The conscious present
In his new book, “A New Earth”, Eckhart Tolle observes that to be conscious is to be present, and that all unhappiness comes from unconsciousness - not being here now; trying to be somewhere else. Unhappiness is resistance to the present.
Happiness is always in the present. The illusion of happiness is that it comes from any object of experience. Reality is, happiness is when we’re present to any object of experience - when we have no resistance to it. That’s why there is joy in flow experiences when we feel one with the present.
Subtle difference, yet transformational.
November 26th, 2005 12:14
Interesting enough, this sunday is many christian churches, the scripture reading is a passage where Jesus says “keep awake”. It’s a word that means to watch, stay alert, pay attention, etc. Yet hardly any preacher will talk about living in the present moment. Jesus understood this, but his followers seem to miss the point of power. Thanks for this post. Jim
November 26th, 2005 12:36
Jesus got it, but it can get lost in translation, especially if you take in anything he or Buddha said with ego mind.