"Living in the present"?

[Raven]

Living in the present has nothing to do with subduing the mind. It's about learning to utilize and effectively use it in the moment not think about how you will learn to in the future or how you haven't in the past.

[onehope]

inavalan and All,

Thanks for raising this issue and the discussion.

I am new to this Forum and a seeker of knowledge and appreciate the insight and opinions of ALL.

re "Living in the present" - it seems to me or from my experiences, that one can "Live best in the Present" IF one Learns from the Past ( not dwell on the what Ifs and let it bring you down) and Acknowledges the Future ( not dwell on the fear of unknown). It is not easy to let go of past mistakes nor is it easy not to fear the unknown-but this is what I try to do.

Originally Posted by inavalan

Some gurus call for "taming of the mind", but I believe that they miss the point, and a more likely purpose is "training of the mind". We need to get better at creating reality, not at idling our creativity.

From my perspective and experience and however one labels it, stilling the mind unleashes a veritable tidal wave of clarity, insight and creativity.

“And the faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again, is the very root of judgment, character, and will. ... An education which should improve this faculty would be the education par excellence.” ~ William James

From Wikipedia: William James was an American philosopher and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James is considered to be a leading thinker of the late nineteenth century, one of the most influential philosophers of the United States, and the "Father of American psychology".

EDIT: When philosophers, psychologists, neoroscientists and Gurus say basically the same thing it's probably something really important and not to be dismissed out of hand.

If you want to take the time you can watch the YouTube video "Becoming Conscious: The Science of Mindfulness". It's well worth the watch and one of the foundational videos that convinced me of the benefits of meditation.

[inavalan]

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

From my perspective and experience and however one labels it, stilling the mind unleashes a veritable tidal wave of clarity, insight and creativity.

“And the faculty of voluntarily bringing back a wandering attention, over and over again, is the very root of judgment, character, and will. ... An education which should improve this faculty would be the education par excellence.” ~ William James

From Wikipedia: William James was an American philosopher and psychologist, and the first educator to offer a psychology course in the United States. James is considered to be a leading thinker of the late nineteenth century, one of the most influential philosophers of the United States, and the "Father of American psychology".

EDIT: When philosophers, psychologists, neoroscientists and Gurus say basically the same thing it's probably something really important and not to be dismissed out of hand.

If you want to take the time you can watch the YouTube video "Becoming Conscious: The Science of Mindfulness". It's well worth the watch and one of the foundational videos that convinced me of the benefits of meditation.

Thanks for your reply.

This is an old thread, but I maintain my opinion about "living in the present".
"From my perspective and experience", there are better ways of achieving the benefits of "mindfulness", and more, and faster. My practice, and recommendation is self-hypnosis.

What one does with mindfulness and other meditation practices is getting into an altered state of consciousness. This is actually self-hypnotizing oneself, but takes more time to learn it, achieve it, and is less customizable (my opinion on the matter).

Surely, the power of number, celebrity, recognition can't be dismissed, but I believe that the truth can't be established by vote. Everybody should form their opinion, using the best of their ability, and act accordingly.

You may consider foolish from my part, but I stick with my opinion on this.

Originally Posted by inavalan

You may consider foolish from my part, but I stick with my opinion on this.

No, I don't consider it foolish. Different strokes for different folks, even Gurus.

That's the way it should be, has to be and just is.

[ocean breeze]

Aren't we always living in the present? I don't see how we can live anywhere else. If we invented time machines that can go back to the future or past then that too will become the present.

Originally Posted by ocean breeze

Aren't we always living in the present? I don't see how we can live anywhere else. If we invented time machines that can go back to the future or past then that too will become the present.

Most aren't living in the present moment. The mind is usually somewhere else, either ruminating over past events or worrying about/anticipating future events, unless the mind is absorbed in something that does require full attention.

Living in the present is basically stopping to smell the flowers. Being fully absorbed in the trivial aspects of the now and without thinking about it or labeling things. Just drinking it all in without thinking and from a pure experiential aspect.

That's living in the present moment and it's not as easy as it sounds without some amount of training of mind like meditation.

https://youtu.be/KmCjR1_N14E

[ocean breeze]

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

Most aren't living in the present moment. The mind is usually somewhere else, either ruminating over past events or worrying about/anticipating future events, unless the mind is absorbed in something that does require full attention.

So presently in the future and presently in the past. In the present moment but thinking of future or past.

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

That's living in the present moment and it's not as easy as it sounds without some amount of training of mind like meditation.

So we should train to be more present in the future. Isn't any type of training of the mind for the future, out of the past? Isn't the mind only past and future? Can the mind ever be present or does it become absent in the present moment? And if the mind becomes absent in the present, does it truly exist? When absorbed in the moment, Is there something there that says "ha, now i'm in the present moment," which then makes it into a past experience?

Meh. i'm just being difficult.

All in all, do what you love to do. If you think of the past or future just let it be.

Originally Posted by ocean breeze

Meh. i'm just being difficult.

Not being difficult at all. Feedback is always an opportunity to reflect and possibly have a change of mind or possibly strengthen one's own understanding.

Hmm, would that be a change of past mind so in reality there's no need to change it? LOL!

In essence it's disengaging mind and living in awareness, which when the mind isn't engaged awareness by its very nature has no choice but to be in the non-conceptual and experiential present.

[ocean breeze]

Originally Posted by JustASimpleGuy

Hmm, would that be a change of past mind so in reality there's no need to change it? LOL!

I'm not sure if there is a past mind or a mind at all. Or whether i'm dreaming or awake. Like how things exist in a dream but become nonexistent when you are awake.