Are you here? Or are you not there?

At this moment there is only this moment. Nothing else exists.


Each of the mystical traditions points to being alive to the present, being alive in the present. We are encouraged to Be here now. Because the only reality there is exists only in this moment. All too often we are here physically but our mind is elsewhere, either in the past or in the future. Our goal is to bring our attention to the present.


How to live in the present moment? This is a constant struggle for the straightforward reason that I am not mindful. It is hard to stay mindful because it means I have to constantly remember. Harder still I have to remember to remember. Being mindful doesn't come naturally or easily. There are techniques but unfortunately they become useless when we get familiar with them. So we need something to keep us in the present.


As a sidebar, a good friend who was a practising Buddhist, left the US to come and head up a company in the UK. He was also an accomplished sailor so he chose to sail single-handed from the US - which apparently is extra difficult as the winds are permanently against you. His colleagues clubbed together to buy a present - a pennant for his boat with the inscription Be here now in Tibetan. He describes it as a kind thought but of no use whatsoever. The one place where he could live totally in the present was fighting against the ocean on his journey. Much as I imagine a racing car driver wouldn't need a reminder in his cockpit


The best advice I heard for keeping in the present came fro Prem Rawat, a man with amazing insights and one of the clearest and persuasive teachers I have encountered. He talks about Breath (among many other powerful things) and he invites us to view each breath as a gift. Rather than paraphrase what he taught, here is a video link:

My practice now is to be aware of my breath, one by one. Sometimes, I just count the breaths as they come, which is a great meditation technique as I feel the breath enter my body. Often I will use the breath as a prayer of gratitude and occasionally (when I remember) recite the Thich Nhat Hanh poem:


Breathing in, I calm my body
Breathing out, I smile
Dwelling in the present moment,
I know this is a wonderful moment


When trying to stay in the moment with such techniques, I don't worry when my mind wanders. I just bring myself back to the meditation.