silence shared in words
silence shared in words

presents
presents

“Now-Here” All the Time?
“Now-Here” All the Time?

Is it really possible to be in the “now-here” all the time?
Is it really possible to be in the “now-here” all the time?

Most of my time seems to go in planning for, or worrying about, the future.
Most of my time seems to go in planning for, or worrying about, the future.

Whether you
Whether you

know it or not,
know it or not,

you cannot be anywhere else than here and now.
you cannot be anywhere else than here and now.

Wherever you are it will be here and now.
Wherever you are it will be here and now.

You are given
You are given

only one moment at a time
only one moment at a time

and you are wasting that moment
and you are wasting that moment

in planning or worrying about the future;
in planning or worrying about the future;

and the future never comes.
and the future never comes.

What comes is always here, now:
What comes is always here, now:

it is a series of “nows”
it is a series of “nows”

one now,
one now,

another now
another now

but you are always living in the now.
but you are always living in the now.

There is no future
There is no future

so how can you worry about the future?
so how can you worry about the future?

It is because of this kind of worrying
It is because of this kind of worrying

and planning for the future
and planning for the future

that a certain proverb
that a certain proverb

exists in all the languages of the world:
exists in all the languages of the world:

Man goes on desiring,
Man goes on desiring,

planning,
planning,

worrying about the future
worrying about the future

and God goes on disappointing him.
and God goes on disappointing him.

There is no God to disappoint you.
There is no God to disappoint you.

In your very planning, you are sowing the seeds of disappointment.
In your very planning, you are sowing the seeds of disappointment.

In your very worrying about the future,
In your very worrying about the future,

you are wasting the present;
you are wasting the present;

and slowly, slowly it becomes your second nature .
and slowly, slowly it becomes your second nature .

to worry about the future.
to worry about the future.

So when the future comes,
So when the future comes,

it will come as the present;
it will come as the present;

and because of your habit of worrying about the future,
and because of your habit of worrying about the future,

you will waste that moment also in worrying
you will waste that moment also in worrying

You will go on worrying about the future for your whole life.
You will go on worrying about the future for your whole life.

You will stop only when death comes
You will stop only when death comes

and takes away all
and takes away all

possibility of the future.
possibility of the future.

You missed your whole life:
You missed your whole life:

you could have lived
you could have lived

but you only planned.
but you only planned.

Live
Live

intensely and totally now,
intensely and totally now,

because the next moment will be born out of this moment;
because the next moment will be born out of this moment;

and if you have lived it totally and joyously,
and if you have lived it totally and joyously,

you can be absolutely certain that the next moment
you can be absolutely certain that the next moment

will bring
will bring

more blessings,
more blessings,

more joy.
more joy.

I have heard:
I have heard:

Three professors of philosophy
Three professors of philosophy

were having a discussion
were having a discussion

at a railway station. The train was
at a railway station. The train was

standing at the platform. There were a few minutes before it was due to leave,
standing at the platform. There were a few minutes before it was due to leave,

but they got so involved in their discussion that the train left
but they got so involved in their discussion that the train left

without them then they realized, and they ran….
without them then they realized, and they ran….

In the last compartment, only two professors could enter; the third
In the last compartment, only two professors could enter; the third

remained on the platform. The train had gone
remained on the platform. The train had gone

and he had tears in his eyes.
and he had tears in his eyes.

A porter was standing there. Seeing the scene, he said,
A porter was standing there. Seeing the scene, he said,

“Why are you crying?
“Why are you crying?

At least two of your friends have got the train.”
At least two of your friends have got the train.”

He said, “That is the problem. They had come to see me off.”
He said, “That is the problem. They had come to see me off.”

They must also be crying, inside the train.
They must also be crying, inside the train.

Existence also sometimes plays jokes on people.
Existence also sometimes plays jokes on people.

Stop
Stop

this habit of planning.
this habit of planning.

Stop worrying about the future.
Stop worrying about the future.

If tomorrow comes,
If tomorrow comes,

you will be there;
you will be there;

and if you know how to live,
and if you know how to live,

if you know how to live joyously and dancingly,
if you know how to live joyously and dancingly,

your tomorrow will also be full of dance and joy.
your tomorrow will also be full of dance and joy.

It is the miserable man
It is the miserable man

who plans for the future,
who plans for the future,

because his present is so miserable
because his present is so miserable

that he wants to avoid it, he does not want to see it.
that he wants to avoid it, he does not want to see it.

He thinks about tomorrows:
He thinks about tomorrows:

good days are going to come.
good days are going to come.

He is utterly impotent to transform this moment into a good moment.
He is utterly impotent to transform this moment into a good moment.

A long habit of transferring everything
A long habit of transferring everything

to the future, .
to the future, .

postponing,
postponing,

living for the future,
living for the future,

will take your whole life out of your hands.
will take your whole life out of your hands.

There is no other way.
There is no other way.

You are asking, “Is it really possible
You are asking, “Is it really possible

to be in the here-now all the time?”
to be in the here-now all the time?”

This is the only possibility.
This is the only possibility.

You cannot be anywhere else.
You cannot be anywhere else.

You try:
You try:

try to be in the tomorrow.
try to be in the tomorrow.

Nobody has succeeded up to now
Nobody has succeeded up to now

you cannot be in the
you cannot be in the

coming minute.
coming minute.

Do you think you can jump
Do you think you can jump

and reach into the future,
and reach into the future,

jump out of today
jump out of today

and reach into tomorrow?
and reach into tomorrow?

Even if you are planning for tomorrow, that too is being done here-now;
Even if you are planning for tomorrow, that too is being done here-now;

even if you are worrying about the future,
even if you are worrying about the future,

that too is being done here-now.
that too is being done here-now.

You cannot be anywhere else; whatever you do,
You cannot be anywhere else; whatever you do,

existence allows only
existence allows only

this space
this space

of here and now.
of here and now.

I can say to you
I can say to you

that I am living here and now.
that I am living here and now.

I also have tried
I also have tried

somehow to get
somehow to get

into the future
into the future

but there is no way.
but there is no way.

You cannot go back
You cannot go back

into the past,
into the past,

you cannot go ahead of time into the future.
you cannot go ahead of time into the future.

In your hands is always the present;
In your hands is always the present;

in fact, the present is the only time you have.
in fact, the present is the only time you have.

And now
And now

is such
is such

a meaningful word,
a meaningful word,

because that is your whole life
because that is your whole life

a “now” stretched
a “now” stretched

from your birth to your death.
from your birth to your death.

But it is always now…
But it is always now…

and here is the only space.
and here is the only space.

You cannot be
You cannot be

anywhere else than here;
anywhere else than here;

wherever you are,
wherever you are,

that place will become here.
that place will become here.

Just be
Just be

clear about it,
clear about it,

otherwise life goes on slipping through your hands like water.
otherwise life goes on slipping through your hands like water.

Soon you will have empty hands;
Soon you will have empty hands;

and meeting death with empty hands
and meeting death with empty hands

is an utter failure.
is an utter failure.

Meet your death
Meet your death

full of joy
full of joy

silence and serenity.
silence and serenity.

Meet death
Meet death

with your hands
with your hands

full of ecstasy.
full of ecstasy.

In that ecstasy, death itself dies.
In that ecstasy, death itself dies.

You never die…
You never die…

your here-now continues
your here-now continues

forever and forever.
forever and forever.

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