Life is a Dance
Alan Watts: Life Is Not a Journey
The existence, the physical universe is basically playful. There is no necessity for it whatsoever. It isn’t going anywhere. That is to say, it doesn’t have some destination that it ought to arrive at.
But that it is best understood by the analogy with music. Because music, as an art form is essentially playful. We say, “You play the piano” You don’t work the piano.
Why? Music differs from say, travel. When you travel you are trying to get somewhere. In music, though, one doesn’t make the end of the composition the point of the composition. If that were so, the best conductors would be those who played fastest. And there would be composers who only wrote finales. People would go to a concert just to hear one crackling chord… Because that’s the end!
Same way with dancing. You don’t aim at a particular spot in the room because that’s where you will arrive. The whole point of the dancing is the dance.
But we don’t see that as something brought by our education into our everyday conduct. We have a system of schooling which gives a completely different impression. It’s all graded and what we do is put the child into the corridor of this grade system with a kind of, “Come on kitty, kitty.” And you go onto kindergarten and that’s a great thing because when you finish that you get into first grade. Then, “Come on” first grade leads to second grade and so on. And then you get out of grade school and you got high school. It’s revving up, the thing is coming, then you’re going to go to college… Then you’ve got graduate school, and when you’re through with graduate school you go out to join the world.
Then you get into some racket where you’re selling insurance. And they’ve got that quota to make, and you’re gonna make that. And all the time that thing is coming – It’s coming, it’s coming, that great thing. The success you’re working for.
Then you wake up one day about 40 years old and you say, “My God, I’ve arrived. I’m there.” And you don’t feel very different from what you’ve always felt.
Look at the people who live to retire; to put those savings away. And then when they’re 65 they don’t have any energy left. They’re more or less impotent. And they go and rot in some, old peoples, senior citizens community. Because we simply cheated ourselves the whole way down the line.
If we thought of life by analogy with a journey, with a pilgrimage, which had a serious purpose at that end, and the thing was to get to that thing at that end. Success, or whatever it is, or maybe heaven after you’re dead.
But we missed the point the whole way along.
It was a musical thing, and you were supposed to sing or to dance while the music was being played.
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So with that … let’s begin.
Begin Meditation
Sit in a comfortable but attentive posture, allowing your back to be straight but not rigid or stiff. Upright but not uptight 🙂
Feel your head balanced on your shoulders, allow your face and jaw to relax, with arms and hands resting in a comfortable position.
Be attentive to what’s happening within your own awareness, right here and right now, without judgment.
As you sit, begin to notice the sensations of breath. Pay attention for a moment to how your abdomen moves on each in-breath and out-breath, the movement of air through your nostrils, the slight movement of your chest and shoulders.
Find the spot in your body where the sensation of breathing is most vivid, whether it be your abdomen, your chest or your shoulders, or the movement of air through your nostrils. Try to keep your attention at that spot.
As you breathe in, be aware of the in-breath; as you breathe out, be aware of the out-breath. Simply observe the breath going in and the breath going out.
You may notice your attention shifting away from the breath from time to time. It’s perfectly normal for thoughts to wander into fantasies, memories, worries, or things you need to do. When you notice your mind has wandered, try to meet it with a spirit of friendliness. You don’t need to do anything about it. There is nothing to fix. Rather than forcing it, just try to allow yourself to become curious about what it’s like to be breathing right now, and you’ll find that the attention is naturally drawn back to the physical sensations of breath as it moves through your body.
What is the Destination?
Right here, right now, think of something you’ve been wanting to do. A place where you want to go. Some destination or goal that you’ve been holding inside that will indicate “you have arrived.”
Tangible
Home ownership
A New Job
Meeting the perfect partner
Having a baby
Traveling the world
Or Intangible
Security
Wealth
Joy
Better health
So where are you?
Focus on that destination
Where you have arrived.
Let’s spend a few breaths there.
Now with that in mind …
What does that look like? Are you comfortable? In the sunshine? On a mountain?
Where are you? A different house? A different city? A different country?
How do you feel? Happy? Relieved? Tired? Grateful?
Who is around you? Family? Friends? Your Dog? Cat?
And what I think is a key question – WHEN is it … next week? Next year? 5 years? 10 years?
Let’s spend a few minutes there.
Thinking about some place in the future.
Now visualize the journey to get there as a linear path or progression. Visualize a long, straight road. I-90 across the state.
Keeping your eyes on your goal.
Hands on the wheel. Foot on the accelerator. Noticing mileposts. Exits. On & off-ramps. Towns. Rest-stops. Mile after mile. Scenery racing by. A blur. Monotony.
Now visualize the trip with a few detours. On the way back to Coeur d’Alene after a week in western washington, we stopped at Wild Horses monument. It was 90 or 100 degrees and we got out and the warm wind blew my hair around and the sun in my face.
The time that my niece was visiting and we hit Indian John Hill Rest area at Christmastime in a blizzard. One of the restrooms was closed so we were huddling in a porta-potty laughing hysterically with the wind shaking the toilets.
The memories. I think of BOTH of those things every time I drive across the state. The diversions.
The joy.
Those small detours.
The poetry and music and dance of the moment.
What if you could choose between a gray freeway with blurry scenery, or wild horses with wind in your hair and sun on your face?
What if you had that choice every day?
To notice.
To smell a flower.
To stop and listen to a street musician.
To linger just a little longer to watch a toddler laugh at a dog on the sidewalk.
What if that is the music?
Or the opportunity to dance when we feel compelled to get to the next place as quickly as possible?
Please. PLEASE. Don’t forget to dance.
I’m going to end with a few quotes …
“Dance with the present moment; it’s the only partner you have in this cosmic ballroom.”
“Like a dance, life is a continuous series of movements and transitions.”
“The beauty of life is in its spontaneity, like an improvisational dance.”
“Dancing through adversity can be the most graceful expression of our humanity.”
“Our existence is a dance of interdependence; we’re all part of the same cosmic choreography.”
“Each moment in life is a unique dance, never to be repeated.”
“In the dance of life, every stumble is an opportunity for a new move.”
“Like a dancer surrendering to the music, surrender to the flow of life.”
“The most profound wisdom often comes from the simple realization that life itself is a dance.”
Closing (2 minutes)
Slowly return your attention to your breath. Take a few deep breaths, and when you’re ready, gently open your eyes.
DEDICATION OF MERIT
In the graceful steps we take, in the rhythms of our hearts, and in the boundless joy found in life’s music, we recognize a profound connection between our spiritual journey and the dance of life. As we offer this dedication of merit, let it resonate with the essence of Buddhist wisdom:
In every mindful breath, every step taken with awareness, we glimpse the profound beauty of the present moment. We dedicate the merit of these moments, for they remind us of the beauty that can be found in every instant.
In the dance of life, let us celebrate the dance of awakening. May the dedication of merit from our spiritual practice contribute to the peace, wisdom, and liberation of all beings.
With profound gratitude and reverence, we offer this dedication of merit to the dance of enlightenment that guides us on the path.
Dance on, for in each step, we move closer to the truth.