The life of a monk is spent in deep dedication to the teachings of the Buddha. Long ago he taught us that all of existence is an endless cycle. We live, die, and are reborn forever, in an loop of meaningless torture. It is much like the hit 2014 game “Dark Souls II,” where players respawn infinitely, only to die to the Fume Knight in just a few hits.
To understand this cycle, one must know the first of our Noble Truths: The dukkha, or the state of eternal suffering which all unenlightened people live within. All of life is unsatisfactory, and will prove to us that there is no true happiness. The gamer who purchases a PlayStation 5 serves as proof of a sorrowful life, one that knows no reward.
Game cartridges and disks have been made obsolete with the introduction of newer consoles. It is only the foolish lay person that would suggest their excess is true happiness. These gamers, who would willingly own three copies of “Jeopardy!” for the SNES, are the greatest enemies of the Buddha’s teachings.
By freeing oneself from the shackles of physical game ownership, we may yet find enlightenment. Allowing the publisher to remove from our libraries the games that they no longer wish for us to play is the first step for this noble cause. It is as the Buddha said: “You lose only what you cling to, and ‘Concord.’”
We must always strive to release ourselves from the constraints that come from physical ownership. All attachment must be abandoned; all ownership must be forfeited. It is for this reason that the only true means of enlightened gaming is Google Stadia.
