“Live in the present and realize the truth. The past is as illusory as the future. In the now, everything is transformed.”From El refugio del corazón
There was a time, in my years of searching, when one question became very valuable to me. It was not the question of who I am. It was this one: Why does the mind always want to avoid the present?
What would your answer be? Before you reply, look at yourself for a moment. Whenever you feel you are getting lost in your thoughts while doing any of your daily tasks, as when you drive a car without paying attention to the places you pass because you are daydreaming, come back to your presence with this simple question.
What is always there
When you realize that the present is the constant of what you are, only then can you acknowledge that this same present is the unquestionable truth of what is always there, behind all your experiences. Being is the only thing that is always there. It cannot be lost or left behind like an old suitcase or a worn-out piece of furniture, for not even death can destroy it.
That is why you don’t need to leave your house, or travel, or buy or pay for anything to find it. There is no space or time in this Being, and no places to visit. There are no temples, no sacred mountains, no symbols. This is the perfect instant.
Why the mind runs from the present
Being present sounds easy and within reach. The truth is that, although it is an experience as simple as being here and now, it is not. At every moment of our hectic daily life, the mind, or our confused ego, wants to avoid being present, because each time we are present there is no space or time for the ego. Only the presence that we truly are shows itself in its fullness: that presence which is Divine and shines like a sun all on its own.
If you go back to the question at the beginning, you will find that it is precisely whenever we step out of the present that we make way for the existence of the ego. The ego lives off a past and a possible future. In the now, it has nowhere to stay. The realization of what we are eludes us day by day and moment by moment, not because it hides from us, but because we hide from it.
Remembering yourself
Perhaps the hardest thing for the soul, in the midst of its life on earth, is to stay in relationship with itself. From the moment we associate with the world, we dissociate from ourselves. Every time we disconnect from the present, forgetting who we really are, we become mechanical, like robots, and without realizing it we let ourselves be swept along by the ideas of the collective consciousness.
That is why being present is, in essence, remembering yourself: being present in yourself, without getting lost in the feverish plot of illusion that the mind creates. It is keeping a pure, simple attention on your Being, and not on what you want from the world or on what the world suggests to you.
When we inhabit what we truly are, there is no past and no future: only the present, as an eternal now. Your relationship with God is not in some other time. It is renewed every second, here and now; it is happening right now. Now, now, now!
Do not hurry toward something that is bound to happen in the future. Do not dwell in the past.
In everyday life
Whenever you are present, harmony reigns. So avoid living a mechanical life: be present, in continuous meditation, contemplating God in yourself and in the simplicity of things.
When your day begins and you are on your way to work, take a long look at the street around you, or try going a different way, accepting the whole experience as a gift. If your car refuses to start, take a deep breath and give stress no room; perhaps life is only trying to give you a two-minute delay. Chew slowly, take in every scent, every flavor, every bite. Be aware of every little detail while you wash your hair, enjoy dinner or brew the coffee.
There is a very simple practice that makes the mind work for you: repeating inwardly what you are doing. If you are sweeping, you repeat to yourself over and over, “sweeping, sweeping, sweeping.” And the same when you eat, drive, cook or comb your hair. This way you bring the mind into the moment you are living, and this simple practice ends up becoming a habit that keeps you present.
The mind is like a puppy in a new place: it runs off in every direction. It has to be taught to stay with its owner. Every time you notice it has run off, question it and bring it back to the present. In the present, the mind becomes stable. We are not the mind.
And every time you feel you are divorcing yourself from the present, observe whatever pulls you out of it. But it is not the object, the person or the event that you need to observe. Live them as you normally would, don’t ignore them, but stay present with them, without judging them. What you observe is your fascination with them, the idea that they are going to satisfy you completely.
The game of finding Him
The spirit of God is everywhere, and that is why it is here and now. You already have a direct relationship with Him. Every time you are present, you are in that relationship; as soon as you drift off into your thoughts, you disconnect from it. The more you practice being in the now, the stronger it grows.
Don’t torture yourself reasoning all the time. Play with God at finding Him. Every time you realize you are distracted in your mind, play at finding Him again within you. Make a game of it, because every time you find yourself in the present, you find Him. With practice it will get easier and easier, until it becomes obvious, spontaneous and natural to you.
In every moment and every instant, favor your presence over any image, idea or concept of the mind. Stay present and aware of the now until it becomes the constant, until you see that there is nothing to realize. Being present is the beginning of that sublime bond, of the relationship that has already been served for you.
What else do you need to search for in this life, when God is simply everything?
From Dr. Zuluan Orion's books: Illumination · Deshojando el Corazón de la Eternidad · El refugio del corazón · Devoción