Creative Guidance-IASbaba, Inspirational & Educative Articles
The Power of the Present:
It is easier said than done, but that is all you need to do in order to stay in the present moment. Every moment you are presented with a choice, either to be in that moment or think about it; you cannot do both.
You cannot experience a moment and think about it at the same time. When you are experiencing or observing something, you really don’t have time to think about it, and when you are thinking about something, you obviously are not paying any attention to the actual object.
For example, if I tell you to sit and watch a candle flame for a few moments, every moment, you can either watch the flame or think about it. The difference between these two is subtle, but very real. Every time you think about the candle flame, you are imagining its qualities and properties.
Reality is spectacularly simple. Reality is simply this moment; everything else is purely imagined by the mind. The whole challenge in being mindful or meditative is fighting the strong desire of the mind to interfere and block the perception of reality which your body is trying to experience.
With regular practice of learning to be in the present moment, you will be able to see the difference between the experience of the mind and the experience of the body. You can trust the experiences of the body, because it is through the body that you have grasped and understood the nature of reality around you.
Recognition of hard and soft, light and darkness, sweet and bitter, beautiful and ugly, pleasant and unpleasant, have all happened through your body. The body is not as whimsical and momentary as your mind. The experiences of your body have deepened and ripened over time. In fact, your body represents the collective wisdom of everything you have learned through your interaction with the world around you.
“This article is a part of the creative endeavor of Nirvana Foundation and IASBABA.”
