JUST AN INSTANT
In this piece of writing, we are not talking about something enigmatic or far beyond our life but only referring to the ordinary reality in our daily routine. At childhood, we only enjoy our time, eating and sleeping regardless any matter. When at intermediate or high school, we are diligent in studying, obeying our parents’ instructions. Our future seems to widely open ahead. We might dream of doing business and getting rich or being medical doctors and engineers. If we are girls, we probably expect to meet the handsome princes who would love us thru ought our life. We can have simpler dreams like being female teachers who are adored by students as we cherish our teachers. When at colleges, we all focus on studies, strive for the graduation so that we can securely enter our life, pay gratitude to our parents and build up our own families. We have gone through the milestones on the journey of our life. Sometimes, it happens as we wish; but most of the time, it does not.
Up to now, we have passed our lifetime in the hectic cadence of struggling in earning our living day after day, week after week, month after month and year after year. We feel no more eagerly interested in waiting for the New Year’s Ever for dressing up to go to the temple or the summer for the school end to go to the beach in the brilliant sunlight from the blue sky. Looking at the mirror, we find our hair turning into gray. Reflecting on our frantic life, we wonder what we can keep in our hands now?
Absolutely nothing left! Nothing in the current time. The past has also gone. All our beloved passed away. Laughing or crying is meaningless. The future is in the future like tomorrow never coming.
Thinking over and over, do we know that our life is almost vanishing? Have we really lived? Or have we never led a life? When young, we just dream of our future life. At the beginning days of the schoolyear, we worry about the school end exams. When done, we look forward to the summer vacation. At work, we await the days off, the payroll periods and the annual leaves. At wedlock, we wish our children grow up quickly, excel in their academic studies and graduate from schooling pretty soon.
Our mind always launches into the future with hope and dreams. It also goes back to the past in nostalgia. At the present time, we are caught in the whirling at the worksites, and the care for the daily routine of our family members, children, parents and siblings. Our life keeps flowing in that way year by year. It might be the similar circle for many of our lifespans. Then, we are still here to complete the lesson “being awaken”.
We do not know until now we have moved, spoken and laughed as noctambulists for the whole life. With thoughtful reflection, we find that not only this life, but in innumerable lifetimes before, we have been sleepwalkers. We have lived, thought, communicated and behaved ourselves without clearly realizing we have been in the long dreams. That is why we have kept interchangeable at crying and laughing. When waking up with the empty hands, we know we have just experienced the dreams.
The lesson of "mindfulness" reminds us not to repeat the old mistakes, not nostalgic for the past, not dreaming of the future, not neglecting to the present. Do be awake while living. Whatever we see, we need know it. The knowing must chase after what has been seen. The seen is the eyes’function. The knowing is the mind’s duty.
The mind is the foundation, and so is the true, quiet , instant, crystal, and objective knowing as well. It explores the outside world through the six senses: eyes, ears, noses, tounges, bodies and thoughts.This knowing is often called the righteous thinking, reminding and remembering or the mindfulness that is used to differentiate with the unrighteous or wrong ones. The latter refers to the come-and-go knowing when the mind turns back to the past or leaps forward to the future with the hollow thoughts, justification, comparison and reasoning in the present.
The crucial approach for mind practice is the mindfullness and awakening. Do keep the quiet, instant, serene, and objective knowing while living and interacting in life. Whatever the objects are, we recognize them as-is. Nothing else is interpretated in silence. Our mind immediately comes to a complete stop. That also means no subsconcious leaking taint can arise at the time.
Here are the conditions for the right thinking and mindfulness: human senses, the objects for those senses and the strongest is the clear realization.
The rendezvous where they can gather is the Knowing As-Is. We can interpretate it as the Knowing of the Being, or the Knowing of Now and Here.
Just some analysis for further understanding about the As-Is. The Being means what is present in front of our senses right now. But how is the “being”?
For instance, we open our eyes and see the glass of water right then. That is to say the glass stays there before we see it and while we are looking at it, it is still right there. So, there are three tenses in the process of “the being”: the past, the glass is there before we can see it; the present, when seeing it, it is still right there; and it does not disappear (or the current time can prolong to the future). In the future time, it might be or end there. Following is the summary.
-the “What was” ( existed in the past);
-the “What is now”;
-the “What will be” ( still existent, not ending yet)
The most important is the “What Is Now” which directly contact with our senses.
Why is it the “Now” and the “Here”?
“Now” indicates the time and “Here” the location or the space.
While staying in the mediation hall, we think of some business at home. That is the wrong referring, the delusion. Just because our senses do not straightly get in touch with those objects that are not “right here.”
Also while at the meditation hall, we remember what happened last week or plan for the business tomorrow, they are all the illusions, the wrong thinking, not the “now”.
Thus, if we want to pacify our mind, it must stop. It cannot hurtle into the future or fling back to the past. It cannot hurl the current attachments outside or to any place either.
So, the Knowing As-Is brings the instant outputs: the mind stays unmoved. We can terminate every clinging to the mind of three time periods and cut off all subconscious stains. We will no more label or push the allegedly blamings on the perceived objects. Our perceiving becomes pure, serene and objective. With those, the Approach of As-Is is the simultaneously arising of the Concentration and the Insights.
The Concentration means our mind comes to a stop.
The Sagacity indicates our mind is improved and elaborated with a positive perception.
The Diamond Sutra states that when our mind gets stuck in the three periods of the past, present and future, it is the mind of illusion. The past means what happened and completely ended. The future is what has not occured yet. The previous instant is the past. The later one belongs to the future. Both of them meet each other at the point called the “Now and Here” or the “Being” in meditation. The present is not existent. The term “the present” is commonly and generally spoken, and unable to indicate the moment of direct awareness when the sense organs connect their objects in the Zen practice.
As said above, the past includes what happened and entirely ended. We cannot do anything for it regardless of loving or missing, being pleasant or remorseful. The past exists only in our mind. It is similar to the half-hidden shadows or the illusions in the dreams. Everything really ends. Recollecting the sad and happy memories, our emotions flows out and impacts our health. It also means we turn back to our dreams just for both pleasure and displeasure.
The future has not come yet but when young and energetic, we usually imagine a beautiful life. When old-age, we are often worried about our future with much sorrow than happiness. All those are imaginary and delusional. Again, the interchangeable feelings wildly rise up and negatively affect on our mental and physical well-being.
Similarly, at the current time when our senses interract with life, we assume the perception is true. Then, a mixture of feelings happen, love and hate, anger and sadness. It is necessary to be sagacious to comprehend the life nature is empty and dreamlike so that we will not be stuck in the present.
How can we escape from the surroundings of the trio of past, present and future? When unable to fling back to the past in order to stay away from the sufferings of the current life, we will definitely throw ourselves into the future with the vague but beautiful wishes and hopes to forget the present. However, we cannot make it out. So, the last way is to directly face our life right now. But again, if we get deeply clung into the present, alas, just sorrows and afflictions.
The Buddha teaches us the unique way for survival: “Not to launch your mind out of the “Here and Now”.
Leading a life, everyone must always be in contact with mundanities through his six sense organs. With that, we should always keep our Knowing silent. We do not initiate any ideas of liking or disliking, of praising or criticizing and inferring. Those help our Knowing clear and neutral without being glued to anything. Our mind is, then, free and liberated immediately. At the time, whatever the objects sound or look like, we perceive them exactly in their traits. It is also the Knowing As-Is.
Then, “ Not setting up our mind on external objects” possibly refers to the Mind Concentration and the “Knowing As-Is” temporarily categorized the Sagacity. Both direct us out of the “house on fire”, the binding chains of the three time periods: past, present and future, and the four huge mountains that are slowly smashing us: rebirths-aging-illness-deaths.
The two above methods have closely interrelated. When our sense organs and their objects associate together, do not launch our mind into any externals purposedly. We will realize the Being of those entities in serenity without personal prejudices. Also, with that Knowing, should not set up our mind on anything so that we can be aware of the quiet and neutral Being.
In short, when not being caught-in by the past and future, there is only the in-between instant that belongs to us. With it, we are positively able and powerful to be the owners of our life. That is to say we merely and truly live in the instant of “being”. Then, we are in the Knowing of seeing, the Knowing of listening, the Knowing of touching. It is the Knowing of clarity, purity, tranquility and neutrality. It is also the mindfulness and awareness. If in the second instant, we can continue being mindful and awaken; then we keep it up in the third, the fourth, the fifth moment…..So is the road of mind improving. Such a simple way. Nothing vague, tough and enigmatic. It does not require excessive efforts or hectically external searches. So is the road of karmas transferring. The Trio karmas are purified instantly. The past ones are unable to ascend. The future ones are not created either.
Last but not least, the mind path is solely in an instant. A krasna of mindfullness. A moment of knowing how to live. It is the one of the being. Stay in the instant of being all the time. It is peacefully abiding in the Nirvana.
Venerable Bhikkhuni Thích Nữ Triệt Như
Sunyata Monastery, June 20, 2021
English version by Ngọc Huyền
Link to Vietnamese article: https://tanhkhong.org/a2471/triet-nhu-snhp010-chi-mot-sat-na
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