The
biggest barrier to our ‘being in the moment’ is our ‘thinking mind’, which
carries memories, concepts, fears, expectations and innumerable biases. Our
mind likes to take our attention away from the present moment into the past or
the future. Consequently, we are hardly present in the present moment, as we
strongly identify with our mind. We are where our mind is. Even when we are
interacting with any person or object in the present moment, our mind keeps
spinning out stories based on insufficient and inaccurate information. The mind
filled with such stories inhibit our experiencing the life ‘as it is’ in the
present moment. We identify ourselves with these stories so much that any
attack on their authenticity provokes strong reactions – often unpleasant. It
is a habit developed over a long period of time. We need to learn a new habit
of ‘being in the moment’.
Eckhart
Tolle, the author of famous book “The Power of Now”, provides an interesting
analogy to explain who we are ‘in essence’. Imagine yourself to be a room with
walls, floor, ceiling and filled with various stuff, including people. If you
were to ask the room, “Who are you?”, the answer most probably would be in
terms of its size, shape or its contents. But this answer does not tell what
the room ‘in essence’ is. Its shape, size and contents are not constant – they
change over time. However, the space occupied by the room is constant and all
changes occur in this space. The space is never affected by the stuff inside
it. It always remains pure and unbroken. Hence, the room should say, “I am
essentially the space”.
Similarly,
each one of us is essentially the ever-present consciousness or awareness
within which everything else exist and go through changes, including our body,
mind and intellect. Animals and plants don’t carry mind and intellect like
humans. They are incapable of spinning out speculative stories. But they are
alive and do carry their essence in form of consciousness, just like humans. This
is why it is easier to relate with a dog or a flower than with another human.
Animal’s / plant’s response to our interaction is spontaneous and pure. Even an
infant child displays such purity through her eyes as the thinking mind has not
yet risen in her. Inanimate objects are devoid of life. However, even they
exist in the medium of cosmic consciousness. Consciousness, therefore, is the
common ground on which everything in the universe is born, exists and
dissolves.
Being
in the moment means being fully conscious of the moment. For this to happen, we
must recognize our essence as consciousness or awareness, just like the room
recognizing its essence as the space, not its contents. We shine our awareness like
a flashlight on everything. Through our consciousness, we are aware of things
and beings in the world. Through the same consciousness, we are also aware of
our own body, feelings, thoughts and understanding – collectively called our
personality. We are essentially separate from all that we are aware of.
We
should slow down our thinking and allow as many still moments in our life as
possible. Whenever facing an issue, ask: “Where am I? Am I caught up by a story
fabricated by the mind?” If yes, disengage immediately and step into your
consciousness – deeper than the thinking mind. If you are able to step out of
your thinking mind even for a moment, you will find relief similar to waking up
from a nightmarish dream. This simple step would further bring clarity to your vision.
While waiting for your turn in a queue, stuck in the traffic, waiting for the
flight, waiting for the elevator and in all such situations, direct your awareness
to the breathing process – closely following the flow of air through nose,
throat, lungs and abdomen as you inhale and exhale. You will be naturally
forced to be present in the present moment while doing this exercise. The more
you do this simple practice, the more easily you will be able to shift yourself
out of your thinking mind and into your consciousness. Separated from the mind,
you can now use the mind more effectively just as you use any gadget for a task.
Or, you may choose to keep the mind in the silent mode when you don’t need it. You
will develop more alertness in your life and such alertness will also protect
you from unwarranted incidents and accidents in life as well as at work. Your
actions will be more effective and error-free.
We
should also spend more time with the nature observing objects, flowers, birds,
sunrise, etc. Observations, devoid of any thinking, would allow us to connect
with the essence of things and beings in the nature. Once we have perfected
this habit of recognizing the underlying essence in the nature, we can apply
the same approach with fellow humans. When we interact with people from the
standpoint of our essence (consciousness) and not our thinking mind, we start
recognizing their essence and not get carried away by their personalities and
stories. Thus, we create a powerful field of positive energy which can bring
amazing transformations in the people around us. We should accept the present moment
as if chosen by us and embrace whatever it brings. We don't have any other option anyway. Not accepting whatever the present moment brings will take us back into our thinking mind. In the present moment, we are open to all
possibilities, ideas, intuitions and inspirations that may transform our own
lives with rewarding experiences. The present moment can become a gateway to
our happiness.
