Introduction
Self-discovery is often described as a journey – a winding path of experiences, lessons, and revelations. What if we viewed this journey as a game? Ancient wisdom literally did. In India, sages created Leela, a spiritual board game, as a mirror of life’s journey. Harish Johari’s book The Yoga of Snakes and Arrows: The Leela of Self-Knowledge explores this concept, revealing how each roll of the dice can symbolize the twists of fate and karma in our lives (Leela. The Game of Self-discovery by Johary Harish ). According to Johari, “Leela is nothing less than the game of life, providing insight into our own consciousness and a key to divine knowledge”. In this ancient game, every square on the board represents a state of consciousness – virtues, vices, challenges, and breakthroughs – and navigating them becomes a playful method of enlightenment.
This idea isn’t just mystical metaphor; it resonates with our modern understanding of personal growth. Psychologists affirm that self-awareness is both the tool and the goal of personal development (Measuring the Effects of Self-Awareness: Construction of the Self-Awareness Outcomes Questionnaire - PMC ). In other words, learning about ourselves not only helps alleviate our struggles but is itself the path to a fuller life. The journey can be challenging and nonlinear. As one classic of self-development, The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck, famously begins: “Life is difficult. This is a great truth… because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it” (Life is difficult - Living In Full Expression). Accepting life’s challenges as part of the game changes how we play. We become less frustrated by obstacles and more curious about what they can teach us. Each “snake” that slides us downward (like a setback or bad habit) and each “arrow” or ladder that lifts us up (a triumph or insight) carries a lesson. The key is learning to “know yourself” through these experiences – because, as an ancient saying goes, know yourself and you will know the world.
Ancient Game, Modern Journey
In Leela, the player poses a question or intention before each game: “What is happening to me now? Where am I headed?”. Through gameplay, clarity emerges; by the end, players often report new awareness and even spiritual transformation. This parallels the process of self-discovery in real life. When we introspect – through meditation, journaling, or therapy – we are essentially “taking a turn” in the game of self-knowledge, examining where we stand and what our next move should be. Repeatedly engaging in such introspection can reveal patterns in our lives, much like repeated play of Leela is said to uncover “past karmas, current concerns, and the cosmic patterns governing your life”.
Not coincidentally, many wisdom traditions view life itself as Leela, meaning divine play. The world is the board on which our souls learn. Every experience, joyful or painful, is a move in this grand game orchestrated by the cosmos. This perspective, found in Hindu philosophy, suggests that even our struggles have a playful purpose – they exist to prompt growth, not to punish us. Modern spiritual teachers echo this sentiment. Eckhart Tolle, in The Power of Now, points out that our inner obstacles (fears, ego, doubt) aren’t enemies at all but part of the “play” that awakens us by pushing us into the present moment. When we stop taking every setback personally and instead see it as a challenge on the game board of life, we can respond more creatively and less fearfully. We start asking, “What is this here to teach me?” rather than “Why is this happening to me?”. This shift from victim mindset to player mindset is transformative. It infuses even ordinary days with a sense of adventure and learning.
Modern psychology agrees that such self-awareness is pivotal. In fact, research shows that increased self-awareness is linked to better mental health, resilience, and performance. By reflecting on our thoughts and actions, we learn to course-correct and persist toward our goals. Self-awareness has been called “both a tool and a goal” of personal growth by psychologists – it is something we practice and also the end result we seek. This aligns beautifully with the ancient game’s wisdom: the very act of observing yourself (your “player”) on the board of life can lead to enlightenment. In Johari’s Leela, progress is dictated partly by chance (the roll of a die) and partly by one’s reactions (how you interpret and learn from where you land). Similarly, in life we can’t control everything that happens to us – there’s always an element of fate – but we can control how we respond. Our free will lies in choosing our attitude and actions at each step. Recognizing this is deeply empowering.
Practical Steps to Know Yourself
How can we apply this blend of ancient wisdom and modern insight in daily life? Here are some practical ways to deepen self-discovery, treating your life as a meaningful quest rather than a random series of events:
Set aside reflection time: Regularly pause to ask yourself questions, as if you’re “formulating a request” before a game move. Journaling is a powerful tool for this. Write about what you’re feeling, what dilemmas you face, and what you’ve learned recently. This habit creates a mirror for the mind. As you write, patterns become clear – you might notice recurrent themes or lessons, your personal “snakes and arrows.”
Embrace challenges as lessons: The next time you hit a snag – a failed project, a conflict, a disappointment – frame it as landing on a challenging square in your game of life. Instead of immediately feeling defeated, ask, “What is this teaching me?” This doesn’t mean denying pain or frustration; it means acknowledging them and then looking for the insight within. Maybe that failed project taught you a new approach, or the conflict improved your communication. In spiritual terms, every setback is an opportunity to practice a virtue (patience, courage, self-compassion) and thereby advance to the next level.
Learn from teachers and tools: You’re not playing this game alone. Books and wisdom figures are like guides or fellow players who can illuminate the path. For example, Viktor Frankl’s Man’s Search for Meaning can inspire you to find purpose in suffering, and Daniel Goleman’s writings on emotional intelligence teach the value of knowing one’s emotions. If you’re inclined, you might even explore modern adaptations of the Leela game (such as Leela Quest, a contemporary spiritual game inspired by the original) to spur your introspection. These tools can provide frameworks and prompts that help reveal things about yourself.
Meditate or practice mindfulness: Introspection isn’t only intellectual. Mindfulness meditation – simply observing your thoughts and sensations without judgment – is a time-tested way to get to “know yourself” on a deeper level. When you meditate, you become the observer of your internal states. This practice can be like stepping back from the game board to see the bigger picture. Studies show that such mindfulness cultivates insight and self-awareness. It helps you notice the subtle moves of your mind: the impulses, the fears, the aspirations that influence your choices. Over time, this clarity will guide you toward more authentic decisions that align with your true self.
Trust the process: Perhaps the most comforting lesson from both ancient and modern wisdom is that self-discovery is a gradual unfolding. You don’t have to “win” the game of life in one day. Be patient with yourself. Celebrate small insights – each one is like advancing to a new square. Sometimes you might feel you’ve slid backward, but remember that in games, as in life, progress is not linear. What matters is the overall direction. By staying committed to knowing yourself, you are, in effect, winning no matter how many snakes you encounter. Every experience adds to your understanding. As the saying goes, the journey is the destination.
Conclusion
The path of self-discovery combines mystery and strategy, much like a game. By blending ancient frameworks like Leela with contemporary self-development practices, we can navigate this path with both wisdom and playfulness. Each day becomes a move – an opportunity to learn, adjust, and grow. We start to see connections between our inner world and outer events, realizing as the sages did that “know yourself – you know the world”. In playing the game of self-discovery, you are both the player and the prize. The more sincerely you play, the more you uncover the truth of who you really are. And perhaps the greatest reward is this: as you come to know yourself, you feel more at home in the world, and life begins to feel less like a problem to solve and more like an adventure to embrace. After all, when you view life as a grand game for growth, every roll of the dice is a chance to discover something new about your own depths.