We often talk about “living in the present”. But what do we really mean by “living in the present”? Does that mean that we do not think about the past or the future? But how can we not think about the past or the future? That would not be possible or desirable. For we do need to recollect the past and to plan for the future at times. So we need to discuss what we mean by “living in the present”.
“Living in the present” menas living well in the present, living skilfully in the present. Doing what we have to do now well, for that will, in fact, be the best guarantee for the future. And also there will be no regrets when we think back about the past. Instead, there will be joy — joy at having lived a good life and at having done good deeds.
How do we live skilfully in the present? For that we need wisdom, we need midfulness and understanding. We need to know how to place our mind, how to compose our mind, how to steer our mind in the right direction — away from the unwholesome and towards the wholesome.
JUST A REMINDER