The present moment
contains past and future.
The secret to transformation
is in the way we handle this moment.
A Harvard educated American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the fisherman on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The fisherman replied, “only a little while." The American then asked why didn’t he stay out longer and catch more fish? The fisherman said he had enough to support his family’s immediate needs. The American then asked, “but what do you do with the rest of your time?”
The fisherman said, “I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take siestas with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine, and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life.”
The American scoffed, “I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats, eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor, eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing, and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City, where you will run your expanding enterprise.”
The fisherman asked, “But, how long will this all take?”
To which the American replied, “15 – 20 years.”
“But what then?” Asked the Mexican.
The American laughed and said, “That’s the best part. When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich, you would make millions!”
“Millions – then what?”
The American said, “Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siestas with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos.”
Happiness is a comfortable state of body and mind. We have notions that material pleasures will bring us more joy. When we work with this notion in our mind we end up working all the time for a better tomorrow. When tomorrow comes, we may have those material pleasures but no times to enjoy them because we are striving for some other objectives. We always tell ourselves that the work we put in now will result in a better future. We did the same thing in the past and we are doing it again. This only results a hectic and stress-filled life.
What we are today is a result of the past. As children we dreamt of an independent life. We dreamt of a time when we would find work, move out, pay our own bills. Then when we began working and paying bills, it wasn't so great after all. We needed to buy our own home and a better car and more. Then the home needs repairs and maintenance and decorating. Then we plan for kids, then their education, then our retirement. We keep trying to accumulate for a happy future but we only end up accumulating stress resulting is a very uncomfortable state of mind and sometimes body.
The present moment is a result of the past moment. If the dream was to play with kids, then the time is now to play with them. If the past has resulted in an uncomfortable present, then now is the time to heal. If we live the present moment mindfully then we will be happier tomorrow. Now is the time to cultivate the right habit of dwelling happily in the present moment.
Sometimes we just need to learn how to sit or how to walk and we can be very happy. We can practice sitting or walking meditation, tea mediation or perform our tasks keeping in mind that we want to live this moment.
If you ever decide to become a monk or a nun at Plum Village in France or Deer Park Monastery in the United States, you will spend a lot of time sitting, walking and eating mindfully. We can do that right now. With a little bit of practice we can learn to keep the body comfortable. We must practice sitting in a manner that will not cause pain after a while. We must learn to walk in a manner we can enjoy walking. Enjoy the movement of your hands, of your feet, your breath, your body. With a little practice we can enjoy our tea and the food we eat. When we learn to live like that we begin to live stress free lives. We become happier, healthier and more beautiful. We must live the present moment fully and in accordance with the five mindfulness trainings. Transformation at the base occurs when we transform our habits. That can only happen in the present moment.
(Based on the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh.)
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