What Does Your Life Teach?

Every creature has a story. A beginning, an arc of a life, and then an ending. Not just animals, of course. Trees, flowers, butterflies, spiders, rocks, planets, and solar systems all have their story.
All come from life, are infused and animated by life to become a particular life form, and then return to the pool of life. Along the way there are small and great dramas, crossroads of destiny, and surprises both wondrous and horrific. Some stories end very quickly and some go on and on. There are countless dramas within this leela, which I define as the entire theatre of life and all its forms.

We are a species that learns by stories. Our families, nations, religions, cultures, and sub-cultures pass on knowledge through story telling, whether in prose or poetry. From first learning how to read to seeking truth and freedom, we look to stories to show the way. And they do.

When we evoke the story of Christ, or Buddha, or Harriett Tubman, or Ulysses, or Wonderwoman, or Harry Potter, it changes our state of mind (as well as our physiology.) When we follow the arc of their lives we see a mirror of the blessings and curses of our own lives, and we gather nourishment and/or learn essential warnings from their stories.

We are inspired and cautioned by stories. From leaning to be on time by hearing our mother read "The Pokey Little Puppy" enough times, to realizing the great follies of our vanity from the classic epics of all cultures; from the daily headlines of the tabloids to the tragedies and comedies of Shakespeare and the latest super-hero, we learn what failure is, what perseverance means, how the choice of an instant can change a person's or a country's life. (In our times, how the choice of an instant can threaten all life forms.)

We are entertained by stories in movies, and books; in gossip and in scripture. Stories are the vehicle and proof of the power of language, the central jewel in the crown of language. And mostly we are swept along with the prevailing story. The latest reasons for war, the necessity of doing more, the apocalyptic end of the world, etc. We are manipulated by the stories we read and re-read, and tell and re-tell.

Just becoming more aware of the stories we live, along with their infinite plot lines and sub-plots, begins to wake us up. As in lucid dreaming, we become aware of ourselves as both in the dream (story) and outside it. In lucid dreaming, as in lucid living, we are no longer tyrannized by the stories circulating around us and inside us. The nightmare can be faced directly; the flying dream can be enjoyed in the moment.

What is your story and what is it teaching?

You discover your story by noticing what you are telling yourself, over and over. Notice what you tell yourself about your past, your present, and your future. In order to have any lasting impact (our) stories have to be told and retold. All stories have a narrative. What is your narrative? You can check right now. It is bound to be familiar.

I am not suggesting that you change your story, although you can and are free to. I am simply pointing to the fact that you have stories, you live in stories, and their power is heightened as they are told and retold.

Since all stories, stories archetypical and stories banal, ultimately teach us something, investigate what your story teaches? Regardless of where you are in your story ( still at the beginning, the hopefully long middle, or near the end), what bigger story does your life story contribute to?

Since stories are kept alive by gift of human imagination, your imagination has the capacity to change the elements of your story. You can remove yourself as either victim or victor of the story you tell. You can even imagine your story with someone else playing your role.

When you remove yourself as both narrator and leading character, what is left?

When you are clear or lucid in your story, does the story change? How?

What do you learn from your story?

Thank you for participating in this investigation of reality, real and imagined!

Gangaji will be in Boston for a public meeting September 12th, and in Woodstock for a public meeting September 14. She will hold a seven day retreat at Garrison Institute, NY, beginning September 16th. Read more about Gangaji's events and catalog of books and videos online.

Comments

[lighthearted1]

May all beings be free, and all stories great stories of freedom, of living the freedom we are.

[rumi2]

Gangaji,
Thank you again for bringing your love ,heart and teachings into this world.
In Silence and not in silence we are always one.
No story, no problems
Love and Blessings always.
Jerry

[BarbaraShepard]

When I am not the narrator or the main character what is left? What a great question!
Actually nothing is left, nothing at all. And what a great relief nothing turns out to be.
How does the story change?
Well, motivation changes. To simply stay in the essence of life in its unfathomable emptiness becomes the reality and the story can change or not ~ who cares?
The story is about life living you, instead of you living life.
Much more fun this way. Thank you Gangaji

[Zsuzsanna Rossetter]

It's a beautiful question: what does our story teach us? And it is a relief that the story doesn’t necessarily have to be changed.
One thing that has been happening lately for me is the realization that I want to love it all. Instead of watching with anxiety and concern, with the feeling of inadequacy, there is a wish to embrace “me” with its stories just as I would gladly embrace a child who is not yet grown up. Just as I would be delighted to watch a baby scrub jay learning to fly, first being awkward, uncertain, not even pretty like an adult, with fluffy grayish feathers, without the majesty of the blue, the nobility and smartness of dad or mom. But there is something beautiful in that … And there is a timeless element, too, a certain distance from the story … like looking into a vast landscape with long stretching horizon where there is not much to hold on to for the eye. It is peaceful, almost motionless. Deep and ancient. Almost not human. Somewhere these two meet and have their dance together, one moment holding hands, another moment going on their own, spinning and celebrating and sometimes being lost in their own world.
What is a story after all? Seems like a never ending dance of separation and union, coming together and moving apart, loving and being alone. Quite incredible that the human heart can embarce it all.

[randallsmith]

Dear Gangaji,

What a wonderful gift to stop the story.
Today, I had challenging situations arise in my business that were out of my control. Instead of telling the story to myself (and re-telling over and over) of "I am having an awful day, how can this be", or even "I am so happy this is a great day that I want to keep having these great days", it all comes back to stopping the story. So, today, I stopped the story, and the situations that arose (whether negative or positive), were exactly that, situations that arose. I stopped at the "I am". If I am aware I am then these thoughts and situations are like clouds passing in the sky. They come and go but the sky does not, it is here. I think the mind gets caught up in the telling of stories, and telling stories about ourselves. Right now I can here my mind saying "I am silly for writing this comment, or I am needing to do this, or I am wanting this so I can be (fill in the emotion). But, it seems to me, to stop and actually observe what is. What is here and never goes anywhere. Wow! That is (powerful)!!! I am! P.S. I attended the public meeting in Ashland on Sunday, and I was over powered by the beauty and love of that meeting.

Gratitude, Randall

[linty]

A wonderful blog. I love stories, getting lost in them in book n movie form, hearing the stories of people's lives, etc. When my dad was dying he told some of the story of his life, not much, bcause that wasn't his way. But he told stories of his time served in WW2. It's pretty amazing and touching to hear a life told through words.

When the narrator and leading character isn't there what's left is peace, pure bliss. But those moments of peace are few and far inbetween(and happened when I wasn't looking!). I know it's just a story. I observe it's just thoughts that make up and fuel the story. I know believing in it, identifying with makes it real. That doesn't change the heavy and very tiring reality of my story. I wonder how you drop something that isn't real but seems so real and heavy? How does it happen, gangaji? Does it take being so tired of the story that a dropping happens on it's own accord? I'm beyond sick of thoughts n my story.

Thank you.

[Gangaji - Huffpost Blogger]

Dear Linty, If you ask yourself the question, "How do I hold onto something so heavy?" rather than the question, "How do I drop it," you will discover the "how" to be held together by a fear of what is here when there is no story of you. Meet that fear directly, without any story, and you discover yourself. Then "story" or "no story" you recognize yourself as silent awareness!
Sending love and support, gangaji

[linty]

Hi. Your words point to something that rings so true for me on some level but even so I just can't see through the heavy noisy mind to even get a glimpse of the fear you speak of, let alone meet it. I will keep trying though.

thank you, gangaji. thank you very much:)

[BrotherMichael]

"Surely, whoever speaks to me in the right voice, him or her I shall follow,
As the water follows the moon, silently, with fluid steps, anywhere around the globe".___Walt Whitman


Gangaji,
You speak to us in the "right voice".
You are such a gentle and beautiful bridge between Eastern thought and the Western mind.
I believe it's why Papaji chose you.

I look forwad to meeting you in November at the northern California retreat.
Brother Michael.

I honor the place in you where the entire universe resides,
I honor the place in you of love, of light, of truth, of peace.
I honor the place within you where if you are in that place in you
and I am in that place in me,
there is only one of us.
Namaste._____Ram Dass

[Michael Byers]

Since I met you and Eli I have only one story left. This is the story of my life in this moment.



We are open, empty vessels
Receiving ourselves from all that arises
Returning ourselves to all we meet

From fire we are born
As Truth ignites in form

From nothingness we spin
As blazing, argent light

Celestial minions on columbine wings
We come at the breath of dawn

Rejoice now as peace is called
And freedom known

In one heart we dwell
By one hearth we rest

A beacon in the window
And love fills the cup on the sill


Gangaji, how can I say I love you when there are no words. Look into my eyes.

[lighthearted1]

Beautiful. Perfect. What an incredible expression! Thank you Michael Byers.