Learn religion from a video game (found from a web site)

[Guest guest]

Hinduism and Video Games (found in a web site- sent by a friend of mine)

 

"Hinduism is so complex. I do not understand it most of the time", said

Eesha, a young girl to Uncle Ashok. Ashok had come over half an hour ago

and Eesha was so engrossed in her video game then that she mechanically

said "Hi" to Ashok, and continued with her game.

 

Ashok watched Eesha play Super Mario Brothers (*). He watched her move

Mario to the right, hit and get hidden mushrooms and get bigger, or get

a fire flower or a cape, collect coins, punch his way thru obstacles,

climb ladders and occasionally get chomped by turtles. After the end of

a life Mario would start his next life, from where he left off. Now that

Eesha had finished one level she noticed that uncle Ashok, whom she met

every week when her parents took her to the temple, was still there.

 

"Eesha, you are really good at this video game!", said Ashok. She nodded

and added "Yep! and I can even beat my brother at it".

 

"You know you can learn many ideas of Hinduism from the video games",

said Ashok.

 

"How ? uncle Ashok", Eesha asked.

 

Let us say if you got a video game and it gave you only one chance to

beat it, will that be fair ?", Ashok asked.

 

"No, that is why they give you multiple lives. Actually, with a new game

it is very difficult to advance much further. It takes practice. When we

had just bought this game, I used to 'die' in just ten seconds, every

time", said Eesha.

 

"Hinduism is similar too. Most people do not lead a perfect life. So

according to Hinduism, you get many chances to improve your self. You

get many lives. This is called reincarnation". He continued," and just

as in a video game, if one life ends, you start over in the next life

where you left off".

 

"Now what will happen if you do not go towards the right in your video

game ?", asked uncle Ashok.

 

"You will not move to the next level. You will not make any progress and

time will run out", Eesha said

 

"Exactly! if you do not move in the 'right' direction, you will not make

progress. Thus YOU determine the right direction and how far progress

you can make. 'What you do, determines the result' this is called the

law of Karma. Your actions bear fruit accordingly. Now what happens in a

video game if you keep making same mistakes ?", Ashok asked.

 

"You go back to the start of that level" Eesha replied.

 

"Law of Karma similarly tells you that if you keep making same mistakes

over and over again, you will move backwards. Now in a video game you

get rewards and receive set backs. In this video game a mushroom will

make you grow bigger or an attack of a turtle will make you smaller, in

real life too you may become rich or poor, but that depends where you

start at and what actions you take. Yet getting big or small in itself

does not mean progress. Does it ?", asked Uncle Ashok.

 

"You are right, being big or small does not necessarily mean you will

move forward in the game or even to the next level", Eesha replied.

 

"Now tell me what happens when you go to the next level ?" Ashok asked.

 

"It gets tougher at the next level" Eesha said.

 

"Same is true in spiritual practice as per Hinduism", Ashok added. "Now

tell me what happens if you get stuck at a level, what do you do ? and

why ?", he asked.

 

"I ask my cousin Ojas. He knows what I should do. He knows where to the

keys are hidden, where secret passages are. He has beaten the game

already, Some times he even takes the controller to help me", Eesha

said.

 

"In Hinduism, similarly a Guru helps you move to next level. A Guru or a

master has already 'beaten the game'. She or He knows where the key is

hidden that will unlock the door. She or He knows what where the secret

passages are. She or He can even show you a 'warp' zone, to go to the

next level. But unlike a video game, in real life a Guru cannot play for

you. You have to play it yourself", said Ashok.

 

"Now tell me what happens when you beat the last level ? " Ashok asked.

 

"I have not beaten the game yet, but my cousin Ojas says that you see

fire works, music plays for long time, and then you see the name of the

programmer", Eesha said.

 

"Interestingly, that is what Hinduism says also, when you go beyond the

last hurdle you hear the music and you see THE PROGRAMMER - that is God

and then you do not need to play the game again, except to help others"

Ashok said.

 

"Let me ask you one more question. You get so absorbed playing a video

game that you feel that you are being Mario or Luigi on the screen. But

are you really Mario or Luigi ? Who are You?", He asked

 

"I am Eesha, of course. But while playing the game I forget that I am

Eesha and am only concerned about Mario or Luigi on the screen", she

replied.

 

"Exactly, Hinduism believes that we go thru different lives believing we

are the body or the name in that life. But we are not that body nor its

name. We are the Atman or soul which plays as a character of Mario or

Luigi (or whatever). That is something we must never forget. We are not

this body, but we are the Soul, or Atman". Ashok continued.

 

"Eesha have you noticed, that from video games you just learnt Hindu

concepts of reincarnation, Karma, Guru and Atman." He asked, "Was that

complex ? ".

 

"Not complex at all!" Eesha smiled, Her face was glowing by the

realization of Hindu concepts, a knowledge she already had in the form

of video games.

================

Regards

Namo Narayana

aDiyEn

[Guest guest]

This was one of the best articles/stories I've ever

read. My sincere thanks to the person who wrote this

message.

 

Regards,

Vijay.

--- vmadha wrote:

> Hinduism and Video Games (found in a web site- sent

> by a friend of mine)

>

> "Hinduism is so complex. I do not understand it most

> of the time", said

> Eesha, a young girl to Uncle Ashok. Ashok had come

> over half an hour ago

> and Eesha was so engrossed in her video game then

> that she mechanically

> said "Hi" to Ashok, and continued with her game.

>

> Ashok watched Eesha play Super Mario Brothers (*).

> He watched her move

> Mario to the right, hit and get hidden mushrooms and

> get bigger, or get

> a fire flower or a cape, collect coins, punch his

> way thru obstacles,

> climb ladders and occasionally get chomped by

> turtles. After the end of

> a life Mario would start his next life, from where

> he left off. Now that

> Eesha had finished one level she noticed that uncle

> Ashok, whom she met

> every week when her parents took her to the temple,

> was still there.

>

> "Eesha, you are really good at this video game!",

> said Ashok. She nodded

> and added "Yep! and I can even beat my brother at

> it".

>

> "You know you can learn many ideas of Hinduism from

> the video games",

> said Ashok.

>

> "How ? uncle Ashok", Eesha asked.

>

> Let us say if you got a video game and it gave you

> only one chance to

> beat it, will that be fair ?", Ashok asked.

>

> "No, that is why they give you multiple lives.

> Actually, with a new game

> it is very difficult to advance much further. It

> takes practice. When we

> had just bought this game, I used to 'die' in just

> ten seconds, every

> time", said Eesha.

>

> "Hinduism is similar too. Most people do not lead a

> perfect life. So

> according to Hinduism, you get many chances to

> improve your self. You

> get many lives. This is called reincarnation". He

> continued," and just

> as in a video game, if one life ends, you start over

> in the next life

> where you left off".

>

> "Now what will happen if you do not go towards the

> right in your video

> game ?", asked uncle Ashok.

>

> "You will not move to the next level. You will not

> make any progress and

> time will run out", Eesha said

>

> "Exactly! if you do not move in the 'right'

> direction, you will not make

> progress. Thus YOU determine the right direction and

> how far progress

> you can make. 'What you do, determines the result'

> this is called the

> law of Karma. Your actions bear fruit accordingly.

> Now what happens in a

> video game if you keep making same mistakes ?",

> Ashok asked.

>

> "You go back to the start of that level" Eesha

> replied.

>

> "Law of Karma similarly tells you that if you keep

> making same mistakes

> over and over again, you will move backwards. Now in

> a video game you

> get rewards and receive set backs. In this video

> game a mushroom will

> make you grow bigger or an attack of a turtle will

> make you smaller, in

> real life too you may become rich or poor, but that

> depends where you

> start at and what actions you take. Yet getting big

> or small in itself

> does not mean progress. Does it ?", asked Uncle

> Ashok.

>

> "You are right, being big or small does not

> necessarily mean you will

> move forward in the game or even to the next level",

> Eesha replied.

>

> "Now tell me what happens when you go to the next

> level ?" Ashok asked.

>

> "It gets tougher at the next level" Eesha said.

>

> "Same is true in spiritual practice as per

> Hinduism", Ashok added. "Now

> tell me what happens if you get stuck at a level,

> what do you do ? and

> why ?", he asked.

>

> "I ask my cousin Ojas. He knows what I should do. He

> knows where to the

> keys are hidden, where secret passages are. He has

> beaten the game

> already, Some times he even takes the controller to

> help me", Eesha

> said.

>

> "In Hinduism, similarly a Guru helps you move to

> next level. A Guru or a

> master has already 'beaten the game'. She or He

> knows where the key is

> hidden that will unlock the door. She or He knows

> what where the secret

> passages are. She or He can even show you a 'warp'

> zone, to go to the

> next level. But unlike a video game, in real life a

> Guru cannot play for

> you. You have to play it yourself", said Ashok.

>

> "Now tell me what happens when you beat the last

> level ? " Ashok asked.

>

> "I have not beaten the game yet, but my cousin Ojas

> says that you see

> fire works, music plays for long time, and then you

> see the name of the

> programmer", Eesha said.

>

> "Interestingly, that is what Hinduism says also,

> when you go beyond the

> last hurdle you hear the music and you see THE

> PROGRAMMER - that is God

> and then you do not need to play the game again,

> except to help others"

> Ashok said.

>

> "Let me ask you one more question. You get so

> absorbed playing a video

> game that you feel that you are being Mario or Luigi

> on the screen. But

> are you really Mario or Luigi ? Who are You?", He

> asked

>

> "I am Eesha, of course. But while playing the game I

> forget that I am

> Eesha and am only concerned about Mario or Luigi on

> the screen", she

> replied.

>

> "Exactly, Hinduism believes that we go thru

> different lives believing we

> are the body or the name in that life. But we are

> not that body nor its

> name. We are the Atman or soul which plays as a

> character of Mario or

> Luigi (or whatever). That is something we must never

> forget. We are not

> this body, but we are the Soul, or Atman". Ashok

> continued.

>

> "Eesha have you noticed, that from video games you

> just learnt Hindu

> concepts of reincarnation, Karma, Guru and Atman."

> He asked, "Was that

> complex ? ".

>

> "Not complex at all!" Eesha smiled, Her face was

> glowing by the

> realization of Hindu concepts, a knowledge she

> already had in the form

> of video games.

> ================

> Regards

> Namo Narayana

> aDiyEn

>

>

>

> ------------------------ Sponsor

>

>

> Srirangasri-

>

>

>

=== message truncated ===

 

 

 

 

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