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Here and now
caringBerry61 June 24th

When you feel drawn towards a decision that you know could cause more suffering for you and others, always remember that you are either running from past pain or foreseeing an upcoming uncertainty.

Then go back to the present moment.

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@caringBerry61

Do you have any tips that can help one get back to present?

4 replies
caringBerry61 OP June 25th

@Sunisshiningandsoareyou 

If you're wondering how to return to the present moment, you're likely already aware that the present is the only "time" in our human experience that exists. The past only exists in the present through our memories and the future will never manifest as the future because when it happens, it will be in the present. So none of us need "to do something" to stay in the here and now. We just need "to be" letting our body do the manual tasks without us judging them or getting caught away from what we're doing.

I love to wash dishes and let my mind be still, looking and my hands, the water flowing, setting aside things and being there, completely. And if or when a thought arises I just go back to observing my movements.

Our bodies can be the greatest helpers when it comes to being present.

When I type I frequently stop for a while and let the awareness find the words, I watch my hands, and the skin, and wait, silent and still, breathing calmly. Nothing matters. And I don't mind what happens. This body is here, breathing and doing things in the "clock time", that's the time where things happen in the human experience, where the future exists in terms of plans and goals to achieve required by our human form.

Then when all the work is done, I go back to the present moment and the mind gets quiet.

The opposite of "clock time" according to Eckhart Tolle is the "psychological time" that suggest our minds’ propensity to spend a lot of time thinking about the past or the future rather than living completely in the present.

Sorry for being verbose. Maybe you only wanted some practical tips such as do yoga, sit crossed legs and meditate, have a walk in nature and so forth.

I do have walks sometimes, to be present and when I need to look at the trees covering the nearby mountains, hearing the river sound and the birds chirping. Some call it Walking Meditation. I don't label it, I just walk completely being in what I am doing.
That's the main teaching in Zen tradition: doing one thing at a time. Being present.
4 replies

@caringBerry61 was there a time you couldn't do this for a long period of time for whatever reason then found a way back to it?

2 replies
caringBerry61 OP June 29th

@communicativePond1728

Feeling uncomfortable for not having been "in the present moment" for a long period could mean that one has returned to the dimension of "doing" with priority over "being" and this could have had various consequences and even severed the link between our true “self” and our journey to accept that we are “only that" before we are “human forms”.

All human experience is a journey to meet your self. And when the meeting happens there may be moments in which we doubt but that bond can no longer be broken, that meeting has taken place and if we find ourselves queueing at the supermarket, at the post office, in the middle of an isolated meadow in the mountains or stuck the crowd of a subway, we just need to stare at a spot on the floor, a coloured hat sticking out in the crowd of heads, a blade of grass, a leaf, the blue sky or a moving cloud and let all this simply "be" and the inner calm, in the present, manifests itself completely, bringing us back to that meeting. To live in the present without narratives.
1 reply

@caringBerry61 I've heard someone call this externalizing. Am supposed to practice it four time per day for a week, and write down all the positives I can think of. You reminded me.

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@caringBerry61

No hehe, by tips, I actually was seeking to know what has personally helped you, and not just the usual platitude-ish tips that we see around more commonly. So this was perfect, and being verbose is appreciated, for you spent time actually sharing your thoughts, in how you perceive being present in the moment. Thank you for sharing!

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LabeledBPD July 28th

@caringBerry61

and if the current moment is unbearable, intolerable? 

If the consequences are less painful, potentially a source of respite? 

Still revert to what may remove all options? 

Some of us have no other options, unfortunately problems are not temporary for everyone , acknowledging that at points in my opinion is worse for some.

Someone doesn't need to always do anything. Sometimes is enough.

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