TO BE PRESENT OR NOT

The Ultimate Point of All Practices, Teachings, and Disciplines

The cradle of enlightenment and healing—the final destination of all teachings, practices, and disciplines. You know when they say, "Whoever reaches this needs nothing else"? That’s it. It happens in an instant, but the journey to get there takes time and effort. What is it? Being in the present moment.

Even though this phrase has become a cliché, staying in the moment is the ultimate transformative remedy for our physical body, mind, emotions, soul, energy centers, and all the dynamics of our relationship with life.

If we are not in the moment, then where are we? What state are we in?

No, we are not in the moment—we are trapped in our minds. Our thoughts, emotions, future plans, and past experiences continuously pull us away. In fact, we are not present for 99% of the day. If we do not consciously train ourselves to bring our awareness back to the present, we remain in the moment only by chance.

This means that we are not truly connected with ourselves. Yes, our thoughts and emotions are part of us, but the deeper self-awareness that people refer to as "knowing oneself," "surrender," "awareness," and "flow" is directly linked to being present. The mind and the present moment cannot exist together. This is a crucial realization. The mind is not unnecessary, but it is merely a functional machine. Yet, we often let this machine control us, becoming fully identified with it. We live in this state of captivity, shrinking into our thoughts. Ironically, even our attempts to stay present can become another tool of the mind if we are not careful.

That is why, while walking, we look at a building but do not really see it. We misplace our umbrella and do not remember whether we put it on the right or left. Our body performs actions automatically, but our awareness is absent. We speak to someone, but our attention is elsewhere. We eat even when we are not hungry. We get trapped in emotions that are not even ours. Why? Because we are not in the present. The mind and body are disconnected—the mind was elsewhere when we placed the umbrella. I hope this is clear.

This endless loop is the root cause of all problems. From the moment you wake up until you go to bed, how much time do you actually spend in the present moment? How often do you drift away? How many stories do you create in your mind? And how do those stories shape your reality?

When we are in the present, there is only what is—pure awareness through our five senses. There is no mental chatter, no thoughts, no emotions, no problems, no resistance, no trauma—just observation, depth, and full-body awareness. This is the goal of all meditative practices.

Of course, we will not stay in the moment continuously. But the more we extend these periods of presence, the higher our quality of life will become, and our suffering will decrease accordingly.

How Can We Cultivate Presence?

By consciously practicing presence throughout the day, we can gradually master it, extend the time we remain in the present, and return to ourselves more frequently. This will allow all aspects of our being—including the mind—to function more effectively, freeing them from unnecessary burdens.

Here are two simple practices:

Bringing Yourself Back to the Present Through Sensory AwarenessEvery time you catch yourself lost in thoughts, shift your attention to one of your five senses. For example, if you are drinking coffee but find yourself lost in memories of the past or worries about tomorrow, immediately focus on the smell of the coffee, the sensation of the cup in your hand, the feeling of your feet on the ground, or the sounds around you. In this way, you cut off internal chatter and anchor yourself in the present. I like to call this "catching yourself and calling yourself back."
Breaking Identification with the MindSince the mind cannot comprehend or attach meaning to irrational actions, doing something unpredictable can quickly bring you back to the present. For example, if you find yourself overly identified with a thought or emotion, suddenly say something random, pick up an object and toss it into the air, or do something completely unexpected. The stranger, the better. You can also try this with a partner—when one of you gets caught in deep mental loops, disrupt the pattern with a sudden action. This is also a powerful way to break certain ego patterns.

Life is an infinite moment—only this moment. There is no past, no future—everything is happening right now.

No matter where you are, under what conditions, or how you feel, when you are present, only truth and creation remain before you.