Time isn’t precious at all, because it is an illusion. What you perceive as precious is not time but the one point that is out of time: the Now. That is precious indeed. The more you are focused on time–past and future–the more you miss the Now, the most precious thing there is.
Why is it the most precious thing? Firstly, because it is the only thing. It’s all there is. The eternal present is the space within which your whole life unfolds, the one factor that remains constant. Life is now. There was never a time when your life was not now, nor will there ever be. Secondly, the Now is the only point that can take you beyond the limited confines of the mind. It is your only point of access into the timeless and formless realm of Being.
The Power of Now, 49
Obviously, I have been writing a lot about “the Power of Now” recently (both here and here). It has been a great thing for my wife and I to read a little bit at a time. I find myself thinking about it a lot, and saying to my wife like, “All we have is Now!” It’s almost become like an inside joke between us or something.
It also coincides perfectly with meditation, which I have also been doing, more and more frequently in small amounts throughout the day. This has been proving a valuable tool to watch my own mind, and to get present… which, as Tolle writes above, is what it is all about!
I have also been pleased to find that, several times recently, I have caught my mind in the middle of strange behaviors and automatic thinking that felt uncomfortable or downright bad. By getting present, I set was able to set those thoughts aside. And it felt really good!
An example, the subject of yesterday’s post: I was on TV here in Sacramento, and I caught my own mind trying to play tricks on me and guilt tripping me over nothing, turning normal things into a crime that I was supposed to pay for. Once I realized what was going on, that automatic reaction (which I have in the past suffered over for days, weeks, months, and, I regret to say it, even years) lost its control over me. It was so freeing!
Today I have had more chances to get present, as my wife and myself did some last minute (yes, guilty as charged) Christmas shopping. Sadly, I am not always the best companion when it comes to shopping. It’s worse than simply being bored by it or something. For some reason, shopping sometimes has been a trigger for a lot of mental junk (perhaps I will write about this in the future). What I am learning is that this mental junk is exactly the kind of stuff that used to take me out of the present.
Today, however, I really paid attention. In fact, I even meditated… in the middle of the store. I closed my eyes several times, for just a few moments, and this really helped me stay centered 🙂 As a result, our trip was quite smooth. Even my wife noticed.
I guess what I’m saying is that I am seeing myself develop some skill in becoming present, which is helping me dis-identify with my mind’s automatic reactions. I am enjoying the results. Instead of going down yet another mental rabbit hole, I enjoyed PRESENCE.
powerful stuff!
Merry Christmas Eve!