I chatted with my friend as we were returning home from a fishing trip. I had been musing over the topic of time and my sense of self. I was aware that I had a sense of self--a sense of “me” -- talking to my friend. I realized that the sense of “me” was based primarily on memory. If I had a completely different set of memories, “I “would not be me. “Me” is a product of the past. But…the past isn’t real!
Back came the anxious feeling! OMG, I’m not real! Now what do I do?
Immediately an intuitive voice said, “You are very real…but YOU are not the “you” that consists of memories. The real “you” exists only in the present moment; the false “you” exists only in time.”
Wow! More food for thought. But that was enough for one fishing trip. The rest of the way home we chatted sporadically about more mundane matters.
The me that I know myself to be is comprised of memories of past and hopes for future. Every moment my brain is accessing past memories to determine what to do in the present. Every decision is shaped by memories. Learning is based on memories. My sense of reality is based on memories.
A Zen yogi wrote an article that I found quite interesting. It’s titled, “On Making the Perfect Biscuit.” The author was the cook at a Zen retreat center. Whenever he would prepare biscuits for the community, he was never happy with his creation. He never could seem to get it “just right.”
His problem was solved when he discovered why he never made the perfect biscuit. The solution had nothing to do with ingredients or preparation methods. He realized that he was unwittingly comparing every biscuit he ever made with an internal gold standard: Mom’s biscuits! Only they were perfect. Once he saw this, he found that every biscuit he made was perfect because he no longer compared it with biscuits from the past. He then went on to discover how much of his present-day unhappiness was created by this same basic process of unconscious comparison.
If we have unrecognized memories that shape our view of reality then we cannot live 100% in the present moment--even if we are convinced that we are. Each of us lives in a somewhat different reality--and most are convinced that it is the only reality. We become baffled when others can’t see things our way. The past shapes us more than most of us realize.
Our reality is influenced by memories which are primarily unconscious. So, how to release these unconscious thoughts / memories?
The answer lies in doing a practice that is simple and easy---but there’s a catch! The practice must be done continuously---and that’s not easy. The practice is to be continuously aware of sensations in the body, with the intention off accepting each experience fully without resistance. Awareness is a choice; nonresistance is an intention- it cannot be achieved by will power alone—it must be cultivated.
Sensations in the body are always experienced in the present moment. To experience these sensations is more than thinking about or imaging the body; it is feeling the body directly and immediately. (I liken it to water soaking into a dry sponge,) This simple practice—when done continuously—will eventually release hidden body/mind memories. The longer we stay continuously focused on the present, the deeper we go into the body/mind memory bank.
Nothing unreal can exist in the present moment. Reality can be experienced only right now. Awareness can occur only in the present. Freedom exists only in the present moment. Choices can be made only in the present. Creativity can occur only in the present moment. Life can be lived only in the present.
In closing, a story to illustrate another benefit from living in the now.
About ten years ago I was driving home from a retreat that I led at Conception Abbey, in northwestern MO. After a retreat I rarely listen to the radio, but I felt a gentle and persistent “nudge” to turn on the radio. I turned on Public Radio and caught an interview with a man who had just completed a TED Talk.
Matt Killingsworth was researching happiness, and specifically what factors promoted happiness in humans. To that end he developed a sophisticated app that allowed him to collect extensive amounts of data from several thousands of people. He delineated over fifty variables that individuals could record, along with their degree of happiness in that moment. Each person recorded this in the app several times every day. Examples of variables: “Are you doing something that you like to do; Are you alone or with another, etc.”
To his surprise he found that the factor having the highest correlation with happiness was not the one about what people were doing or who they were with, but with how much attention they were paying to what they were doing. Those who were deeply aware of what they were doing reported the highest incidence of happiness! [i]
[i] https://www.ted.com/talks/mattkillingsworth...