THE STATE OF PRESENCE (THE POWER OF NOW)

 

                                     THE PAST CANNOT 

                            SURVIVE IN YOUR PRESENCE

                       

                YOU MENTIONED THAT THINKING OR TAKING ABOUT THE PAST UNNECESSARILY IS ONE OF THE WAYS IN WHICH WE  AVOIDE THE PRESENT. BUT APART FROM THE PAST THAT WE REMEMBER AND PERHAPS IDENTIFY WITH, ISN'T THERE ANOTHER LEVEL OF PAST WITHIN US THAT IS MUCH MORE DEEP-SEATED? I AM TALKING ABOUT THE UNCONSCIOUS PAST THAT CONDITIONS OUR LIVES, ESPECIALLY THROUGH EARLY CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES, PERHAPS EVEN PAST-LIFE, EXPERIENCES. AND THEN THERE IS OUR CULTURAL CONDITIONING, WHICH HAS TO DO WITH WHERE WE LIVE GEOGRAPHICALLY AND THE HISTORICAL TIME PERIOD IN WHICH WE LIVE. ALL THESE THINGS DETERMINE HOW WE SEE THE WORLD, HOW WE REACT, WHAT WE THINK, WHAT KIND OF RELATIONSHIPS  HAVE, HOW WE LIVE OUR LIVES. HOW COULD WE EVER BECOME CONSCIOUS OF ALL THAT OR GET RID OF IT? HOW LONG WOULD THAT TAKE? AND EVEN IF WE DID, WHAT WOULD THERE BE LEFT?

                                      WHAT IS LEFT WHEN ILLUSION ENDS ?

                       

                       THERE IS NO NEED TO INVESTIGATE THE UNCONSCIOUS PAST IN Y EXCEPT AS IT MANIFEST AT THIS MOMENT AS A THOUGHT, AN EMOTION DESIRE, A REACTION, OR AN EXTERNAL EVENT THAT HAPPENS TO YOU. WHATEVER YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE UNCONSCIOUS PAST IN YOU, THE CHALLENGE OF THE PRESENT WILL BRING IT OUT. IF YOU DELVE INTO THE PAST. IT BECOME A BOTTOMLESS PIT, THERE IS ALWAYS MORE, YOU MAY THINK IT YOU NEED MORE THAN TIME TO UNDERSTAND THE PAST OR BECOME FREE OF IT, OTHER WORDS. THAT THE FUTURE WILL EVENTUALY FREE YOU OF THE PAST. MORE TIRED CANNOT FREE YOU OF TIME. ACCESS THE POWER OF NOW. THAT IS THE KEY.

                   WHAT IS THE POWER OF NOW?

                   NONE OTHER THAN THE POWER OF YOUR PRESENCE, YOUR CONSCIOUSNESS ERATED FROM THOUGH FORMS.

                    SO DEAL WITH THE PAST ON THE LEVEL OF THE PRESENT. THE MORE ATTENTION YOU GIVE TO THE PAST, THE MORE YOU NERGIZE IT, AND THE MORE LIKE YOU ARE TO MAKE A "SELF" OUT OF IT. DON'T MISUNDERSTAND. ATTENTION ESSENTIAL, BUT NOT TO THE PAST AS PAST. GIVE ATTENTION TO THE PRESENT, ATTENTION TO YOUR BEHAVIOR, TO YOUR REACTIONS, MOODS, THOUGHTS, EMOTIONS, FEARS, AND DESIRES AS THEY OCCUR IN THE PRESENT. THERE'S THE PAST YOU. IF YOU CAN BE PRESENT ENOUGH TO WATCH ALL THOSE THINGS. NOT CRECALLY OR ANALYTICALLY BUT NONJUDGEMENTALLY, THEN YOU ARE DEALING WITH PAST AND DISSOLVING IT THROUGH THE POWER OF YOUR PRESENCE. YOU CANNOT FIND YOURSELF BY GOING INTO THE PAST. YOU FIND YOURSELF BY COMING IT THE PRESENT.

                       

                 ISN'T IT HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND THE PAST AND SO UNDERSTAND WHY WE CERTAIN THINGS, REACT IN CERTAIN WAYS, OR WHY WE UNCONSCIOUSLY CREATION OUR PARTICULAR KIND OF DRAMA, PATTERNS IN RELATIONSHIPS, AND SO ON?

            AS YOU BECOME MORE CONSCIOUS OF YOUR PRESENT  REALITY. YOU MAY SUDDENTLY GET CERTAIN INSIGHTS AS TO WHY YOUR CONDITIONING FUNCTIONS IN THOSE PARTICULAR WAYS, FOR EXAMPLE, WHY YOUR RELATIONSHIPS FOLLOW CERTAIN PATTERNS , AND YOU MAY REMEMBER THINGS THAT HAPPNED IN THE PAST OR SEE THEM MORE CLEARLY. THAT IS FINE AND CAN BE HELPFUL, BUT IT IS NOT ESSENTIAL. WHAT IS ESSENTIAL IS YOUR CONSCIOUS PRESENCE. THAT DISSOVLES THE PAST. THAT IS THE TRANSFORMATIVE AGENT. SO DON'T SEEK TO UNDERSTAND THE PAST. BUT BE AS PRESENT AS YOU CAN. THE PAST CANNOT SURVIVE IN YOUR PRESENCE. IT AN ONLY SURVIVE IN YOUR ABSENCE.

                                   THE JOY OF BEING

                   THE ALERT YOU THAT YOU HAVE ALLOWED YOURSELF TO BE TAKEN OVER BY PSYCHOLOGICAL TIME, YOU CAN USE A SIMPLE CRITERION. ASK YOURSELF, IS THERE JOY, EASE, AND LIGHTENESS IN WHAT I AM DOING? IF THERE ISN'T THEN TIME IS COVERING UP THE PRESENT MOMENT, AND LIFE IS PERCEIVED AS A BURDEN OR A STRUGGLE.

                   IF THERE IS NO JOY, EASE, OR LIGHTENESS IN WHAT YOU DOING, IT DOES NOT NECESSARILY MEAN THAT YOU NEED TO CHANGE WHAT YOU ARE DOING. IT MAY BE SUFFICIENT TO CHANGE TO HOW. "HOW" IS ALWAYS MORE IMPORTANT THAN "WHAT". SEE IF YOU CAN GIVE MUCH MORE ATTENTION TO THE DOING THAN TO THE RESULT THAT YOU WANT TO ACHIEVE THROUGH IT. GIVE YOUR FULLEST ATTENTION TO WHATEVER THE MOMENT PRESENTS. THIS IMPLIES THAT YOU ALSO COMPLETELY ACCEPT WHAT IS, BECAUSE YOU CANNOT GIVE YOUR FULL ATTENTION TO SOMETHING AND AT THE SAME TIME RESIST IT.

                 AS SOON AS YOU HONOR THE PRESENT MOMENT, ALL UNHAPPINESS AND STRUGGLE DISSOVE. AND LIFE BEGINS TO FLOW WITH JOY AND EASE. WHEN YOU ACT OUT OF PRESENT-MOMENT AWARENESS, WHATEVER YOU DO BECOMES IMBUED WITH A SENSE OF QUALITY, CARE, AND LOVE - EVEN THE MOST SIMPLE ACTION.

FEARLESS LIFE

 

                                 

                               HAVE YOU EXPERIENCE 

                                       WITH MONSOON

                 HAVE YOU EVER EXPERIENCED THE INDIAN MONSOON? IT BRINGS ONE OF THE FIERCEST, MOST THUNDEROUS DOWNPOURS OF WATER FROM THE HEAVEN. IF YOU'RE CAUGHT IN THE HEAVY RAIN, IT'S NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE OT STAY DRY. SIMILARLY, IT IS HARD NOT TO GET CAUGHT UP IN THE CHALLENGES AND NEGATIVE SITUATIONS OF THE WORLD. FEELING PEACEFUL, HAPPY AND CONTENT IS NOT ABOUT AVOIDING CHALLENES IN OUR LIFE, AND CONTENT IS NOT ABOUT AVOIDING CHALLENGES IN OUR LIFE, BUT ABOUT HOW WE NAVIGATE THROUGH THESE CHALLENGES TO REACH THE TYPE OF LIFE WE WANT TO LIVE.

                 ALDOUS HUXLEY SAID, EXPERIENCE IS NOT WHAT HAPPENS TO A MAN, IT IS WHAT A MAN DOES WITH WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM. ' IT'S HOW WE RESPOND THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE. IF THERE IS ONE POSSESSION WE HAVE THAT IS THE MOST VALUABLE AND CAN TRULY TRANSFORM OUR LIVES COMPLETELY, IT IS OUR FREE WILL. WE ARE THE AUTHORS OF OUR OWN LIFE STORIES. CHALLENGES AND DIFFICULTIES MAY FALL UPON US, JUST AS THE MONSOON RAINS FALL UPON OUR HEAD. WE DON'T SEEK THEM OR SOLITCIT THEM. THEY JUST COME OUR WAY. WE MUST CHOOSE HOW TO RESPOND.

                     HAPPINESS DOES NOT COME AUTOMATICALLY. FROM A YOUNG AGE WE RECEIVE METHODICAL EDUCATION IN A VARIETY OF AREAS AND FIELDS, BUT HAPPINESS IS USUALLY NOT ONE OF THEM. TO LIVE A HAPPY LIFE, WITH INTEGRITY AND WITH BALANCE, IS ONE OF LIFE'S AMAZING SECRETS WHICH IS REVEALED WITHIN THIS CHAPTER. THESE ARE SIMPLE PRINCIPLES THAT CAN BE USED BY ANYONE TO EXPERIENCE A SENSE OF SATISFACTION.

                   DO YOU EVER FEEL IRRITABLE OR FRUSTRATED? DO YOU EVER FEEL THAT LIFE ISN'T GOING YOU WAY? DO YOU EVER FEEL THAT THERE IS A KEY PART OF YOUR LIFE THAT NEEDS ATTENTION? IF THE ANSWER TO ANY OR ALL OF THESE QUESTIONS IS A YES, IT'S SIGN THAT YOU LIFE IS PROBABLY OUT OF BALANCE. THE SECRET OF LIFE IS FINDING BALANCE, NOT TOO MUCH, NOT TOO LITTLE. JUST AS A CAR BALANCES ON FOUR WHEELS, WE MUST BALANCE THE FOUR CRUCIAL AREAS OF OUR LIFE, OUR PERSONAL LIFE, OUR RELATIONSHIPS, OUR WORK LIFE AND OUR SOCIAL CONTRIBUTION.

                          BALANCE ON AN EXTERNAL LEVEL IS ABOUT THE ALIGNMENT OF THE WHEELS. IT IS ABOUT ADJUSTING OUR PRIORITIES BASED ON THE NEED OF THE MOMENT, AND FOCUSING ON THAT PARTICULAR WHEEL WHICH IS OUT OF ALIGNMENT. AT SOME POINT IN OUR LIVES OUR WORK LIFE MAY NEED MORE FOCUS THAN OUR PERSONAL LIFE. HAVE YOU EVER WANTED TO SPEND TIME WITH SOMEONE WHO NEEDS TO MEET A PROJECT DEADLINE AT WORK? IT'S IMPOSSIBLE. THEY ARE TOO BUSY REACHING THEIR TAGET. AT OTHER TIMES OUR PERSONAL LIFE MAY TAKE PRECEDENCE OVER EVERYTHING ELSE. HAVE YOU EVER ASKED A COUPLE ORGANIZING THEIR WEDDING TO SPEND MORE TIME AT WORK? IT'S UNREASONABLE TO DO SO AS THEY ARE PLANNING ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT DAYS OF THEIR LIVES. DEAR FRIENDS, WE MUST BE WILLING TO ADJUST OUR PRIORITIES TO BRING THOSE WHEELS INTO ALIGNMENT.

                    HOWEVER, A DEEPEST ASPECT OF BALANCE THAT RESIDES WITHIN US IS ABOUT OUR ATTITUDES AND VALUES THAT WE HAVE EXPLORED IN THE DIFFERENT SECTIONS OF THIS BOOK. THAT ATTITUDE IS LIKE THE AIR IN THE TYRES OF THE CAR. IF THE TYRES THE CAR ARE NOT AT THE CORRECT PRESSURE, THERE CAN BE A PUNCTURE, STOPPING UR FROM GETTING TO OUR DESTINATION. THIS IS WHY WE HAVE TO NAVIGATE THE INTERNAL ASPECTS OF BALANCE. IF THE EXTERNAL TENETS OF BALANCE ARE ADJUSTMENT AND ALIGNMENT, THEN THE INTERNAL ONES ARE ATTITUDE AND VALUES.

               AS WE BALANCE OURSELVES EXTERNALLY AND INTERNALLY, IT IS FUNDAMENTAL TO OUR SUCCESS THAT WE NEVER LET GO OF THE STEERING WHEEL OUR SPIRITUALLY. IF ALL THE WHEELS ARE IN PROPER ALINGMENT, IF THE AIR PRESSURE IN THE TYRES IS OPTIMAL, BUT WE DO NOT HAVE THE STEERING WHEEL IN OUR HANDS,  WE STILL NOT BE ABLE TO REACH WHERE WE WANT TO GO. IT WAS THE BUDDHA WHO SAID, JUST AS A CANDLE CANNOT BURN WITHOUT FIRE, WE CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT A SPIRITUAL LIFE, SPIRITUALLY IN WHATEVER GENUINE FORM OF PRACTICE, BRINGS PURPOSE TO OUR LIFE AND GIVE US A DESTINATION WORTH GOING TO. AT TIMES WE MAY FEEL EMPTY OR LOST OR HAVE AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS, WHEN WE FEEL THAT WE DO NOT KNOW WHERE OUR LIFE IS TAKING US. IT IS AT THOSE TIMES THAT WE MUST HOLD THE STEERIN WHEEL OF SPIRITUALITY TIGHTLY AND PRESS ON. THE STEERING WHEEL COMPRISES FOUR PIECES, OUR SPIRITUAL PRACTICE (SADHANA) AND OUR SERVICE TO GOD AND TO OTHERS(SEVA) WHEN ALL THESE ASPECTS OF THE STEERING WHEEL ARE ADHERED TO PROPERLY, THEY GIVE US THE ABILITY TO DRIVE THE CAR OF OUR LIFE TOWARDS ITS DESTINATION.

                        LET'S GET THERE, TEGETHER.