On Tuesday morning I heard a phrase I’ve heard many times before but this time I heard it in a different way. I didn’t hear it with my mind. I heard it with my body. Now don’t ask me to explain exactly what I mean because I can’t say any more than there was a felt sense in my body that these were important words for me to hear.
What were the words I heard as if for the first time?
“Put your awareness on the present moment.”
Typing that, I remember and feel what I felt. I feel a bit foolish admitting that this was the phrase I heard differently as it seems so obvious.
I remembered this feeling the next day when I peeked into Tenzin Palmo’s book Reflections on a Mountain Lake. I met Tenzin Palmo years ago in India and it was my joy to capture her image that I am sharing with you. I can imagine that she said something comparable to the following sentence to our group as we squatted on the floor in the tiny room where we met with her:
“There are so many things happening in our lives that we never really experience.”
Further down on the same page she writes that when we mainly focus on the past or the future, our lives might feel meaningless. She advises that if you want to feel your life is meaningful, focus on the quality of your awareness.
That is what I want to do – focus on the quality of my awareness as I try and focus on the present moment. It’s not that easy for me. Is it easy for you? I would love to hear what happens for you if you put your awareness on the present moment.
