The Nature of Consciousness And Time (Part 2)

Ask yourself the question: when does my experience take place? The answer is always: now. When we woke up this morning it was now. When we had breakfast it was now. When we went back to our rooms it was now. When we walked into this room it was now. What is the difference between all these nows? How many nows have you experienced this morning? Have there been lots of nows? And if so, how long, exactly, does each now last? Don’t think about this. Your experience is taking place now, so the now is available for direct investigation. How long does now last? Is the now that was present while we were having breakfast a different now than the now that is present now? And if so, what is the difference between them? When did the breakfast-now stop and this now start? And if there is no difference between them, then it means that the now that was present at breakfast at eight o’clock, and the now that was present at nine o’clock, and the now that was present at ten o’clock, and the now that is present now must be the same now. And therefore, the now cannot share the limits of any of the particular times at which it is present. In other words, the now has no limit. Thus it has no duration in time. The now is not a moment in time. This now is the only now there is. It has no limits, it has no edges, it doesn’t start and stop. This now hasn’t come from somewhere. It hasn’t come from a distant past, slowly moving along a line of time for millions of years to arrive at this moment in time. This now is the only now that ever is or has been. It hasn’t come from somewhere and it is not going anywhere. It is not moving along a line of time into an endless future. The now is still.

In 1997, Francis Lucille trained Rupert in the Direct Path teachings of Atmanada Krishna Menon and the Tantric approach of Kashmir Shaivism, which he had received from his teacher, Jean Klein. Rupert regularly holds meetings and retreats worldwide, exploring non-dual teachings from a diverse array of sources: Advaita Vedanta, Kashmir Shaivism, Hinduism, Buddhism, mystical Christianity, Sufism, and Zen. He is the author of several books, including 'The Transparency of Things – Contemplating the Nature of Experience', 'The Ashes of Love', 'The Nature of Consciousness', and 'The Essence of Meditation'. His latest book is titled 'A Meditation On I Am'.

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