Ed Gabrielsen

The path of meditation leads from a condition of suffering to freedom from suffering. This path is a natural progression that happens by itself, of its own accord, once a person decides to embark on this particular journey. This journey occurs simply and naturally, step by step. The insights happen, one by one. They will happen. There is no need to hurry. There is no need to try to force things to happen. The realization that happens, the realization that brings freedom from suffering, is simply this: there is no separate person. Or, to put it another way, suffering stems from the illusion of separateness. When this illusion is recognized, suffering naturally ceases. The truth literally sets “you” free. It’s not that the “you” disappears. Rather, the truth is seen, the truth that there is no separate and inherent “you” and there never was such a thing to begin with.

This reminds me of a scene from the film Roman Holiday, in which the reporter learns about the identity of the mysterious guest, the young girl played by Audrey Hepburn. She is a runaway princess in disquise. She begs her two new friends to keep her secret, and they agree to do so. At this point, the reporters tell their photographer friend he must not publish the photos he took of the princess during her holiday weekend in Rome. They tell him, “There is no story.”

We carry a heavy burden. It is the burden of our story. Each person has a story. You wake up in the morning and it is a new day. At first, your mind is clear and quiet. But then, the thoughts start rolling in. It’s the beginning of the story you tell yourself, beginning all over again. And from that moment on, throughout the day, you continue to repeat your story to yourself. “I was born on such and such a date. My parents were so and so. I did this, and I did that. On and on. Blah Blah Blah. The story keeps repeating itself, like a recording that loops. It finishes the story, and then it jumps right back in again with another version, another embellishment. On and on the story continues. There is tremendous suffering generated here. The story solidifies the sense of self, and with it, the sense of separation from the direct  experience of life. Being is lost. There is a complete obscuration of the simple fact of being because being has nothing to do with a story. Being simple is.

Freedom from suffering is always available. Simply drop the story you are telling yourself right now. What is left? Being. That is all. Just this.

The path of meditation makes this possible. This is where faith comes in. Faith in the truth of realization, faith in the fact that this freedom is possible, offers us the ability to relax into the entire process, and, in fact, to enjoy the path itself.