presence is the key

Presence is the key

If you want to be at peace, at peace with yourself, and with the rest of life, then the most important thing is to be present, to be present in every moment. And this presence, alone, will work miracles inside you.

And what do we mean by presence? It's very simple, nothing complicated. When we are present, our awareness is on our immediate surroundings. It's on our senses, what we are seeing, what we are hearing, what we are tasting, smelling, touching. And if we have any thoughts at all, then those thoughts are pertinent to this moment and to these immediate surroundings, here and now.

This is a simple way to be. It's much simpler than the way most people go through the day, which is thinking a lot about many things, distant things, things in the past, things in the future, and all of that takes us away from being present. Not only do we miss the present moment, when we are distracted by such thoughts – and missing the present moment is a disaster because the present moment is so alive, it's so real, tangible – but not only do we miss the present moment, but also those thoughts about the past and future, about distant places, they are disturbing. We might in some way enjoy some of those thoughts. Some of the thoughts might be positive. But even in that enjoyment there is a certain perturbation.

The mental activity alone is, in a subtle way, taking us away from the state of peace. It's a disturbing perturbation. And those distracting thoughts are not always positive. They are often very negative: regrets about the past, anger about something that has happened in the past, fears for the future, anxiety, worries. All of these are rather uncomfortable, emotional states brought about by thinking of the past and the future, by being bound up with those thoughts. And all of that is the opposite of being present.

So if we want to be at ease, if we want to live in peace, it is essential that we become more and more present. That is the key.