I just finished reading this article from the economic times which set me thinking seriously about the way in which I view the things. The link is : http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-726365,curpg-1.cms
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Suddenly he realized he had come to a dead end; the edge of a cliff. Looking around he saw a vine growing and quickly grabbed it, lowering himself down the cliff-face. Below him he heard a river, but…looking closer… he saw crocodiles everywhere! It seemed he was doomed. Also, to make matters even worse there was now a tiny mouse gnawing at the vine… It is said that at this very moment, the young monk noticed a small fruit growing beside him; he carefully picked it and ate it…
With this simple act he became enlightened. The story goes that this was the most blissful moment, the most defining moment of his whole life. Why???
This little story is ancient and has many versions and even more interpretations. I think that as the monk was in such danger, in such desperation, possibly just about to die…his mind just stopped. His thinking just stopped. With this he found himself, probably for the first time in his life, in the paradise of the present moment — The holy “Here’n'Now”.
They say in the East that eternity can only be found in the here and now and to discover this is to become enlightened. I like to think that with this simple little act, the monk had a glimpse of the timeless. He touched God.
In short, he found everything he’d ever been searching for. …and after an experience like that, what happened to him would hardly have mattered!!
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The story is about how the thing that one should be relly worried about is the present and not the future or the past. At the point in life where i stand this article seems to be a godsend and conveys the thing which has been the most wrong with me. I am totally a person of the future. I forget the past easily but what I cannot stop contemplating about is the future…how things will be, what will I be doing, where should i go..etc What I finally end up with these futuristic thoughts is a messed up present. This is so true!! I am surprised at not having woken up to this fact all my life till now. Though there have been subtle hints but they had not hit me as hard as this article.
Management gurus and sportspeople call it the success manta — “HereNnow” ..why not? It seems to be and now when I look around I see that the people who are more successful( or lets say happier ) are the ones that live in the present.
That is one important lesson learnt for whole of my life i hope.
So Live now!!
