The Present Moment

I have always considered myself to be a skeptic.

This is the main reason that I have never felt myself drawn to a particular religion or spiritualistic belief. This is not to say that I haven’t wondered about the existence of a “higher power”, something that is part of me, yet impossibly more that I am. But, the stories, the miracles, the redemption that lies somewhere in the future, it just didn’t make sense.

Then, not long ago, I learned what has come to be the most important thing that I have ever learned in my life; that future and past are illusions and that the present moment is all there is. As profound a discovery as this was, it stayed, and stays with me because it makes sense.

The past and the future are no more than thoughts and mental images. These thoughts change over time, so much so that the imagined memory of an event that once made your cry can bring a smile to your face years later. Or, an imagined future event which caused fear may later make you feel hopeful.

The future and past exist only in your imagination. And, when you imagine them, you do so in the present moment. They are the “current perceptions” of the past or future.

The importance of the now becomes clear when you understand who you are how your brain works.

At your essence, before you are your life’s history, your name or even your body, you are awareness, consciousness, the “I am” that comes before I am this or I am that. You temporarily exist in a human body equipped with senses which let you interact with the physical world. You also have a brain. In addition to its autonomic functions, i.e., life support, it interprets sensory data and uses logic to create solutions in the present moment or in an imagined past or future (scenarios).

You can only have one thought at a time because you can only be aware one thing at a time. Although your brain is able to switch very rapidly between points of focus, is incapable of having two thoughts at once or to have your attention on the present moment and a thought at the same time.

In order to experience the present moment, you must be able to separate yourself from your thoughts. When you are aware of your thoughts, you are present.

When you become present, your brain does not stop creating or analyzing. It never does. However, when your focus is on the present moment, it frees your mind to work on the constant stream of real-time information in the most efficient way possible, without the distraction of extraneous thought. Solutions coming out of this state will be most effective and of the highest quality. The value of being present is obvious even in the day-to-day of our human lives.

There is a back road near where I live in Phuket, Thailand. I take this road on my motor scooter almost everyday. And, almost everyday, this road becomes a spiritual practice for me.

As I ride, I take in the whole experience, letting my mind analyze everything that I sense, becoming hyper-aware of everything without naming or judging anything. If I come upon an unexpected obstacle in the road, such as a sleeping dog, I simply become aware of it and allow my brain to take the proper actions. There are no thoughts like “What a cute dog!”, or “Watch out, dog, you’re going to get killed!”. For me, finding present moment awareness is not just the best way to live, it is the best way to stay alive.However, the importance of being in the present moment extends far beyond the now that you can see, hear, smell, taste or touch. The sensory present moment is one of intense brain activity; evaluation, logic, decision-making and execution. There may be no extraneous thought, but it is torrential.

A deeper level of present moment requires an elimination of thought altogether. This can be achieved in many ways, including meditation with eyes closed, a practice that is ancient and powerful.

However, I have found that there are countless portals to presence that surround us in our everyday lives. It could be as magnificent as a cloud, as simple as the sound of water filling a kitchen sink, or as familiar as what you see when you close your eyes.