This story is Absolutely True .
On April 5, 2003, I decided to go to the Santa Cruz beach and boardwalk. Into the noisy arcade my husband and I wandered, looking around at all of those "captured by machines." It was such a dark, loud contrast to the lovely sunny beach outside. The sights and sounds were very "EnDarkening," to me, reminding one of a combination of interstellar warfare, the Indi 500, and dinosaurs mating. Yet, everyone was enjoying this onslaught of imagined competition, violence, and thrill-seeking.
We enjoyed a Martial Arts game together, and tried all of the various forms, from Karate to Drunken Kung Fu.
Next, approaching a small room over on the edge of Neptune's Kingdom, I saw one arcade game that somehow appealed to me. Not too violent, I thought. It was called "California Speed," a race car game. One could sit into the driver's seat, and then pick their level of desired difficulty. It included a steering wheel, floor pedals, and one could choose either a gear shift or automatic. I chose automatic.
Then I chose where I wanted to drive in California. First I chose "Silicon Valley." There I was, driving along the wide streets, and actually passed my husband's work place, on my way into Mountain View. That drive turned out to be pretty boring for me.
So then I chose a more difficult course, "San Francisco." That one was a bit more interesting and more of a challenge.
Yet, safe driver that I am was turning out to be a disadvantage. Half the time I drove off the hilly road or bridge, and let up on the gas pedal. Of course, then my score was very low.
Next, I decided on "Santa Cruz."
"How funny!" I said to my husband, "I'm going to drive down Highway 1, into Santa Cruz, just like we did, to get here, today!"
Getting enthused, my husband decided to join me in the next car seat. He was more familiar with these kinds of arcade games, and he chose a more difficult route to drive . He chose "L.A." We were going to race each other, and see who could drive the fastest, and get the highest score.
"OK..." my husband said, "Remember one important thing. This is only a game. And the secret to this game is To Floor It, No Matter What. Whatever happens, keep your pedal to the metal, and Just keep Going!"
"OK," I said, "I'll try!"
We placed our quarters into the slots, and took off driving, me in my little red hot rod, and he in his bright yellow racing car.
There I was, driving down Highway 1, right into downtown Santa Cruz! Everything was going great , until I realized I had missed the turn in the road. I was flooring it, alright, and somehow I ended up driving On The Boardwalk!
"What happened?" I quickly wondered. "How did I get get here?"
But there was no time to stop and think! No time to even wonder!
I continued flooring it.
Then I realized I was running into people!!! People were flying high into the air, in every direction....mothers with their children, fathers eating popcorn, teenagers licking their ice cream cones, old ladies with their canes...I ran into every one of them!!!
I quickly swerved to the left, to avoid another person walking on the boardwalk.
"Oh my God," I said, "This can't be true!!! Now I'm driving on The Rolllercoaster!!!"
Yes, there I was, flooring it, and somehow I had managed to actually drive onto The Rollercoaster!!!
Up, up, up, I drove, on the ascent, still flooring it. Up ahead, I saw The Curve.
"Oh no," I said, "There's A Curve in the rollercoaster!!! I'll never make it!"
As The Curve quicly approached, I yanked the steeling wheel sharply to the left.
No.........
too late.....
there I was, sailing through space......I had driven Over The Edge!
I was going To Crash!
I was going To Die!
Time ended.
It was One Timeless Moment.
All thinking Stopped.
That was When I Got It.
That was when My Life Changed, Forevermore.
This WAS just a game.
Yet, my mind had treated it As If Real.
The "As If Real" had been The Thing.
I had driven over the edge, yet, I was OK!
I was still alive!
I hadn't really "been there."
It was Just an Arcade Game!!!
It wasn't Real!
Then I had My Second Realization.
That second one was "the clincher."
"The clincher" was, that This Life, which I have been Taking As Real,
was no more real than the arcade game I was now playing.
These two realizations both actually "happened" simultaneously.
"That's IT!!!" I said to my husband,
as I finished the drive around the curves on the rollercoaster,
and back down onto the boardwalk, onto the street, and reached the finish line.
The sexy girls in bikinis at the finish line were smiling at me and waving their checkered flags.
"That's IT!!!" I said, elated, laughing. "It's Just A Game!!! Just like Everything Else!!!"
We both laughed alot over my experience, as I explained the whole thing to him.
"Life is Just A Game!!!" I said, again.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" I laughed,
"After studying with an Enlightened Master for 30 years,
I finally Got It, Playing An Arcade Game!!!"
That was when we both decided to go take a nice leisurely walk along the sunny beach.
I had "Driven Over the Edge" and realized that
"there was no edge, is no edge, and never, ever, ever,
will be An Edge."
Halleluia, and Thank You To Existence.
copyright Anupama Deanne Kallman 2005
OSHO'S BLACK KIMONO ROLLS-ROYCE
OSHO'S BLACK KIMONO ROLLS-ROYCE
click here to read How OSHO Began Driving
a story from "Journey of the Heart"
