Purpose, Practice, Presence

It has been said that the present moment is all that really exists.

But it just isn't so.

Existence encompasses so much more than the present moment.

Think about it.

When I sit, dry and content, and watch rain fall, in front of an open window, I can allow the present moment to saturate my awareness of myriad sights, sounds, and smells occasioned by the rain.

There is no past, present, or future to think about: no encounter with depth, no involvement or engagement with breadth, no experience of height.

Save the depth, breadth, and height of my awareness saturated by the effects of a downpour.

When I am present to the present, the present blesses me with presence. In the presence of Presence, serenity and clarity are most welcome.

But again, existence encompasses so much more than presence in the present.

Practice, especially transformative practice, requires moving out of, and away from, the present moment, into involvement with the past and engagement with the future. With practice, I am called to involve (at the very least) my awareness with my memories and to engage (at the very least) my awareness with my intentions.

Perceptually, I can only be aware of my memories and my intentions in the present moment, but conceptually, these memories acquire a past and these intentions create a future when I move my awareness out of, and away from, the present moment for the sake of practice with a purpose in pursuit of knowledge, skill, and experience.

Perceptually, I make contact with the present moment through the sensations of my body. Perceptually and conceptually, I make contact with the past through my memories and the future through my intentions. Perceptually or conceptually, my sensations are no more real than my memories and intentions.

Which means that the past, present, and future exist in equal measure when I give equal attention to my sensations, memories, and intentions.

To say that the present moment is all that exists is false; to say that the past and future exist only in the present moment is false.