.. I said.. “it is no big-secret... Just that.... I thought nobody around might be interested in my-interest-in-it :-))
It so happens, this game serves like a 'mirror' of my mind's steadiness... that is all... and I guess, it leaves no choice about whether other's too are going to be 'even-aware' of this aspect... it works on others too , quite similarly!”...
Now, this whole exercise ... spread over these years... even opened up the possibility to take a look at 'not-so-well-polished' mirrors of other kinds too... Almost any activity, its object, its objective, etc.. do provide a 'mirroring-effect'..
Slowly, the intricate inter-meshing, inter-weaving ... of how we respond, through our actions, revealed its innermost secrets to me!
The 'customer'... is usually a carom-lover!...
They (the customers)... for example...place two white coins 'stuck' at the centre of the opposite edge, a black one sandwiched tightly between the two whites.. Now, this 'bread winner' has to 'attempt' to somehow-pocket that black in a single stroke with the striker (as per the rules of the game)... If he does it, he earns the rupee note offered as a 'bet' by the customer... if he fails, he has to pay-back double of it (2 rupees), to that customer... Usually, he does pocket it.. and the customer is 'entertained' watching the skill!”
I smiled...
I now asked this 'player-friend' “what has prompted you to share this with me?”
He said, “I have been watching you at the game, for nearly some 8 years now... I couldn't guess your real-motive, for pursuing this game... You just walked out, too-casually, when a win was certain, just because the opponent became desperate and turned glaringly-unethical, and even the appeal of 'tournament-committee' did not impress you ( later, the 'secretary' decided to sponsor a special-prize, during the 'prize distribution ceremony'... and even that turned into a politics!.. But a politician was the chief guest... so he handled that 'politics' well, saying, “I will bear the cost of this prize, ... so no more allegations of 'misuse' of sports-funds”... )...”
he continued... “ you were never disappointed by loses of games... it never affected your performance at the game!... that intrigued me!.. I felt, you do look 'closely-similar' to those 'bread-winners'... though you do not intend to make it a living, or a source of fame etc!... “
He summed up saying.. “perhaps, you might now be persuaded to share your real-intent!”...
“Oh!”.. I said.. “it is no big-secret... Just that.... I thought nobody around might be interested in my-interest-in-it :-))
It so happens, this game serves like a 'mirror' of my mind's steadiness... that is all... and I guess, it leaves no choice about whether other's too are going to be 'even-aware' of this aspect... it works on others too , quite similarly!”...
Now, this whole exercise ... spread over these years... even opened up the possibility to take a look at 'not-so-well-polished' mirrors of other kinds too... Almost any activity, its object, its objective, etc.. do provide a 'mirroring-effect'..
Slowly, the intricate inter-meshing, inter-weaving ... of how we respond, through our actions, revealed its innermost secrets to me!
Spiritual
masters, do try to find out the 'why' of a disciple's keenness to
undertake a spiritual quest... (And, I was interested in their 'how they do it'... the finding it
out!)
Therefore yours,
psn
(14th November, 23015)
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