ACCESSING THE POWER OF THE NOW

 

A moment ago, when you talked about the eternal present and the

unreality of past and future, I found myself looking at that tree

outside the window. I had looked at it a few times before, but this

time it was different. The external perception had not changed much,

except that the colors seemed brighter and more vibrant. But there

was now an added dimension to it. This is hard to explain. I don’t

know how, but I was aware of something invisible that I felt was the

essence of that tree, its inner spirit, if you like. And somehow I was

part of that. I realize now that I hadn’t truly seen the tree before, just

a flat and dead image of it. When I look at the tree now, some of that

awareness is still present, but I can feel it slipping away. You see, the

experience is already receding into the past. Can something like this

ever be more than a fleeting glimpse?

You were free of time for a moment. You moved into the Now and

therefore perceived the tree without the screen of mind. The

awareness of Being became part of your perception. With the timeless

dimension comes a different kind of knowing, one that does not “kill”

the spirit that lives within every creature and every thing. A knowing

that does not destroy the sacredness and mystery of life but contains

a deep love and reverence for all that is. A knowing of which the mind

knows nothing.

The mind cannot know the tree. It can only know facts or information

about the tree. My mind cannot know you, only labels, judgments,

facts, and opinions about you. Being alone knows directly.

There is a place for mind and mind knowledge. It is in the practical

realm of day-to-day living. However, when it takes over all aspects of

your life, including your relationships with other human beings and

with nature, it becomes a monstrous parasite that, unchecked, may

well end up killing all life on the planet and finally itself by killing its

host.

You have had a glimpse of how the timeless can transform your

perceptions. But an experience is not enough, no matter how

beautiful or profound. What is needed and what we are concerned

with is a permanent shift in consciousness.

So break the old pattern of present-moment denial and present-

moment resistance. Make it your practice to withdraw attention from

past and future whenever they are not needed. Step out of the time

dimension as much as possible in everyday life. If you find it hard to

enter the Now directly, start by observing the habitual tendency of

your mind to want to escape from the Now. You will observe that the

future is usually imagined as either better or worse than the present.

If the imagined future is better, it gives you hope or pleasurable

anticipation. If it is worse, it creates anxiety. Both are illusory.

Through self-observation, more presence comes into your life

automatically. The moment you realize you are not present, you are

present. Whenever you are able to observe your mind, you are no

longer trapped in it. Another factor has come in, something that is not

of the mind: the witnessing presence.

Be present as the watcher of your mind — of your thoughts and

emotions as well as your reactions in various situations. Be at least as

interested in your reactions as in the situation or person that causes

you to react. Notice also how often your attention is in the past or

future. Don’t judge or analyze what you observe. Watch the thought,

feel the emotion, observe the reaction. Don’t make a personal

problem out of them. You will then feel something more powerful

than any of those things that you observe: the still, observing

presence itself behind the content of your mind, the silent watcher.

 

Intense presence is needed when certain situations trigger a reaction

with a strong emotional charge, such as when your self-image is

threatened, a challenge comes into your life that triggers fear, things

“go wrong,” or an emotional complex from the past is brought up. In

those instances, the tendency is for you to become “unconscious.” The

reaction or emotion takes you over — you “become” it. You act it out.

You justify, make wrong, attack, defend. . .except that it isn’t you, it’s

the reactive pattern, the mind in its habitual survival mode.

Identification with the mind gives it more energy; observation of the

mind withdraws energy from it. Identification with the mind creates

more time; observation of the mind opens up the dimension of the

timeless. The energy that is withdrawn from the mind turns into

presence. Once you can feel what it means to be present, it becomes

much easier to simply choose to step out of the time dimension

whenever time is not needed for practical purposes and move more

deeply into the Now. This does not impair your ability to use time —

past or future — when you need to refer to it for practical matters.

Nor does it impair your ability to use your mind. In fact, it enhances it.

When you do use your mind, it will be sharper, more focused.