Boring or Magical? You Choose

A riff from Shambhavi and the Jaya Kula community

I wrote a Facebook post about “What is boring?” Then in satsang, I asked, “How can we be more magical and less boring?” My students and I started riffing on this question.

Here is our unedited riff. The original Facebook post is at the bottom of the page. Read to the end. There’s a plot twist!

Boring or Magical?

Composing a self is boring. Being nobody is magical.

Constantly thinking of the past and future is boring. Relating to what is is magical.

Earnestness is boring. Playfulness is magical.

Manipulating and blaming others is extremely boring. Self-responsibility is magical.

Dishonesty is boring. Unbroken honesty is magical.

Skepticism is boring. Honest doubt is magical.

Being smart is boring. Being loving and generous is magical.

Supremacism is boring. Respecting others is magical.

Feeling ashamed is boring. Unabashed love of Self is magical.

Convictions and expectations are boring. Responsiveness and expectancy are magical.

Stubbornness is boring. Adaptability is magical.

Ordinary knowing is boring. Experiencing is magical.

Theories are boring. Direct experience is magical.

“Getting it” is boring. Being curious is magical.

Achievements are boring. Appreciating the perfection of everything is magical.

Compartmentalizing is boring. The ocean of Self is magical.

Holding on is boring. Continually pouring oneself into the divine livingness is magical.

Going it alone is boring. Sensing how Reality is in continual alliance is magical.

Busying yourself to distraction is boring. Resting in Ma’s lap is magical.

Judgment and resentment are boring. Tenderness is magical.

Planning your next move is boring. Seeing what happens is magical.

Resisting and defending is boring. Yielding is magical.

Being the one with the answer is boring. Listening is magical.

Always knowing what time it is is boring. Being surprised is magical.

Eating the same thing for breakfast every day is boring. Tasting the six tastes is magical.

Loneliness is boring. Intimacy is magical.

Surrendering on your own terms is boring. Actually yielding is magical.

Trying to impress is boring. Not caring what others think is magical.

Acting based on what’s probably the case is boring. Actually finding out is magical.

Just getting things done is boring. Serving is magical.

Being above it all is boring. Being in the heart of it is magical.

Having it my way is boring. Having it Ma’s way is magical.

Manipulation is boring. Open curiosity about what others will say and do when not being manipulated is magical.

Seeking approval is boring. Doing what comes naturally is magical.

Working it all out ahead of time is boring. Dancing with the moment is magical.

Competition is boring. Community is magical.

Fixed expectations are boring. Freshness is magical.

Guilt is boring. Feeling the gladness of Reality itself is magical.

Shoulds are boring. Desire is magical.

Compulsive habits are boring. Super boring. Clear seeing is magical.

Getting what you think you want, booorrrrinnng. Eating the meal Ma serves, magical.

Filtering for approval is boring. Saying what you mean is magical.

Being overly self-concerned is boring. Caring for others is magical.

Trying to hide out is boring. And being yourself is magical in a scary sort of way.

Resistance is boring. Letting stuff happen and letting it rip is magical.

Controlling is boring. Letting people, yourself, things be is magical.

Procrastination is boring. Following good advice is magical.

Strained energy for worldly matters is boring. Natural energy for discovering that is magical.

Aggression and defensiveness are boring. Letting go and opening my heart is magical.

Being absorbed in electronics is boring. Being absorbed in nature is magical.

Being selfish is boring. Finding your wealth and giving it away is magical.

Being arrogant is boring. Feeling how we’re all in the same boat is magical.

Staying safe is boring. Making the jump is magical.

Being grumpy is boring. Being kind is magical.

Attachment to rigid rules is boring. Responding with an open heart is magical.

Blaming is boring. Taking responsibility is magical.

Judging is boring. Appreciating is magical.

My phone is boring. Relating to Presence is magical.

Attachment to books is boring. Using your senses is magical.

Reliance on “self” is boring. Building alliance is magical.

Striving is boring. Patience is magical.

Solid ground is boring. Falling is magical (though scary!).

Not reflecting on how boring we can be is boring. Sharing in the reflection with everyone else is magical.

Boring is clenched handed, tight chested, furrowed browed, blocked headed. Magical is open palmed, open hearted, breathing easy.

Boring is restricted trying to push out more limitation into the world. Magical feels at ease and receptive … and it tickles.

What does it mean to be magical? It feels like being in deep relationship with life and sucking the flesh of the mango off the seed.

Shambhavi’s original Facebook post

A student of mine was worried that she might be boring. I said helpfully, “Don’t worry, there are other boring people in our community!”

That got me wondering: What is boring?

Boring has nothing to do with ordinary intelligence, or how educated you are, or how cultured you are. For instance, people with Down Syndrome are not generally boring. But some college professors are exceedingly boring.

Boring is stuck, stagnant energy. Boring is stale repetition instead of devotional ritual. Boring is all the stories we repeatedly tell about ourselves in order to construct a sense of self. Being self-involved is boring. Branding is boring.

So we are all a little bit boring until we can speak and laugh and love and give spontaneously, without reserve.

with infinite love,
Shambhavi

P.S. And now. . . for a different take on boring!

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