Lila - Divine Play
Recently, I came across a Hindu concept called "lila" (or "leela"). The term lila roughly translates to "divine play." From my understanding, lila is the idea that creation takes place for the sake of playfulness. In other words, there is an intrinsic property of the divine, and that property is play. If there were any other motive for creation but playfulness, divine creation could not be perfect: assigning a motive to creation would imply that the divine is seeking something out of lack.
I encountered the term lila in a meditation from a favorite Spotify podcast of mine, Heart Haven Meditations. If you have not listened to or read Tess Callahan's work, check her out. She combines her fiction writing abilities and her passion for meditation in a powerful way that has helped me greatly on my spiritual path.
In the spirit of lila, when I began this blog post, I did not know what direction it would take. If you are a seasoned writer, maybe that notion will cause you to stop reading altogether. If you are still with me, let's meditate on lila and see what thoughts come to be:
- Education
I seldom offer my opinions on education. Like healthcare, the public education system in the United States is so complicated, and the arguments so hot, that I try to stay out of the debate. That said, the idea that creation is merely the divine experiencing itself through play poses serious issues for the approach that was taken to educating me as a young man.
Unfortunately, due to the constraints of standardized testing and bloated curricula, public school teachers are forced to cover too much content in too little time. Just as I often make the mistake of cutting into my sleep to get things done despite sleep being vital, teachers sacrifice discussion around how students can playfully engage with a certain subject so they can get through what is being taught. Many readers will be familiar with the feeling of having slides crammed down their throats, a quick quiz or test to ensure everyone memorized the material, and a hasty transition into the next chapter of the textbook.
Devising scalable ways to test for creative thought is challenging, though that may be subject to change in the coming years with the help of automation. It also seems difficult to consistently grade students for the creativity with which they approach a given subject, especially when establishing foundations in less advanced topics where it may not be practical (or even possible) for students to take an "elegant approach."
Speaking of foundations, I would argue that there is a time and place for learning hard skills without worrying about lila. Technical practice is helpful in the sense that new skills expand our vocabulary, eventually allowing us to play in new ways. Issues arise only when the procurement of new skills becomes the entire practice, forever.
While I was living in Puerto Escondido, Mexico, I had the pleasure of training with a jiu-jitsu teacher at the local school. I went with a friend and had never practiced martial arts, so I felt nervous when the teacher singled me out to spar with him. What astounded me about that teacher was the fluidity and ease with which he submitted me (repeatedly): he married his toolbelt of 10,000 ways to get me to tap out with a present respect for my movements. He rendered me powerless not with brute force but a seemingly total accommodation of any move I made.
For me, part of the beauty of mastery comes when the skills one spends years perfecting coalesce into a fluency that allows the practitioner (of music, language, jiu-jitsu, math, etc.) to create playfully. The master's grace comes from her ability to express herself by applying her skills in real time, just as the moment requires.
- Happy Careers
While I do not work in technology, I enjoy reading the blog posts and meanderings of technology people for entertainment. I often come across figures like PG and Naval encouraging people to work on the things that feel like play to them. Typically, they warrant their claims by explaining that it is a lot easier to outwork others when work feels like play to you. Again, such a claim sounds lila-adjacent, but there is a sneaky element of utilitiarianism in the mix here: the goal is still dominance, profit, relevance in the marketplace, power, and so on.
I have personally struggled for the past couple years to find a career that is meaningful, challenging, and complementary to my strengths while feeling like play to me. I started this blog in part because I realized I was trying to intellectualize my way to the answer when I may be better served to play my way there.
I am not arguing that analyzing your strengths, interests, and market demand will not get you closer to picking something to work on. What I am saying, however, is that if you are the type of person that plans your career that analytically, you may also be shockingly unaware of what you actually enjoy doing. At least, that has been the case for me.
For now, I will focus not on the goal (a happy career) and will be leaving space for play. If you liked this post, consider trying one of Tess's heart opening meditations at Heart Haven Meditations. You won't regret it!