Being Here And Now...

[Guest Zenda]

Kia Ora Gentle Folk,

I’ve been pretty laidback over the last few months, charging up my bio batteries meditating…No not meditation 27/7 -- Umm well yeah sort of…

Now I know many of you are aware of what the ‘present moment’ is…But how many of you actually make a point to spend time in the “Here & Now” ?

When I go for a bush walk it’s as if my mind acts as a sounding board for the universal consciousness - the sound of cicadas stridulating and birds singing resonates through my mind – The mind becomes consciously aware of the surroundings – the body feels the vibrations of every step that it take on Mother Earth-the crack of a twig under foot-the bustle of the leaves as the gentle breeze makes its presence felt amongst the trees and to both body and mind… The body and mind are as one in the ‘present moment’…

When illusions in the form of past or future thoughts make their presence felt, the mind observes them without attachment and they quickly dissolve, all the while the sound of the cicadas and birds continue to resonate peacefully through the mind…

Researchers believe the average adult has around fifty thousand thoughts per day-the vast majority of thoughts are either reminiscing past events or worrying about the future ie, a reality dissolved and one yet to materialise…

Physically one can only live in the ‘present moment’ - outside this ‘moment’ ones life is just an illusion…A pseudo reality…

When reading ‘this’ you are ‘almost’ in the ‘present moment’[your mind is receptive to what your eyes perceive-but you might be unaware of your body’s actions – SMILE BREATHE YOU ARE ‘NOW’!]…But for me writing this, it’s ‘now’ just an illusion-my ‘present moment’ is ‘now’ elsewhere…

‘Reality’ can only be found in the ‘present moment’ all else is just delusion…

The mind’s true nature is peaceful and still-The consciousness’s true nature is to maintain that peace-but sadly it often gets sidetrack with illusions…

To find true inner peace one must become more aware of the ‘present moment’ by seeing thoughts of past and future for what they really are - just illusions…

Remembering the past is not always a bad thing and hoping for a better future is a good, but one must remember reality is the ‘present moment’ and how ones feels in the ‘present moment’ is how ones ‘immediate’ future will unfold and continue to unfold…

Are you in the ‘present moment’ ? Or is your life just made up of re-runs of intangible pasts and futures ?

In a Nutshell - The more one becomes aware of the present moment [being in the now] the less room anxiety and stress[caused by thoughts of intangible pasts and future] will have when trying to occupy your mind…

“It’s easy to stay ‘present ‘ when unpleasant thoughts try to break through…

Just become more ‘aware’ of your 'present' surrounding that’s all you have to do!”

Some helpful info on how to be become more mindful…

http://buddhismtaoism.suite101.com/article...ars_and_worries

http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe14.html

It’s Buddhist stuff but good for non Buddhist too…

Happy Mindfulness –May this ‘present moment’ be a long and happy one…

Just ask yourself "Am I in the 'present moment'?" and an amazing thing will happen...

Metta Sati

[Guest Zenda]

Kia Ora Gentle Folk,

I’ve been pretty laidback over the last few months, charging up my bio batteries meditating…No not meditation 27/7 -- Umm well yeah sort of…

Now I know many of you are aware of what the ‘present moment’ is…But how many of you actually make a point to spend time in the “Here & Now” ?

When I go for a bush walk it’s as if my mind acts as a sounding board for the universal consciousness - the sound of cicadas stridulating and birds singing resonates through my mind – The mind becomes consciously aware of the surroundings – the body feels the vibrations of every step that it take on Mother Earth-the crack of a twig under foot-the bustle of the leaves as the gentle breeze makes its presence felt amongst the trees and to both body and mind… The body and mind are as one in the ‘present moment’…

When illusions in the form of past or future thoughts make their presence felt, the mind observes them without attachment and they quickly dissolve, all the while the sound of the cicadas and birds continue to resonate peacefully through the mind…

Researchers believe the average adult has around fifty thousand thoughts per day-the vast majority of thoughts are either reminiscing past events or worrying about the future ie, a reality dissolved and one yet to materialise…

Physically one can only live in the ‘present moment’ - outside this ‘moment’ ones life is just an illusion…A pseudo reality…

When reading ‘this’ you are ‘almost’ in the ‘present moment’[your mind is receptive to what your eyes perceive-but you might be unaware of your body’s actions – SMILE BREATHE YOU ARE ‘NOW’!]…But for me writing this, it’s ‘now’ just an illusion-my ‘present moment’ is ‘now’ elsewhere…

‘Reality’ can only be found in the ‘present moment’ all else is just delusion…

The mind’s true nature is peaceful and still-The consciousness’s true nature is to maintain that peace-but sadly it often gets sidetrack with illusions…

To find true inner peace one must become more aware of the ‘present moment’ by seeing thoughts of past and future for what they really are - just illusions…

Remembering the past is not always a bad thing and hoping for a better future is a good, but one must remember reality is the ‘present moment’ and how ones feels in the ‘present moment’ is how ones ‘immediate’ future will unfold and continue to unfold…

Are you in the ‘present moment’ ? Or is your life just made up of re-runs of intangible pasts and futures ?

In a Nutshell - The more one becomes aware of the present moment [being in the now] the less room anxiety and stress[caused by thoughts of intangible pasts and future] will have when trying to occupy your mind…

“It’s easy to stay ‘present ‘ when unpleasant thoughts try to break through…

Just become more ‘aware’ of your 'present' surrounding that’s all you have to do!”

Some helpful info on how to be become more mindful…

http://buddhismtaoism.suite101.com/article...ars_and_worries

http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe14.html

It’s Buddhist stuff but good for non Buddhist too…

Happy Mindfulness –May this ‘present moment’ be a long and happy one…

Just ask yourself "Am I in the 'present moment'?" and an amazing thing will happen...

Metta Sati

Kia Ora

I should have mentioned 'Sati' is a Pali word which means 'Mindfulness' -mind you I do like it as a name...

Metta Jendar

[Guest Naomi Stardust]

Zen philosophy in a nutshell

well said

thank you

although for me, i don't always let those random thought flit away

i'm a writer and the thoughts that form themselves while i'm in the moment

often turn out to be my best poems

wishing you many happy moments

Naomi

[Guest Zenda]

Zen philosophy in a nutshell

well said

thank you

although for me, i don't always let those random thought flit away

i'm a writer and the thoughts that form themselves while i'm in the moment

often turn out to be my best poems

wishing you many happy moments

Naomi

Kia Ora Naomi,

To observe but not to attach oneself to ones thoughts. can be very beneficial, not only for a writer, but for anyone who truly wants to understand themselves better...

By becoming the observer of ones thoughts instead of being dragged along with them, one remains constantly in the peace of the present moment...

Are you familar with Thich Nhat Hanh's book "Present Moment Wonderful Moment"...He's a Vietnamese Buddhist monk...

Quote from book...

"Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion!"

"Opening the window, I look out onto the Dharmakaya, How wonderful is life, Attentive to each moment. my mind is clear like a calm river!"

By reciting these simple verses each day, one can train one's mind to focus on better things

It may be Buddhist philosophy that been taught for over 2500 years,[which can at times be somewhat off putting especially for those people who see Buddhism as just another religion] but it's a practical way for people to understand life better and get more out of life by learning to go with their natural flow...

Happy Mindfulness

Metta Jendar

[Guest Kelly Ann]

Hi Jendar...I've enjoyed your posts, you disappeared just as I found this place. Hope it's been peaceful to and for you...your dedication to discovery of self is way beyond what I would ever manage...The here and now is something that many will never experience...well done explaining it as there are many that can benefit from the attempt Welcome BACK TOO, Kelly Ann

[Guest Zenda]

Hi Jendar...I've enjoyed your posts, you disappeared just as I found this place. Hope it's been peaceful to and for you...your dedication to discovery of self is way beyond what I would ever manage...The here and now is something that many will never experience...well done explaining it as there are many that can benefit from the attempt Welcome BACK TOO, Kelly Ann

Kia Ora Kelly Ann,

Nice to meet you too….

At times we all experience the ‘present moment’ but sadly our minds have been so conditioned by past experiences that we have created a false sense of ‘self’, this self prefer the illusional ‘re-runs’ of the past ‘what was’ or the ‘what ifs’ of the future, to ‘what is’ = reality-the here and now…

From a Buddhist perspective it’s what called clinging to ‘self’ self in this case being ones ego…which will do anything to remain in control of the mind- even though it feeds on sensual pleasures, it also feeds on anxiety and fear anything that will make it seem more real…The ‘present moment’ is the enemy of ‘self’…’Being’ in the ‘present moment’ one is free from egotistic self…which causes all the anxiety and suffering…By doing so one is not losing a sense of who they are-they are just being true to their ‘being’…becoming whole=body and mind as one…Or 'true self' as some would say...

To deal with ones anxiety one needs to bring oneself fully into the ‘present moment’…

Becoming aware of ones breathing is a common technique used to do this…but by just asking oneself “Am I in the present moment?” will also bring one back into the here & now…When one finds they are being dragged away by thoughts, don’t panic just gently return to the present moment by 'awareness breathing' or just asking the above question…The more one does this the more it will become the norm and the more it becomes the norm the less anxiety will impact upon ones life…

It’s something so easy and simple to do that we tend to overlook it’s importance…

I often find myself saying[to myself that is ] things like “I’m opening the fridge!” [ I just had a cool drink] simple statement that brings ‘total’ awareness of the moment…

Just ask yourselves this where your mind at when you open the fridge to get a drink or making a cup of tea?

I hope I've explained what the 'present moment' really is and how it can truly benefit and enrich one's life...Or I could have confuse some even more...I hope not

Happy Mindfulness

Metta Jendar

[Guest Naomi Stardust]

Kia Ora Naomi,

To observe but not to attach oneself to ones thoughts. can be very beneficial, not only for a writer, but for anyone who truly wants to understand themselves better...

By becoming the observer of ones thoughts instead of being dragged along with them, one remains constantly in the peace of the present moment...

Are you familar with Thich Nhat Hanh's book "Present Moment Wonderful Moment"...He's a Vietnamese Buddhist monk...

Quote from book...

"Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion!"

"Opening the window, I look out onto the Dharmakaya, How wonderful is life, Attentive to each moment. my mind is clear like a calm river!"

By reciting these simple verses each day, one can train one's mind to focus on better things

It may be Buddhist philosophy that been taught for over 2500 years,[which can at times be somewhat off putting especially for those people who see Buddhism as just another religion] but it's a practical way for people to understand life better and get more out of life by learning to go with their natural flow...

Happy Mindfulness

Metta Jendar

Thich Nhat Hanh's book "Present Moment Wonderful Moment"

i am not familiar with this book, but tomorrow night i'm going to a poetry reading at spiritual books store, if it's there, i'll pick up a copy

also, i'd like to hear any comments you have on synchronicity

i've been noticing a lot of it recently

Happy Mindfulness

[Guest Zenda]

Thich Nhat Hanh's book "Present Moment Wonderful Moment"

i am not familiar with this book, but tomorrow night i'm going to a poetry reading at spiritual books store, if it's there, i'll pick up a copy

also, i'd like to hear any comments you have on synchronicity

i've been noticing a lot of it recently

Happy Mindfulness

Kia Ora Naomi,

I had never given ‘synchronicity’ much thought, in fact I was not really familiar with the term until you mentioned it…It’s one of those words that I came across in the past but didn’t read much into it…

When discussing Buddhism I often say that Buddhism found me in my time of need, that is, I had come across the Buddha and his teachings quite some time ago but never really took it to heart, plus I had travelled in a number of Buddhist countries in my younger years and found the experience somewhat ‘enlightening’ … It’s as if Buddhism waits for us to experience other beliefs before we are capable of embracing it… For me this saying hold true ”When the student is ready the teacher will appear!”

Around ten years ago I was called out to do some work at a Chinese Buddhist temple The nuns at the temple would always greet me with a genuine smile[a smile full of loving kindness ‘Metta’] this would immediately put my mind at ease, I started to ask questions about Buddhism and they would not only have answers but would give me books and booklets on the Buddha’s teachings-the more I read the more I put into practice his teachings-the more I found peace within…

I guess synchronicity can play a part in the life of a Buddhist/follower of the Buddha’s teachings, but I’m unsure of how much of a part - that would depend on the individual’s mindset…

Carl Jung describes Synchronicity as the "temporally coincident occurrences of a causal events". Jung also spoke of synchronicity as being an "acausal connecting principle" (ie. a pattern of connection that is not explained by causality). Plainly put, it is the experience of having two (or more) things happen simultaneously in a manner that is meaningful to the person or people experiencing them, where that meaning suggests an underlying pattern. It differs from coincidence in that synchronicity implies not just a happenstance, but an underlying pattern or dynamic that is being expressed through meaningful relationships or events. It was a principle that Jung felt compassed his concepts of archetypes and the collective unconscious, in that it was descriptive of a governing dynamic that underlay the whole of human experience and history—social, emotional, psychological, and spiritual. Jung believed that many experiences perceived as coincidence were due not merely to chance, but instead, suggested the manifestation of parallel events or circumstances reflecting this governing dynamic.

Example of synchronicity. Quoted from the Wikipeadia

The French writer Émile Deschamps claims in his memoirs that in 1805, he was treated to some plum pudding by a stranger named Monsieur de Fortgibu. Ten years later, the writer encountered plum pudding on the menu of a Paris restaurant and wanted to order some, but the waiter told him that the last dish had already been served to another customer, who turned out to be de Fortgibu. Many years later, in 1832, Émile Deschamps was at a diner and was once again offered plum pudding. He recalled the earlier incident and told his friends that only de Fortgibu was missing to make the setting complete—and in the same instant, the now senile de Fortgibu entered the room.

In his book Synchronicity (1952), Jung tells the following story as an example of a synchronistic event: "A young woman I was treating had, at a critical moment, a dream in which she was given a golden scarab. While she was telling me this dream, I sat with my back to the closed window. Suddenly I heard a noise behind me, like a gentle tapping. I turned round and saw a flying insect knocking against the window-pane from the outside. I opened the window and caught the creature in the air as it flew in. It was the nearest analogy to a golden scarab one finds in our latitudes, a scarabaeud beetle, the common rose-chafer (Cetonia aurata), which contrary to its usual habits had evidently felt the urge to get into a dark room at this particular moment. I must admit that nothing like it ever happened to me before or since." (The Collected Works of C.G. Jung, paragraph 843, Princeton University Press Edition)

Simultaneous discovery is the creation of the same new idea at causally disconnected places by two persons at approximately the same time. If, for example, an American and a British musician, having never had anything to do with one another, arrived at the same musical concept, chord sequence, feel or lyrics at the same time in different places, this would be an example of synchronicity. The wardrobe department for The Wizard of Oz unknowingly purchased a coat for character Professor Marvel from a second-hand store, which was later verified to be originally owned by L. Frank Baum, the author of the children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Jung wrote, after describing some examples, "When coincidences pile up in this way, one cannot help being impressed by them -- for the greater the number of terms in such a series, or the more unusual its character, the more improbable it becomes…

I guess the technique of 'visualisation' can be seen in a similar sense-visualising what we want to happen in the near future... perhaps that is more like a 'controlled' form of synchronism...

Happy Mindfulness

Metta Jendar

[Guest Zenda]

Kia Ora,

My thanks to whichever moderator move this from the trans spiritual section...Believe it or not it was not my intention to make this a post on 'Buddhism'...However, even though the 'present moment' is incorparated into most psychotherapy work and the likes...'now' I think of it, when discussing/explaining the 'present moment' one must always refer to the source which just so happens to be Buddhism...My apologies for putting it in the wrong section...

Happy Mindfulness

Metta Jendar:)

[Guest Natalie92]

Hello Jendar!

Thank you for making this post. I really need it with all the the stress I'm going through right now (I'm in my final year of High School, do marching band in the fall and play tennis in the Spring, along with all my homework, friendships, family problems, being transgender, worrying about getting into college, worrying about PAYING for college, etc.).

Do you have any extra advice to help me meditate? It'd be really appriciated by this 17 girl!

Love Natalie

[Guest Zenda]

Kia Ora Natalie,

There are quite a number of ways to meditate however this link to an old thread on 'How to meditate' should help...

http://www.lauras-playground.com/forums/in...?showtopic=8049

Happy Mindfulness

Metta Jendar

[Guest Joanna Phipps]

Kia Ora Naomi,

To observe but not to attach oneself to ones thoughts. can be very beneficial, not only for a writer, but for anyone who truly wants to understand themselves better...

By becoming the observer of ones thoughts instead of being dragged along with them, one remains constantly in the peace of the present moment...

Are you familar with Thich Nhat Hanh's book "Present Moment Wonderful Moment"...He's a Vietnamese Buddhist monk...

Quote from book...

"Waking up this morning, I smile. Twenty-four brand new hours are before me. I vow to live fully in each moment and to look at all beings with eyes of compassion!"

"Opening the window, I look out onto the Dharmakaya, How wonderful is life, Attentive to each moment. my mind is clear like a calm river!"

By reciting these simple verses each day, one can train one's mind to focus on better things

It may be Buddhist philosophy that been taught for over 2500 years,[which can at times be somewhat off putting especially for those people who see Buddhism as just another religion] but it's a practical way for people to understand life better and get more out of life by learning to go with their natural flow...

Happy Mindfulness

Metta Jendar

Some of the verse that comes from the other side comes as a stray line, unconnected to what I might be doing. I have to listen, if briefly, to the passing thoughts as one may be one of those lines.  

[Cyndee]

I love being in the here and now, and the full joy it brings. Mindful walking, mindful breathing, so peaceful.

Learned to let it go, letting go of thoughts of the past, as well as worries for the future, frees the mind to enjoy all that is happening in the moment. Like playing music, live in the moment, become the music..inter - are

C -