Every Next Chapter

We live in the pages of a wonderful novel. The narrative radiates from our wisdom mind as a story, a kind of dream. As the tale begins, we appear to land in a world filled with unintelligible phenomena. We crawl around, put things in our mouth, slobber a lot, eat, pee, and poop. Eventually, we think we have a handle on things. But it does not always go smoothly. The path unfolds before us with a seemingly random plot involving all sorts of up and downs, twists and turns, and bumps yielding bruises. 

Sometimes we are challenged by a particular chapter. We interpret it as darkness—even though it is illuminated by the same light as all other chapters. With practice, we can learn to clearly see light permeating every part of the story. But that requires a willingness to suspend our assumptions about the nature of reality. We must cease believing in the fairy tale.

If we do not develop a perspective of equanimity, a cheerful disinterest in the outcome, the final chapters may be filled with fear that the story will end. We became too attached to the narrative and cannot see beyond what we made up. But every story has an ending—we come to the last page. Of course, there are many more stories to be written for the benefit of all beings, but this one will come to completion. We all have an expiration date.

Now, back up and look at the book of life like it is on the shelves of an universal library. It is only one story among infinite possibilities. Why do we choose this one? Who is it that chooses? If we can answer those two questions it is possible to free ourselves from a predestined plot. We can enjoy the unfolding of a wise and compassionate story line and our karmic traces become liberated. It is possible to pen a different moment and write a different ending.