The Present Moment, Part 5

The Present Moment, Part 5

You do not need to know precisely what is happening, or exactly where it is all going. What you need is to recognize the possibilities and challenges offered by the present moment, and to embrace them with courage, faith and hope.

Thomas Merton

Figure 1 is the two-dimensional representation I am using to explore what the present moment is, what it means, and how we can better align our conscious awareness with it. The horizontal axis represents earth-time, as we conceive it, and extends infinitely in either direction. The vertical axis represents the level of our conscious awareness or attention. It also extends infinitely in either direction with points higher on the axis attending to the more spiritual, ethereal, intangible aspects of being, and points lower attending to the more material, denser, tangible aspects of being. The present moment is where the two axes meet.

The point marked “You are here” is where we are. The million-dollar, metaphorical question is whether we are there consciously. I suggest that most of us, most of the time, give only a cursory nod to where we are, how we got here, and where we are headed. It is not that we must know or understand all aspects of our journey, as Thomas Merton states in the epigraph, but we should be conscious enough to know (1) we are part of an unfolding process, and (2) all the seemingly disparate experiences we go through are parts of one journey in a single life. We tend not to give our current location much thought because our conscious attention is elsewhere on the earth-time axis. Regardless, that intersection is our current location in reality. In Buddhism, this point is called dharma. It is what is – no sugar coating, no wishful thinking, no escaping. It is neither good nor bad of itself since good and bad, pleasant and unpleasant, are labels we attach to events according to our personal preferences. The circumstances of the present moment are never permanent because life is in constant motion. The present moment is what it is, and it will change with or without action on our part. The benefit of consciously centering ourselves at the intersection is that from that point we can co-create our experience of whatever is next.

Try as we might, we cannot change our conscious position on the earth-time axis except by retreating into memory or imagination, neither of which is real nor actionable. We can, however, change our position on the vertical axis – our conscious attention – which is the awareness level at which we engage our earth-time experience. That, in turn, will change how we experience whatever happens in earth-time. If we see everything as solid and unchangeable, our view is low on the vertical axis and we feel powerless, victimized, and manipulated. As we learn to perceive the objects, events, and relationships in our lives from higher, more spiritual levels, our experience becomes less fixed, more malleable, full of possibilities, and we find freedom in the nature of our experience.

The present moment, the dharma, the way of things right here and now, is part and parcel to the name God gave to Moses on Mount Horeb where, through a burning bush, God told Moses to order Pharoah to free his enslaved people.[1] Moses asked for a name to give the Israelites as the one giving the order, and the name given was four Hebrew letters (YHWH in English), which is variously translated as I AM; I AM what I AM; I will be what I will be; and That which was, is, and will be. That name implies action and movement but leaves the definition of that movement ambiguous. In my opinion, it is a name intended to focus us on and in the present moment, which is the nexus of what was, is, and will be. It is the “You are here” point in Figure 1. It is where we exist, in and with God, but we do not recognize it as such because our conscious attention is elsewhere. We are focused to the right or left on the earth-time axis, or our level of consciousness is too low on the vertical axis to perceive the spiritual unity within which we and all parts of creation exist.

In our 21^st century insatiable desire for definition and certainty we ask, “I AM, what? Please fill in the blank, God!” Like the Israelites, we want to know who or what we are dealing with, even when it is  beyond our ability to comprehend. In my quieter moments I sense God answering, “I AM this! I AM what is! I AM the present moment! Will you trust enough to join me, intentionally and consciously?” Will you? Will I?

This is the 13^th in a series of Life Notes on Space, Time, and Eternity. The opinions expressed here are mine. To engage with me or to explore contemplative spiritual direction, contact me at ghildenbrand@sunflower.com.

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[1] Exodus, chapter 3