We hear a lot of talk about “living in the present moment”, but it is hard for us to understand exactly what that means. We tend to think that when we are experiencing something, it will last forever. When we are miserable, we think there is no hope, there is no coming out of the depression, and that it is going to last forever. When things are going well, we also think that they are not going to change; they are just going to keep being wonderful. Yet our actual experience is that things are constantly changing. Because they are created, they are under the influence of causes and conditions. Change is in its very nature.

This is why the Buddha encouraged us to contemplate impermanence and to contemplate our mortality, to know that we are going to die. Doing this helps us to put our priorities in perspective so that we do what is important and do not just get caught up in the wrong view of living in the present moment, thinking that the present moment is all there is and that it will last forever.

Yesterday was stormy, and we might tend to feel that it is always going to be stormy, yet today it is different. Or we might think on a sunny day it is always going to be sunny, and then it becomes stormy. Being aware of this changeable nature helps us to live in a way in which our priorities are established more clearly. We can see that even farmers do not think what is happening today will last forever. When it is raining, they do things to prepare for the work they will do when it is sunny. Yesterday we sharpened tools, even though they are not being used today, we are preparing for a sunny day. On sunny days, we will work in the garden to grow the food we will use on rainy days.

The point is to not get locked into the present by thinking that whatever is happening now is always going to be. In our Dharma practice, when we are happy, we should also do the thought training practices that prepare our minds for when things are not going so well. Then, when we are in a bad or depressed mood, we can realise that it is not permanent, it is not all that exists.

Causes and conditions will automatically function. Therefore, have a sense of hope and optimism about the future knowing that we can change the causes and conditions of our experience. When we have a big view — including past, present and future — it helps us to live in the present in a more suitable way instead of in a closed-minded way.

“365 Gems of Wisdom” e-book is out now!