Present Perfect

Present Perfect

Time to blog. Time to enter into an oasis of calm. To let go of the past and the future, to remain poised in the present. To enter The Now, which is all there is, and all there ever will be.

When one is mindful of the present, events distill themselves into their pure essence. Things shine with great clarity. You see all the underlying forces that are at work and you understand why things are the way they are.

The present is always perfect. If you take a snapshot of the sea, the image you that capture shows a state of energy, frozen in time. Every individual molecule of water in the sea reacts to the tug and pull of the forces surrounding it. At the particular instant when the picture is taken, every particle is where it should be, given the configuration of forces present during that time. The shapes of the waves are perfect. It cannot be any other way.

Similarly with this moment. The thought that appears in your mind is a direct consequence of what you have been thinking in the past and what you desire for the future. Your state of mind is 'perfect'--it cannot be any other way. You deserve it.

If you are feeling fear, pressure and anxiety now, it is merely a direct consequence of your reaction to the forces around you. What are the forces exerting themselves on you? Examine your surrounding: your family, your friends, your colleagues, your neighbourhood, your environment. Why do these things affect you the way they are? Examine your attachment to them. Why do they matter to you? Perhaps more importantly: why do they matter to you the way they do now?

When you are aware of all the forces that are at work, you will know what is the best course of action. A perfect understanding of the moment generates the perfection response--what the Buddha calls "Right Action". When you don't have a perfect understanding of moment, then all you could do is react.

How does one achieve "perfect understanding"? Let go of the past, accept the present and do not fear the future. You only give power to these forces through your unconscious attachment to them. When you let go of them, all these external forces collapse. You true self shines forth.

Be completely conscious and aware of this present moment. That is all that you need to do. You can only tackle one moment at a time, one thought at a time. So experience it in its complete fullness. Experience the present, in all its glory and perfection.