Do not create more suffering in the present. No one has a life free of suffering and hurt. Isn't it a matter of learning to live with it, instead of trying to avoid it?
Do not create more suffering in the present. No one has a life free of suffering and hurt. Isn't it a matter of learning to live with it, instead of trying to avoid it?
At the thought level, resistance is a form of judgment. On the emotional level, it is a form of negativity. Suffering varies in intensity according to the degree of resistance to the current moment, and this, in turn, depends on the intensity with which we identify with our minds. The mind always seeks to deny and escape the Now. In other words, the more we identify with our minds, the more we suffer. Or, the more we respect and accept the Now, the more we are freed from pain, suffering and the mind.
Why is the mind in the habit of denying or resisting the Now? Because it cannot function and remain in control without being associated with time, both past and future, and so it sees the timeless Now as something threatening. In fact, time and mind are inseparable.
Imagine the Earth without human life, inhabited only by plants and animals. Would there still be a past and a future? Do the questions "what time is it?" or "what day is it today?" would they make any sense to an oak or an eagle? I think they would be intrigued and reply: “Of course it is now. The time is now. What else is there? ”
There is no doubt that we need the mind and the time, but the moment they take control of our lives, problems, suffering and hurt arise.
To make sure it remains in control, the mind works all the time to hide the present moment with the past and the future. Thus, the vitality and infinite creative potential of Being, which is inseparable from the Now, are covered by time and our true nature is obscured by the mind. We all suffer from ignoring or denying every precious moment or reducing it to a means to achieve something in the future, something that only exists in our minds, never in reality. The accumulated time in the human mind contains a great deal of suffering whose origin is in the past.
If you don't want to create more suffering for yourself and others, don't create more time, or at least, no more than is necessary to deal with the practical aspects of your life. How to stop “creating” time? Having a deep awareness that the present moment is all you have. Make Agora the main focus of your life. If before you were fixating on time and making quick visits to the Now, reverse this logic, fixing yourself on the Now and making quick visits to the past and the future when you need to deal with the practical aspects of your life.
Always say "yes" to the current moment. What could be more senseless than creating an inner resistance to something that already is? What could be more senseless than to oppose life itself, which is now and always now? Surrender to what is. Say "yes" to life and see how, suddenly, life starts to work more for you instead of against you.
Sometimes, the present moment is unacceptable, unpleasant or terrible. Things are as they are. Notice how the mind continuously judges behavior, naming things. By observing the mechanism of the mind, we escape the patterns of resistance and can then allow the present moment to exist. This will give you proof of the state of inner freedom, the state of true inner peace. Then see what happens and take action if necessary or possible.
Accept, then act. Whatever the current moment contains, accept it as your choice. Always work with him, not against him. Make him a friend and ally, not your enemy. This will transform your whole life, as if by miracle.
Fonte: O Poder do Agora
A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment
Eckhart Tolle
