Being in the Present

[Brian]

Question:

I have recently been trying to understand the concept of being
present. I think I am finding slightly difficult to grasp and
certainly don't feel that it is always beneficial. However, on
occasions I begin to think that it a very profound and helpful idea!
Is there a danger of us losing sight of the future or not remembering
and learning from the past if we stay 'present'? Certainly the feeling
or being present is great... but is it actually beneficial in terms of
day to day activities...? It just seems that being in a strong state
of presence can be harmful to one's goals or purpose.... Wasn't it Sou
Yen Shaku - the first Zen teacher to come to America who said - 'do
not regret the past, look to the future'...this seems to contradict
the idea of being 'present'... Anything you have to say is much
appreciated - as usual!

Answer:

This seems to be confusing to many people. You often hear the phrase
"Be Here, Now," and that's usually a reminder to keep your mind on the
present moment and focus on the now, as opposed to worrying about the
past or future. We often move through our days more or less on "auto-
pilot," doing routine things without paying much attention. Do you
remember putting on your socks this morning? Do you remember the first
sip of coffee/tea/whatever you had today? How about the physical
sensations of putting your key in the ignition and starting your car?
Some of us do these things day in, day out, and give absolutely 0%
conscious thought to those things.

Where is our mind when we do these routine "no-brainer" activities?
Usually wandering around in the future, working out what we'll be
having for breakfast tomorrow or about that conversation with the boss
later this afternoon. Or perhaps reliving the past, thinking about
what you should have said to that jerk in the subway yesterday. Or
maybe you're just off in a complete fantasy, thinking about last
night's episode of LOST. The problem is that you aren't paying any
attention to the now.

It's perfectly OK to make plans and have hopes and expectations for
the future. The future is going to become the present eventually, and
we all like to be prepared for that when it happens. The trick is not
to get attached to those hopes and plans, and not to move through the
present while on "auto-pilot." You have no control over the past at
all, and only a little control over the future. On the other hand,
your present is entirely yours.

Right now you're probably sitting in a chair reading your computer
screen or a printout with these words on it. Some of you are listening
to my voice on an MP3 player while you are doing something else. Are
you paying any attention to the background noise in the room you are
sitting in? Can you hear birds or cars or music or children playing?
Are there any smells in the room? Is your chair perfectly comfortable
or does a part of it painfully poke you somewhere? Were you aware or
midful of these things before I mentioned them? Being in the present
means really experiencing the present, as much of it as we can at any
time.

When we are meditating, it's common to get yourself to the point where
you feel your attachment to everything around you ("one with
everything"). That's great if you can do it in a silent, meditative
posture, but can you do it right now without stopping what you are
doing? This idea of being in the present is one reason Zen monks (and
probably others) work so hard. It's just as valuable for them to be
outside working in a garden or washing dishes as it is to sit in
zazen. Experiencing life in the present is a big step toward realizing
your oneness with everything around you.

It's easy to do when you give it active thought, but it's so easy to
get lost in day-to-day life that it becomes a real challenge to stick
with it. Try not to fly through life on autopilot.

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