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Living in the now
Nave650
New
As a student, I find it very difficult to live in the now, with papers, exams, and readings. Often times I plan out my schedule a week in advance. I imagine that having a job is not very different; there are always deadlines that need to be met. How can we live in the present when society keeps us focused on the future?
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Living in the present doesn't mean not planning for the future. Our lives require it. It means when you are planning your week out, you sit down and you put your all into doing that. You try not to let your mind stray to the test you took yesterday or that you have to do something else later. You focus on the task at hand...including planning for the future.
Yes, if I may elaborate, to expand upon @karasti's post, being in the 'Now' means being fully mindful, in the moment, of whatever it is you're doing. So if you're filling out a form, just fill out the form.
if you're drawing a house in a field, just draw the house in the field.
Try not to add commentary, for example if you're drawing said house, in said field, don't start thinking, "shall I draw a fence? maybe I could add a round window... should the chimney be smoking....?" Just draw, and observe yourself drawing. Concentrate of movement of pencil on paper....
Whatever you're doing, focus on doing it, tho the exclusion of mental chatter.
It's not easy, but it's ultimately most gratifying, even if you can do it for 30 seconds....Which doesn't sound a lot, but it's a good base to establish and expand on....
They're not mutually exclusive. All "being in the now" means is that when you're engaged in a task, you're fully focussed on it. Your mind isn't wandering all over, thinking of other things, or worrying about your "to do" list. When you're writing out your "to do" list, and scheduling it into your calendar, then you're focussed on that. When you're enjoying a walk in the park, you're fully present, not worrying about your deadlines. You slow down, breathe, enjoy the sights, sounds, and smells. If your mind is elsewhere, then you're not getting the full enjoyment (and relaxation benefits) of walking in the park. You're robbing yourself of part of the experience.
So do each thing in its own time; don't let thoughts from one activity bleed over into another activity. Stay focussed on the activity at hand.
Does that make sense?
Living in the now could just mean not attached to the past or thinking too much about the future. We can only be who we are now. How can we be anything in the past or the future?
Thanks for the input everyone, it makes a lot more sense now!
Federica's comment about drawing a house in a field made me think back to an article I found. I will try to post it here, but no guarantees, since I am a new member. It reminded me of where the author says to try to tag or label your thoughts.
Here it is.
shinzen.org/Articles/artEmptyMind.htm
@Nave650
In order to be in the “Now” one will have to have some insight into what it is one will experience when in the “now” …So the more one meditates on the present moment (more cushion time as our friendly crustacean @lobster would say) the easier it will be to enter the moment any place and any time in other words familiarise oneself with the experience…It's nothing special....
It's funny because it is here and now yet more often than not, one sees the now experience as something to do or be in in the non existent future...
A little memory jogger perhaps :
"Every moment is a moment of events and no moment passes by without an event!One can not notice a moment without noticing events taking place in that moment. Therefore, the moment one tries to pay bare attention to is the present moment!"
No time like the present
you can open it "NOW" if you like....
You have to decide for yourself. Prioritize and notice when planning is neurotic. To decide if the thoughts about the future are skillful or not you obviously have to have awareness of your thoughts enough to make a decision whether the thoughts you are having are valuable. So meditate on letting go of thoughts until you see the thoughts clearly enough to CHOOSE which thoughts are worthwhile. But like I say in addition to planning for school try to let it be in moderation. Supplement that with a meditation practice that will take you to the point that you know when you're thinking. If you have no prospects for ever using thought as a tool it can be a real grind to let go of thoughts all the time. It's kind of cool if there is a sort of project (again a plan) to become a master of thoughts.
That is one issue. A different one is the notion of time. First though you need the above ^^^ to be stable and notice thoughts enough to analyze time. But if you just want the theory part you can find it probably with googling madhyamaka analysis of time and finding the smallest moment.