Pathway

Location: Edna Street near Victoria Street, behind Tim Hortons

Description: A grassy lane covered in yellow leaves from a tree in the mid-ground, with wooden fences on either side and another street at the end.

Story: "Any other questions? Ah yes, on the right."

"I've read your book a couple of times now, but I can't seem to fully grasp some things, mainly what the point is. Sure, I know we're supposed to be getting enlightenment, but why? Any help on that?"

Mr. Dunham threw his hands up in mock exasperation. "But that is the whole point!" He laughed and smiled at the man. "There are a lot of reasons, but that's the underlying theme. We do these things to become more disciplined, to improve our lives, and to know more about ourselves. Those still sound fairly nebulous though, so let's give examples.

"Who here is afraid they won't be a good parent?" Many people raised their hands. "Who regrets something they did in the past?" Almost everyone raised their hands. "Who has a problem in their life that they're having troubles solving or has been bugging them for a while?" Again, almost everyone raised their hands. "Finally, who here loves themselves and never thinks they're stupid, ugly, or worthless?" Only a few people raised their hands, while most of the other people looked ashamed.

"Well, you're not. We are all people and it takes some time to understand what that means. I'm not saying we're better or worse than others, but that we're all human. We're all wonderful people because we're trying our best to better ourselves and our lives. One of the big things with enlightenment is not blaming ourselves or others, but accepting what currently is and going from there. It's a big task, but a very worthwhile one because it eliminates guilt, jealousy, regret, and most stress.

"Enlightenment is like walking down a street and suddenly looking over to see a completely new pathway that you never noticed before. It's beautiful and scenic, and without even going down it you know it's right. You feel it in those moments of pure happiness, where you suddenly realize the perfect answer to your crossword puzzle, the way to solve a particular difficult problem, or what caused the argument with your wife and how easy it is to fix."

He laughed and surveyed the audience. "Perhaps this is an even better analogy: think of meditation as a tuneup for your life, as if you were a car. Gaining enlightenment then is the same as having your car in perfect working order; you both purr in happiness."