by Smt. Mandira Lahiri
Prajnanpurush Sri Sri Babathakur often said that we tend to worship the
past, neglect the present and anticipate the future. So aptly said… this is
what we all do most of the time. If we all engage our minds in utilizing our
present properly, then our present and future will automatically be good.
Tomorrow when the present becomes the past, it has to be good because of right
use yesterday. Otherwise, it is not fruitful to think about our past since it
causes anguish if it is unpleasant and causes temporary pleasure if it is
pleasant. But the mind knows that it is not true at all. We know that it is
past----it is over and done with-----whether good or bad it cannot be undone.
Thinking about our future is futile, meaningless and a waste of time since who
has seen the future? It is so uncertain! So, it is only the ‘now’ which is real
and relevant. Being in the present has to be cultivated. A habit has to be
developed to dwell on ‘here’ and ‘now’. Our minds have to be nudged and
schooled so that it does not drown itself in the past and future. Being in the
present moment can be achieved by involving our minds in meaningful activities.
Present should be spent constructively in thoughts, words and deeds.
Echart Tolle says-----
“It’s Always ‘Now’.
“On the surface it seems that the present moment is only one of many,
many moments. Each day of your life appears to consist of thousands of moments
where different things happen. Yet, if you look more deeply, is there not only
one moment ever? Is life ever not ‘this moment’?”
Excerpts from ‘The Speaking Tree’ written by Marguerite Theophil dated
28/5/21.
“It is true that we near unconsciously attach narratives to people and
events in a good /bad evaluation almost all the time. Mindfulness teaches us to
side step this tendency, just being in the experience; admittedly easier said
than done, but still, something we can train ourselves to do. In no way does
the teaching ask us to blinker ourselves against the beauty around us.
“When we rush through our days, barely noticing the sights, sounds and
smells around, we also become enmeshed in mind-chatter.
“A wonderful key to everyday mindfulness is savoring. When we savor
something, we are fully present with it, and appreciative of the experience.
“Some tell us that these are two different things, mindfulness asks you
to observe the present moment without judging it and let go of it, while with savoring,
you observe a specific type of moment, a positive one, and then you try to stay
with it, wrap it around yourself, not let it go. Yet savoring isn’t all that
different to mindfulness, in as much as it is taking notice of a particular
experience or sight and being present within it.
“For many others, it is just another aspect of mindful awareness, not a
different process. As one wise teacher puts it, appreciating ordinary everyday
beauty, can actually transport people into a mindful state because you have put
yourself in a space of connection and presence.
“This simple yet powerful practice can lead to a sense of wellbeing,
better mental health and improved relationships. Training ourselves to savor
also helps bypass or ignore what would otherwise get your critical or “judgy”
attention. In fact, intentionally savoring nudges you back into the present
moment, and the beauty of life.
“It doesn’t have to be a unique and extraordinary event; it’s about
appreciating life as it unfolds.
“You will most likely notice that when you are present with your
experience, and savoring it, the negative chatter in your mind slows down or
even stops, your self-absorbed focus moves outward again, reconnecting you with
the moment you’re in, the beauty and joy around.”
Excerpts from Thich Nihat Hanh’s article in ‘The Speaking Tree ‘dated
25/5/21----
“We can prepare for the future without getting consumed by our plans.
The present moment is where we need to operate. When you are truly anchored in
the present moment, you can plan in a much better way. If you are grounded in
the present moment, you can bring the future into the present to have a deep
look without losing yourself in anxiety and uncertainty. You can learn from the
past and plan for the future in the best way if you are grounded in the present
moment.”
A fairy tale known as ‘Peter and the Magic Thread’ explains very well
the importance of being in the present moment.
“Peter could never live in the moment. He had not learned to enjoy the
process of life. When he was in school, he dreamed of being outside playing.
When he was playing outside, he dreamed of his summer vacation. One morning,
Peter was out walking in a forest near his home. Feeling tired, he dozed off on
a patch of grass. After only a few minutes of deep sleep, he heard someone
calling his name. ‘Peter! Peter! As he slowly opened his eyes, he was startled
to see a striking woman, over a hundred years old standing above him. In this
woman’s wrinkled hand was a magical little ball with a hole in the center and
out of the hole dangled a long, golden thread.
“Peter,’ she said, ‘this is the thread of your life. If you pull the
thread just a bit, an hour will pass in seconds. If you pull a little harder,
whole days will pass in minutes. And if you pull with all your might,
months---even years---will pass by in days. ‘I would like to have it if I may?’
he asked. The elderly woman quickly reached down and gave the ball with the
magic thread to the young boy.
“The next day, Peter felt bored sitting in the classroom. Suddenly he
remembered his new toy. As he pulled a little bit of the golden thread, he
quickly found himself at home, playing in his garden. Peter soon grew tired of
being a schoolboy and longed to be a teenager, with all the excitement that
phase of life would bring. So again, he pulled out the ball and pulled hard on
the thread.
“Suddenly he was a teenager with a very pretty girlfriend named Elise.
But Peter wasn’t content. He dreamed of being an adult. So again, he pulled the
thread and many years whizzed by in an instant. He found that he had been
transformed into a middle-aged adult. Elise was now his wife and Peter was
surrounded by a houseful of kids. Yet Peter could not live in the moment. So again,
he pulled on the magic thread and waited for the changes to appear.
“Peter now found that he was a ninety-year-old man. His thick dark hair
had turned white and Elise had passed away a few years earlier. His wonderful
children had grown up and left home to lead lives on their own. For the first
time in his entire life, Peter realized that he had not taken the time to
embrace the wonders of living. He had hurried through life, never resting to
see all that was good along the way.
“Peter became very sad at this discovery. He decided to go out to the
forest where he used to walk as a boy to clear his head. He lay down on a small
patch of grass and fell into deep slumber. After only a minute, he heard
someone calling out to him. He looked up in astonishment to see that it was
none other than the old woman who had given him the magic toy many years
earlier.
“How have you enjoyed my special gift?” she asked
“At first it was fun but now I hate it. My whole life has passed before
my eyes without giving me a chance to enjoy it. I feel empty inside. I have
missed the gift of living.”
“You are very ungrateful,” said the old woman. “Still, I will give you
one last wish.”
“Peter answered hastily, “I’d like to go back to being a schoolboy and
live my life over again.” He then returned to deep sleep.
“Again, he heard someone calling his name and opened his eyes. He was
delighted to see his mother standing over his bedside. Peter realized that the
strange woman of the forest had indeed granted his wish and he had returned to
his former life.
Peter dashed out of bed on this morning and began to live the way he had
hoped. Peter went on to live a full life, one rich with many delights, joys and
triumphs, but it all started when he stopped sacrificing the present for the
future, and began to live in the moment.
Finally, I feel that though we all have a strong urge to be blissful and
calm, yet it is easier said than done. The mind plays truant and does not let
us be in the present moment. Therefore, there is endless suffering in this
world. Prajnanpurush Sri Sri Babathakur in ‘Science of Oneness’ elucidates----
‘Our Divine Nature should be cultured at all cost, for the attainment of
our perfection, liberation and divinization of life. For that culture, the
present educational system is not effective. It should be thoroughly changed
and be replaced by that of a man-making education. Such educational system would
provide us with the scope of all sorts of scientific and technical training.
TOGETHER with the full course for implementing the ‘Science of Oneness’ in life
with the following four musts:
---control of senses both inner and outer
---practice of concentration and meditation
---spiritual discrimination and devotion
---self-analysis and self-enquiry
In and through Real love for Divine Self, the One (the Absolute).’
So, we see that if we are able to transform our human nature into Divine
Nature, then we will attain Supreme Bliss and also be in the present moment.
