David Thomson
2019-09-06 16:14:04 UTC
The physical world takes place only in the present. There is no physical past or physical future for matter to travel to or from. We live our lives as though the past and future are real, but the past and future are just concepts that we choose to believe.
Whenever we take a moment to notice our faculty of awareness, our mind is then in the present moment. The present is here and now, wherever we may be and whenever we may imagine it to be.
It is the here and now in which the holy instant exists. The physical world moves before our awareness, but our mind is rooted in the present. In fact, it is because our mind is rooted in the present moment that physical movement around us can be interpreted in terms of time. If it wasn't for physical reality, we would have no perception of time at all.
The message of the Course is that all of our true reality exists only within our mind, and only in the present moment. The physical world around us appears to be born, grow old, and die, but the mind remains ever here and now.
In the end (from the perspective of the physical world) the mind will still remain, and it will remain in the present moment. Whether we are connected to the physical world, or not, our mind remains rooted in the present.
Practicing the holy instant is simply the practice of remembering we are mind. The more often we practice seeing the holy instant, the more natural it becomes for us to view our existence as it truly is.
Unlike many philosophies describing human tales, the reality of the Course's message can be directly experienced. Once we take that first step in recognizing that we are a mind, which always exists right here and right now, and that our mind acts as the observer of an ever changing physical world, our foothold on the path to awakening is certain. Each time we return to the here and now of the holy instant, the clouds of worry, guilt, and other unnatural feelings are lifted and we become increasingly free of the physical world's trappings.
All it takes is a little willingness; from that small effort comes the beginning of a great awakening. Just keep coming back to the experience of being right here and right now. Just keep noticing how the mind is always here and now, even as the physical world dances around with its illusion of time and all the dramas it contains. The holy instant is just the awareness of being right here and right now, and yet it contains the completeness of all true reality.
Whenever we take a moment to notice our faculty of awareness, our mind is then in the present moment. The present is here and now, wherever we may be and whenever we may imagine it to be.
It is the here and now in which the holy instant exists. The physical world moves before our awareness, but our mind is rooted in the present. In fact, it is because our mind is rooted in the present moment that physical movement around us can be interpreted in terms of time. If it wasn't for physical reality, we would have no perception of time at all.
The message of the Course is that all of our true reality exists only within our mind, and only in the present moment. The physical world around us appears to be born, grow old, and die, but the mind remains ever here and now.
In the end (from the perspective of the physical world) the mind will still remain, and it will remain in the present moment. Whether we are connected to the physical world, or not, our mind remains rooted in the present.
Practicing the holy instant is simply the practice of remembering we are mind. The more often we practice seeing the holy instant, the more natural it becomes for us to view our existence as it truly is.
Unlike many philosophies describing human tales, the reality of the Course's message can be directly experienced. Once we take that first step in recognizing that we are a mind, which always exists right here and right now, and that our mind acts as the observer of an ever changing physical world, our foothold on the path to awakening is certain. Each time we return to the here and now of the holy instant, the clouds of worry, guilt, and other unnatural feelings are lifted and we become increasingly free of the physical world's trappings.
All it takes is a little willingness; from that small effort comes the beginning of a great awakening. Just keep coming back to the experience of being right here and right now. Just keep noticing how the mind is always here and now, even as the physical world dances around with its illusion of time and all the dramas it contains. The holy instant is just the awareness of being right here and right now, and yet it contains the completeness of all true reality.