"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans."
--John Lennon
It is one of life's greatest ironies that, no matter how much we want to be different, wherever we go, there we are. There's just no getting away from ourselves. Go on holiday -- there we are. Win the lottery -- there we are. Move overseas -- there we are. Wherever we look, we are looking out of the same pair of eyes; whatever we do, it's still the same body doing it.
In the attempt to get away from being with ourselves, we search for something or someone to make us happy; the grass constantly appears greener someplace else. But in every relationship and every situation, there we are again.
Meanwhile, our mind is like a drunken monkey doing its best to distract us by jumping from thought to fear to drama to anything that will keep us trapped in an endless round of worries and concerns... "What if this happens... what if I fail... if only it could be like it was in the past... what will the future be like... I have to to get to a psychic for help..."
We are like a musk deer that has a wonderful smell in its belly yet searches the forest for that smell. Wherever it goes, there's the smell -- but the deer can't see it, so it has no idea where the smell is to be found. In the same way, we believe happiness is somewhere -- anywhere --other than here, and spend all our time looking for it, without realizing it is already with us.
"If you aren't in the moment,
you are either looking forward to uncertainty, or back to pain and regret.
"
--Jim Carrey
All we have to do is stop. Just stop. For right now, this very moment, is all there is. Nothing else is going on. Nothing else is happening. There's nowhere to go. And being right here with ourselves is exactly where we want to be, because when we are fully here, this moment becomes the most precious, delightful, enjoyable and outrageous moment there is.
It is immensely liberating to realize that nothing more is required of us than to just be fully here now. What a relief! Finally, we can really experience this reality just as it is, without expectation, prejudice or longing. Someone once asked Ed if he had ever experienced another dimension. He replied, "Have you experienced this one?" Have you noticed the dew on a spider's web, the taste of honey or your own heartbeat?
"Life is now.
There was never a time when your life was not now,
nor will there ever be."
--Eckhart Tolle
When we are fully present, the world in which we live becomes extraordinary, as if being seen and heard and touched for the first time, for we are without preconceived ideas or desires. There is just the experience. Like a child making the unknown known, we are simply with what is, while also impelled to know it more intimately, to explore and understand, even to become it.
Such presence defies our limited understanding of the world; it takes us out of the logical, rational mind and into a place of just being, without judgment or idea of what should be. Stepping out of the thinking and conceptual mind, however, doesn't mean stepping into nowhere or nothing; it doesn't mean that there is no connection to a worldly reality. We do not become disconnected or cast adrift. Rather, it is stepping into sanity and, more importantly, into even greater connectedness.
As evolution does not go backwards, so life can never be the way it was. Being in the moment means having the courage to know we will never be someone other than who we are and that who we are is absolutely wonderful, just as we are. Simply being still in this moment, without attachment to or thought of before or after, invites a deep sense of completion, that there really is nowhere else we need to go. It is impossible to think of somewhere else as being better -- the grass is vividly green exactly where we are.
"Yesterday is history.
Tomorrow is a mystery.
Today is a gift.
That is why it is called the Present."
--Anonymous
What does "wherever you go, there you are" mean to you? Do comment below.
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Why I haven't done this before, I do not know!
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust
great comment!
"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust
when we look at life with new eyes everything appears as if we have seen it for the first time see!
Where ever yoy go, There you are. was written by: Jon Kabet Zin.
BE THE CHANGE
we mention him in almost every blog we write - & yes he is great &
he is not the creator of the quote - Wherever you go there you are - google it & see!
Nothing is truly original -
everything is recycled
:-))
I noticed you put the name of a famous book on this article and didn't give the author credit or mention him in the body of the article. He has been an excellent resource for years on the power of Zen like meditation to help with pain management, stress reduction and just plain sucking all the joy out of life! I can't bring to mind his name but he is a physician and started his practice of non drug pain and stress management.
did not originate the title - WHEREVER YOU GO THERE YOU ARE
it was -
Buckeroo Banzai - Peter Weller 1984 - eponymous neurosurgeon, physicist, rockstar, samarai, cowboy etc.
goes way way back before the 2 mentioned
England -
a rare treat to have many days of sunshine in a rather rainy country -
Enjoy the journey!
My question now is, how does one truly commit to living in the moment when living in a pragmatic reality which requires us to plan for the future? How can I convince my consciousness to stay in the here and now when I must also prepare today for tomorrow, next week, next month, etc? As an example, I am a young person. I want to fully capitalize on my youth while this period of my life is here, but at the same time, I must think of my career and the time of life that is ahead of me. Is it possible to reconcile this and still stay fully present? This is to say of course, that I am not unhappy with my present circumstances, but merely that I want to do what I can now to ensure that tomorrow is just as bright, and that I continue to grow as a person. :)
Thanks again and well done with the article!
Great question! And the answer is within it -- as long as you are aware that you are in the present moment, then everything you think or do comes from that awareness -- including planning for the future!
Enjoy,
Deb
fanned & fav'd
My favorite quote is "All man's problems stem from his inability to be in a room by himself"
http://coreessencehealth.com
http://coreessencehealth.com
Absolutely brilliant blog today!
This life ,in this dimension, is truly a gift and I know it...but I do sometimes forget. And then along comes your beautiful blog!! Thank you!
I'm reminded of the clock that my friend has in her kitchen...instead of numbers it only has
the word NOW...it's just now now now now!!!
LOVE YOU,
AndiG
When a bloke once asked me:
"have you ever experienced another dimension!" I realised that there are people who believe & dream of life on other planets and other worlds.
and it dawned on me you can create whatever reality you want because in the yoga philosophy this world we live in is Maya & illusion - a dream anyway!
But actually it is truly a mystery - no one really knows anything for sure - or do they?
"Buckaroo Banzai: Hey, hey, hey, hey-now. Don't be mean; we don't have to be mean, cuz, remember, no matter where you go, there you are."
I will reply to your comment first chance
Blessings,
Ed
Staying in the moment requires mindfulness, of presence of mind. What we do in the moment is also important -- we can use that moment to enjoy as well as to create. Buddha said that with our actions (or intentions) we create our world. So every moment, if we keep a pure intention, we can be enjoying ourselves *and* creating a wonderful future.
I think one of the easiest ways to keep a pure intention is to focus on someone (anyone!) who is near us and think "They matter. Their happiness is important." That way we are focused on the present, enjoying it with a mind of love, as well as maintaining a good intention that will create future happiness.
I wrote an article related to this subject that I hope you like on my meditation blog: http://kadampalife.org/2010/12/27/when-the-mind-wanders-happiness-also-strays/
Thank you for another great article!
http://kad ampalife.o rg/2010/12 /27/when-t he-mind-wa nders-happ iness-also -strays/
That objective truth telling is not always pleasant, nor does it lead to pleasant outcomes. As a transgendered person, I sometimes encounter young gender dysphorics who ask me for advice on "what to do." I am no expert other than from recollections of my own experiences, but those experiences tell me to tell them to be honest with yourself, seek counseling and to be honest with those that are closest to you, e.g., parents, etc.
To me, that's simple common sense, because one must know one's self and if that knowledge leads to an emotional minefield such as Gender Identity Disorder, then that person truly needs to have professional help to deal with it effectively. Further, they need to let their closest relations have some idea of what's going on so that they can assist -- if they will -- with the young person's grappling with an extremely complicated matter.
What used to shock me is how many of the people who would earnestly come to me (for reasons that still baffle me, quite honestly) for advice and then reject what I would say to them outright.
Good words and good advice, Deb and Ed, thanks for writing them.
also thanks for sharing yur story -
Fanned & Fav'd
Treasure youraelf,
Ed
I'm here and it's a nice place. I was thinking about how I'm going to arrange my day to meet my objectives and now I'm just thinking about what you said in your blog and grinning. Thanks.
Have a blast,
little brother
In My Heart
:-))
HERE
not
her :-))