The Wisdom of Atlantic City

This Christmas, I bought my wife and I a living social deal for a two-night stay at the Taj Mahal in Atlantic City. To make a long story short, we lost pretty much all the money we had brought. I had been to Taj Mahal once before, when I first turned 21, and lost everything! From that experience, I quickly learned you will most likely lose everything you bring to this enticing, money-sucking place. During the more recent venture to AC, I had brought a certain amount of money with the clear knowledge I was going to lose it all, which made leaving with nearly empty pockets not so upsetting. I was clear about the situation, I knew I  would lose everything, and I just enjoyed myself - sometimes I was on top, sometimes the bottom, but in the end I lost everything.

Looking back on my experience, I had what Oprah Winfrey would call an "aha moment." This is analogous to my life. No matter how rich I get, no matter what my status is in society, no matter how much my family loves me, no matter how safe and secure I try and make myself, I am going to lose everything. As Zen master Suzuki Roshi once said, “Life is like setting sail on a ship that is bound to sink.” As in my AC trip, we will have ups and downs - sometimes feeling on top of the world, other times being crushed by it's weight - but this is it. This is our lives. Although this may seem like a daunting realization, it is a realization nonetheless, and is one that can bring you to peace. Once you understand that you will lose everything, than you realize you've got nothing to lose. As Steve Jobs explained,"Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

Meditation and mindfulness slows you down enough to see life clearly as it is. Pleasant feelings come and then they go, as do unpleasant ones. Nothing can bring you ultimate fulfillment in this world - that is the biggest lie our minds try and make us believe. What once fulfilled you yesterday, annoys you today. If only I had this, soon becomes if only I had that. We have all received what we have wanted many times, and just look for yourself, are you fulfilled yet? When does craving end? 

When is the mind going to be satisfied? When you let go of wanting to fix life. Things are as they are in this moment. Be that! That's peace! That's joy! It's nothing special and it's not far away. Peace and joy are not attainments. You don't have to do something special to achieve it. Peace and joy is an absence, an absence of self-concern, an absence of hopes and fears. Peace and joy is becoming fully this very moment, no matter what the circumstances. 

Find peace and joy right now. Be aware of how life is and how your mind pulls you away from reality all the time. By noticing your mind, you have let go into awareness. There is your fulfillment. What are you waiting for? Let go!