Present Moment Awareness

Introduction

Here we gather inspirational and valuable teachings on the fundamental practice of bringing awareness to the present moment.

The concepts of “The Witness” and the “Vijnanamaya Kosha” might be considered virtually synonymous teachings. “Mindfulness” is a closely related teaching, as is “Inner Attention.” To study these closely related concepts, see also:

• Theme: Inner Attention
• Philosophy: Vijnanamaya Kosha
• Meditation: Mindfulness Practices

Accepting this Moment

Say Yes Always

Always say yes to the present moment. Surrender to what is. Say ‘yes’ to life – and see how life suddenly starts working for you rather than against you. – Eckhart Tolle

This is It

This. Is. It. Sometimes we suffer from the delusion that life is going to begin somewhere out there, ahead of us, when “things calm down,” but the truth is, this is it. Life is happening right here, right now. If it isn’t feeling good to you, if you aren’t feeling at peace and comfortable in your own skin, nothing is more pressing than that. Slow down for just a little bit. Tune into your breath. Feel your heart beating. You don’t want to get so caught up in the race that you miss the journey. – Juliana

Accepting this Moment

What happens if I accept this moment because I can’t fight what is, the “isness” of this moment?… Suddenly, there’s the condition which before caused you an upset because the mind misinterpreted it. It made the condition into an enemy—the present moment into an enemy, so to speak—an obstacle to overcome. And that’s a habitual mind pattern many people carry inside almost continuously. They look at the present moment as something they have to get beyond. So they are never fully present. And the moment you accept the “isness,” an inner space is there around the condition. You deepen a little with the acceptance of what is… And then you can sense the space that you have given the condition. And that’s inner space. That’s the stillness…

In everyday life, when you become friendly with a condition that arises, suddenly you also become still inside… There’s not this continuous mind chatter, a lot of which is arguing with what is, or imagining something else that should be instead of what is… That moment when you realize your power to find the stillness and be the stillness and consciously recognize the stillness as a presence in you, then you are truly free of external conditions… and then, paradoxically, only when you become free of external conditions can you truly change external conditions for the better. – Eckhart Tolle