In a normal, “waking” state, we are almost always completely immersed in whatever we are doing at the moment. We might even say that we are fully absorbed in here and now.
However, If the point of mindfulness is to be here and now, doesn’t that mean that we are meditating every time we are completely immersed in some activity? Whenever we exercise, play football, listen to music, watch TV, talk with our friend, think, or even fight – we are fully in the present moment, right? The tricky question Thinking this way, can we say that activities which typically consume our attention are also a sort of meditation? Well, no. We are lost in such activities. Usually, we are totally absorbed in playing the game, listening to music, exercising, whatever…and we have become that activity. Our consciousness is focused completely on it. Moreover, the answer to the previous question also depends on how we define meditation. Let’s use the broader meaning of meditation, that includes mindfulness. It means that we are meditating here and now, whatever we are doing, without any redundant contents of mind, aware of our surroundings and ourselves. When thoughts or emotions arise, we simply become aware of them, let them go and return to the Now. Can we say that activities which typically consume our attention are also a sort of meditation?
To live in the Now means to live consciously, to fully experience ourselves and our surroundings without redundant thoughts and distractions.
One could say that deep sleep is also a thoughtless state. That’s true, but it cannot be regarded as the living in the Now because it is not a conscious state. One could also say that while we are immersed in unnecessary thinking, we are in the Now too because we are experiencing those thoughts in the present moment. But that is also not a fully conscious state, as we are identified with those thoughts, so it’s not really being present in the Now.
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AuthorNebo D. Lukovich   The present moment is the only moment in your life that you actually have.
Think about this: when you were experiencing anything in your past, you were experiencing it in the Now. Likewise, in the future, any event in your life you will be experiencing also in the Now. You will always be in the Now. Although there are many different opinions whether our past and future are real or not, our normal way of living is definitely anchored only to this moment. Even if we could travel back to the past and re-experience some event, we would also experience it in the Now. The same stands for some imaginary time-traveling future experience. But, in order to really answer this question, we must define the expression “living in the present” in the first place. To live in the Now means to live consciously, to fully experience ourselves and our surroundings without redundant thoughts and other distractions. One could say that deep sleep is also a thoughtless state. That’s true, but it cannot be regarded as the living in the Now, because it is not a conscious state. One could also say that while we are immersed in unnecessary thinking, we are in the Now too, because we are experiencing those thoughts in the present moment. But that is also not a fully conscious state, as we are identified with those thoughts, so it’s not really being in the Now. When we are in the Now, we are either in a thoughtless state, abiding in Pure consciousness or Presence, or we are consciously thinking or doing something (but only that which is really needed for that moment). That thinking or doing is not redundant, but fully conscious and purposeful. Also, if we are lost in our thoughts, we are identified with them. We are not conscious ofthem. We are lost in imaginary past or future. That unnecessary wandering drains huge amounts of energy out of us. It distracts us from an action (or non-action) appropriate for the situation in which we are at that very moment. The perfect response to every situation stems only from the state of Presence. That response can be pro-active or non-active, but either way it is the most appropriate response at that moment. Living in the present gradually liberates us from all unnecessary burden and allows us to live in the most efficient, yet peaceful way. |
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