Paul Reports - Living in the Moment

Living In The Moment..

.
Before we can talk about the Present, we need to define and eliminate
the Past and the Future.

We also need to define Eternity:

noun:
• infinite or unending time
• a state to which time has no application; timelessness.

We are surrounded by Eternity in every direction, therefore there
is no Past Present or Future. It is all Now. The Past Present and
Future are constructs of consciousness. It makes living on a planet
an organized experience.

Time is related to memory. Without memory there is no Past.
Imagine that you have no memory and it will bring you closer to
Now.

An emotion has a certain intensity. If it is a strong feeling then it
gets put into memory, where it immediately begins to fade, like
smoke in the wind.

This is similar to Entropy, in that something starts out in a highly
ordered state, degrades to a lower state, and cannot be 'put back'
to its previous state.

Entropy, the so called 'Arrow of Time', is one of the phenomenon
that creates our sense of Time. Cause and Effect is what appears
to be happening.

Light the fire, the wood (highly ordered structure) burns, leaving
only gas, smoke and ashes (lower state), which cannot be 'put
back' together. It 'took time' for the wood to burn. Or did the
wood merely burn (change its composition) within all eternity?
Likewise, a strong emotion is triggered by an event (highly
ordered structure), which burns into our memory, and begins to
degrade (to a lower state) which cannot be fully reconstructed.
So, the effect of Entropy in the consciousness, coupled with
emotion and memory, lends credence to our experience (the
illusion?) of Time passing.

The Past only exists in our minds as fragments of Intensity, fading
away with each passing day.

Without memory, there is no sense of time or history.
Without memory there is nothing to look forward to, because
looking forward is based on what we remember, and how we
would change the Past by making a better Future. Without
memory there is only the Present.

Imagination is to the Future what Memory is to the Past. It's as if
we remember the Future. The difference is that the Past gives us
concrete facts (often misunderstood), and the Future provides us
with potential facts based on what we think happened in the past.
It is a drama, with us as the hero of our life.

We construct scenario's where we see ourselves doing this, that,
or the other. Because most literature and television drama is
based on conflict, and our culture is immersed in entertainment,
our imaginings of the Future are often filled with potential
conflicts.

It's all make believe. How many times has the disastrous Future
that we imagine actually comes to pass? Or the optimistic Futures
we hope for? Not often.

The upshot is that the Future is just another construct of reality
created by consciousness which can be used to make
sophisticated plans that help us deal with being an animal on a
planet adrift is space surrounded by Eternity.

The Future is what we expect we will soon be remembering as the
Past. The Future seems to act like a direction, so let's look at
directions. There is no up or down or left or right in the universe.
There is just 'over there', and 'that-a-way'. The Future is the
direction our consciousness seems to take us toward as things
change around us, but really it's just more Eternity. Similarly, any
given direction is just 'More Space'.

Back to memory - Without memory no one could follow
instructions, they would wander around oblivious to their current
task.

Would we know how to get food if we couldn't remember how we
got it the last time?

We would constantly be re-learning everything necessary to
survive on a day to day basis. Memory is essential to survival.
Which means that our perception of Time is too.

Natures use of Memory, and the effects of Entropy on it, may
have created a by-product: the way we experience the passage of
Time.

Meditation encourages us to ignore the Past and the Future, which
are solely based on the internal dialogue of our minds. We dwell
on the Past: What did I say to so-and-so, how did they take it?
What did she mean by that? Did I make the right choice? etc.. We
worry about the future: How will it go? Will it work out? Based on
what they said will I get the job? etc..

Not to mention expectations from society.

All that is the bullshit that deflects our ability to realize the truly
scary fact that we are surrounded by Eternity. It's whistling in the
dark. Sure we have to make practical decisions day to day to
survive, but we take it to extremes. That internal voice just won't
shut up. Meditation allows us to quell those incessant thoughts.
When we do not focus on the Past or the Future (constructs of
reality) we experience 'Peace of Mind'. When one meditates they
experience the Universe without the distraction of internal
dialogue and thus experience what it's like to sit at the center of
eternity.

Another reminder of our experience of time is the rotation of the
earth. Night and day - day and night etc.. It's difficult not to
imagine time passing with that kind of seemingly major change
daily. Imagine that you are in a clear bubble of a spaceship. It
barely surrounds your body. You are in the same orbit as the
earth, but on the opposite side of the Sun. It is always day,
because the clear sphere doesn't spin and there is no opaque
surface, so there is no night. Night is just being in the shadow of
the earth, nothing has really changed.

Floating in space this way allows you to see the Sun as it really is:
A gigantic ball of flame in space that shines for billions of years.
That is what eternity is like. That is Now.

Think of the billions of years of life on earth. Hundreds of Millions
of days just like today. Blue sky, clouds, rain, wind, temperature
shifts, dawn, dusk. Our puny brains can hardly comprehend it. But
the earth and sun will not last all of eternity. They exist Now.
Their Now is very long compared to our perception of Today and
Tomorrow. Their Now lasts for billions of years.
Get in tune with the Now of our planet, and you can catch a
glimpse of 'Peace' on earth.

* * * * * *

Savor the senses. Savor taste, savor sights, savor sounds, savor
touch, savor smells. When you savor something you are living in
the moment.

Another theory that I have is that humans evolved to sort things
with our fingers, such as picking out the bad seeds in rice and
beans, or painting or knitting. When we do a task like this we
concentrate. Time passes and we are surprised that so much has
passed so quickly. When you concentrate, you focus your mind on
just one thing to the exclusion of all else. This is a form of
meditation. Mainly because you are not dwelling on the Past or the
Future - you are focused on Right Now.

When you do something that takes you 'out of time' in this
manner, make note of it so you can do it again on purpose, and
for that reason. There are countless ways to get 'out of time'. Find
the ways that work for you. The more ways that you find, the
more time you will spend living in The Moment.

It is said that the Yogi's go about their daily tasks in a waking
meditation. There is no Time, there is only Doing and Not-Doing.

* * * * * * *

The reason that they encourage a mantra in meditation, is so that
you will only think of one thing - the mantra. Then all you have to
do is stop thinking of the one thing, and you will not be thinking at
all. Which is the goal.

The idea is to stop the infernal internal dialogue.
Here is an exercise: Close your eyes. Think of an orange seed.
Imagine planting the seed in the earth. Watch as it sprouts and
grows into a sapling, then a tree. Oranges appear on the
branches. Pick one, then peel and section it. Take out a seed and
repeat the process.

If at anytime during the exercise, your mind drifts away, then you
must start all over with the seed. Eventually you will be able to
focus on the series of events to the exclusion of all else. It is a
great way to fall asleep.

By the way, it's now right now...



	HomePage > Philosophy > Living in the Moment...
	Living In The Moment.. . Before we can talk about the Present, we need to define and eliminate the Past and the Future. We also need to define Eternity: noun: • infinite or unending time • a state to which time has no application; timelessness. We are surrounded by Eternity in every direction, therefore there is no Past Present or Future. It is all Now. The Past Present and Future are constructs of consciousness. It makes living on a planet an organized experience. Time is related to memory. Without memory there is no Past. Imagine that you have no memory and it will bring you closer to Now. An emotion has a certain intensity. If it is a strong feeling then it gets put into memory, where it immediately begins to fade, like smoke in the wind. This is similar to Entropy, in that something starts out in a highly ordered state, degrades to a lower state, and cannot be 'put back' to its previous state. Entropy, the so called 'Arrow of Time', is one of the phenomenon that creates our sense of Time. Cause and Effect is what appears to be happening. Light the fire, the wood (highly ordered structure) burns, leaving only gas, smoke and ashes (lower state), which cannot be 'put back' together. It 'took time' for the wood to burn. Or did the wood merely burn (change its composition) within all eternity? Likewise, a strong emotion is triggered by an event (highly ordered structure), which burns into our memory, and begins to degrade (to a lower state) which cannot be fully reconstructed. So, the effect of Entropy in the consciousness, coupled with emotion and memory, lends credence to our experience (the illusion?) of Time passing. The Past only exists in our minds as fragments of Intensity, fading away with each passing day. Without memory, there is no sense of time or history. Without memory there is nothing to look forward to, because looking forward is based on what we remember, and how we would change the Past by making a better Future. Without memory there is only the Present. Imagination is to the Future what Memory is to the Past. It's as if we remember the Future. The difference is that the Past gives us concrete facts (often misunderstood), and the Future provides us with potential facts based on what we think happened in the past. It is a drama, with us as the hero of our life. We construct scenario's where we see ourselves doing this, that, or the other. Because most literature and television drama is based on conflict, and our culture is immersed in entertainment, our imaginings of the Future are often filled with potential conflicts. It's all make believe. How many times has the disastrous Future that we imagine actually comes to pass? Or the optimistic Futures we hope for? Not often. The upshot is that the Future is just another construct of reality created by consciousness which can be used to make sophisticated plans that help us deal with being an animal on a planet adrift is space surrounded by Eternity. The Future is what we expect we will soon be remembering as the Past. The Future seems to act like a direction, so let's look at directions. There is no up or down or left or right in the universe. There is just 'over there', and 'that-a-way'. The Future is the direction our consciousness seems to take us toward as things change around us, but really it's just more Eternity. Similarly, any given direction is just 'More Space'. Back to memory - Without memory no one could follow instructions, they would wander around oblivious to their current task. Would we know how to get food if we couldn't remember how we got it the last time? We would constantly be re-learning everything necessary to survive on a day to day basis. Memory is essential to survival. Which means that our perception of Time is too. Natures use of Memory, and the effects of Entropy on it, may have created a by-product: the way we experience the passage of Time. Meditation encourages us to ignore the Past and the Future, which are solely based on the internal dialogue of our minds. We dwell on the Past: What did I say to so-and-so, how did they take it? What did she mean by that? Did I make the right choice? etc.. We worry about the future: How will it go? Will it work out? Based on what they said will I get the job? etc.. Not to mention expectations from society. All that is the bullshit that deflects our ability to realize the truly scary fact that we are surrounded by Eternity. It's whistling in the dark. Sure we have to make practical decisions day to day to survive, but we take it to extremes. That internal voice just won't shut up. Meditation allows us to quell those incessant thoughts. When we do not focus on the Past or the Future (constructs of reality) we experience 'Peace of Mind'. When one meditates they experience the Universe without the distraction of internal dialogue and thus experience what it's like to sit at the center of eternity. Another reminder of our experience of time is the rotation of the earth. Night and day - day and night etc.. It's difficult not to imagine time passing with that kind of seemingly major change daily. Imagine that you are in a clear bubble of a spaceship. It barely surrounds your body. You are in the same orbit as the earth, but on the opposite side of the Sun. It is always day, because the clear sphere doesn't spin and there is no opaque surface, so there is no night. Night is just being in the shadow of the earth, nothing has really changed. Floating in space this way allows you to see the Sun as it really is: A gigantic ball of flame in space that shines for billions of years. That is what eternity is like. That is Now. Think of the billions of years of life on earth. Hundreds of Millions of days just like today. Blue sky, clouds, rain, wind, temperature shifts, dawn, dusk. Our puny brains can hardly comprehend it. But the earth and sun will not last all of eternity. They exist Now. Their Now is very long compared to our perception of Today and Tomorrow. Their Now lasts for billions of years. Get in tune with the Now of our planet, and you can catch a glimpse of 'Peace' on earth. * * * * * * Savor the senses. Savor taste, savor sights, savor sounds, savor touch, savor smells. When you savor something you are living in the moment. Another theory that I have is that humans evolved to sort things with our fingers, such as picking out the bad seeds in rice and beans, or painting or knitting. When we do a task like this we concentrate. Time passes and we are surprised that so much has passed so quickly. When you concentrate, you focus your mind on just one thing to the exclusion of all else. This is a form of meditation. Mainly because you are not dwelling on the Past or the Future - you are focused on Right Now. When you do something that takes you 'out of time' in this manner, make note of it so you can do it again on purpose, and for that reason. There are countless ways to get 'out of time'. Find the ways that work for you. The more ways that you find, the more time you will spend living in The Moment. It is said that the Yogi's go about their daily tasks in a waking meditation. There is no Time, there is only Doing and Not-Doing. * * * * * * * The reason that they encourage a mantra in meditation, is so that you will only think of one thing - the mantra. Then all you have to do is stop thinking of the one thing, and you will not be thinking at all. Which is the goal. The idea is to stop the infernal internal dialogue. Here is an exercise: Close your eyes. Think of an orange seed. Imagine planting the seed in the earth. Watch as it sprouts and grows into a sapling, then a tree. Oranges appear on the branches. Pick one, then peel and section it. Take out a seed and repeat the process. If at anytime during the exercise, your mind drifts away, then you must start all over with the seed. Eventually you will be able to focus on the series of events to the exclusion of all else. It is a great way to fall asleep. By the way, it's now right now...