You Can Pass The Gatekeeper

Before The Law is a parable written by Franz Kafka and is a profound reminder of the "gatekeeper" to the present moment.

In this parable, a man spends his entire life trying to enter the open door to the "law", which could be interpreted as an understanding of the one Truth or God, but is stopped by a gatekeeper who denies him entry.

The man's attempts to bribe, cajole, and reason with the gatekeeper prove futile, and he spends the rest of his life trying to gain entry. And finally, when the man is about to die, he asks the guard, "I've been here all this time. Why has no one else come this way seeking the law?" And the guard says, "no one else could have come this way since this gate was made only for you. And now I'm going to shut it now."

There are many ways to look at this story, but the way this man's situation is set up is the same as ours: our minds are the gatekeepers to the present moment. This next thought that arises is the gatekeeper, and identifying with each thought that comes and goes keeps us from experiencing this moment fully.

And yet the door stands wide open to wisdom and to freedom from self and to the full satisfaction of connecting with life in the present.

The present moment stands wide open right now, and yet your thoughts won't allow you to pass through to it. And this moment is yours alone. This is your door. It is entirely up to you whether or not you pass through.

No one can do it for you.

Many of us spend our whole lives trying to convince ourselves that most thoughts and feelings we have are important and worth paying attention to.

We identify with each thought, allowing it to define us and shape our reality. But thoughts are transient and fleeting, passing through our consciousness like clouds in the open sky.

This gatekeeper is often our own fears, doubts, and anxieties, but by recognizing them for what they are, we can free ourselves from their hold.

Unrecognized, this next thought is the gatekeeper, but when you see it for what it is, you'll find that you're already past him, already free of the problem, and already identical to the bright, open space of consciousness.