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The Present Moment

Recently I had occasion to speak about contemplation and living the contemplative life.  Since I teach a class that focuses on that kind of topic, people assume I am an expert.  That is hardly the case.  The main reason I don’t feel like an expert is the fact that contemplative living is not that much about ideas and concepts.  It is not like theology in that sense, although it is related to theology.  Contemplative living is as much about practices and how to live life as it is how to think about life.  

Contemplative living certainly does contain concepts.  This is true for Christianity, but it is just as true for Buddhism and all the rest.  For example, I can think of the Buddhist Eight-fold Path.  Of course, there are eight points to this.  But finally the Eight-fold path is about a way of life more than it is about concepts to think about Buddhism.   

One of the eight aspects of the path is right speech.  Right speech sounds pretty simplistic.  And it most ways, it is simple.  It just isn’t easy.  I know that I should speak rightly, but I don’t always do it.  In fact, I might seldom do it.  To make this point, I remember recently stopping at a local restaurant to get a quick bit of food.  I sat at the bar area in order to get quicker service.  Near me were two guys in conversation.  It took no time to realize their conversation was laced with foul language.  I am confident they did not even realize how revolting it was.  They were habituated to using language most of us find offensive.  That is not right speech. 

Another easy example discovered by students is the realm of gossip.  I suspect most of us gossip.  And most of us don’t actually think we do.  Or at least, we don’t do it much!  That is what students always think.  But when they actually try to incorporate not gossiping into their lives, they usually are appalled.  “I can’t believe how much I gossip,” is normal quip.  Awareness sometimes causes revelations which we don’t welcome.  But with awareness comes the chance to grow and mature.  

Everything about contemplative living---from right speech to all the rest---has to be done in the present moment.  As I lead students to consider contemplative living, another realization they often experience is how much of their time is spent dwelling on the future.  And this can be matched by the time spent in the past.  Let me explain.   

Whenever we are worry or in fear, we are in the future.  Fear is always future-based.  We don’t fear what is; we only fear what is coming---or, what we think is coming.  Worry is the cheap form of fear.  Or fear is worry on steroids.  Fear can be so “fearsome” that we are rendered powerless in the moment.  This just means the future has disempowered anything we might do in the present moment. 

We spend too much time in the past when we feel guilt, disappointment and regret.  None of this changes anything.  Of course, guilt can lead to forgiveness and that is obviously good.  Forgiveness is a present moment experience.  It has an effect.  Guilt, disappointment and regret do not inherently change anything.  As long as we are stuck in the past, nothing real or new is happening. 

The present moment is where the action is.  I think of the words of Richard Rohr in his book, Everything Belongs.  “The contemplative secret is to learn to live in the now…The present moment has no competition…”  So true!  The present moment has not competition.  There is nothing else possible in that moment.  All that was and all that can be are united in the present moment.  Certainly, we can make choices and changes that affect how the future will unfold.   

The present moment is where one becomes contemplative---or doesn’t.  To be contemplative is to recognize the present moment is all there is---it has no competition.  We can choose to regret or worry or live.  Like my restaurant neighbors’ swearing, our lives can become so habituated, we don’t live in the present moment with any awareness.  We can gossip, while assuming we seldom gossip.  We can waste time, while assuming we are only waiting for the right time for something big to happen. 

I like it that Rohr also says contemplative living is an “ordinary path” which “is a gradual awakening.”  Typically, I think this is how God is at work in us and in our world.  There may occasionally be diving lightning and thunder, but for the most part God works in more mundane routine ways.  And for that, I am grateful.  It is difficult to live in a hyper-state all the time. 

All this means is we can begin to live contemplatively any time.  Every bit of time comes to us as a present moment.  So we become contemplative in this present moment or the next present moment.  Or not at all.  The choice is always ours.  And choosing to become contemplative always brings changes.  We agree to give up our ego to something bigger and better.  But this means sacrificing control.  Or for some folks, it might actually mean taking some control of your life.  

God always asks us for that which will make us grow up---become better individuals doing better things with our lives.  And that always happens in the present moment. 

 

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