My favorite example of one human being discovering peace.
What Merle Antoinette Roberson, (Gangaji) describes here, I had tasted myself, months prior. Seeing this experience in another person changed me. After listening, I vividly remember walking to work that morning in an altered reality, which has only deepened with time. Her and I traveled different paths, but, found the same epiphany. Here, she shares her life changing insight, brought about by her teacher, Papaji. (This story is featured in Waking-Up app, by Sam Harris).
Papaji: “What do you want?”
Gangaji: “Freedom.”
Papaji: “Good, you’re in the right place”
Gangaji: “Just tell me what to do”
Papaji: “Just be still.”So having been a failed but still intent meditator, I assumed that meant, just meditate. So I sat there, in as good a meditation posture as I could muster. And he said
Papaji: “No no no… stop that too. Just be still.”
As that started to penetrate my consciousness I felt a huge fear arise. If I stop that, won’t I regress to this miserable creature?
Papaji: “Stop your practice, whatever practice you have…”
And I finally let that penetrate. So simple, so profound. And then I was still. It was a pretty profound meditation. And then he said:
Papaji: “Good. Now. What do you want?”
And I had to sort of come out of that trance, and say…
Gangaji: “I don’t want anything in this moment.”
And he saidPapaji: “That’s it. Stay there.”
And that was the teaching. Any time I found myself hoping or searching… just to come back. To lose everything. To be still… so radical. My mind was blown.
