"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, not to worry about the future, or not to anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly." - Buddha
I can remember when I first saw the book "The Power of Now". After I got several tools to fulfill my dreams, for instance in goal-achievement and personal effectiveness, I expected the message to be "Don’t procrastinate, do it now!" This is the Now-habit and it is a powerful habit to develop.
But this is not what The Now or in other words the present moment is ultimately about. Although on the surface this is a part of it, it has a far deeper meaning than this. Depending on how much experience one has with spiritual teachings, the present moment has a different meaning.
The present moment and time: The illusion of time
The present moment is the only thing where there is no time. It is the point between past and future. It is always there and it is the only point we can access in time. Everything that happens, happens in the present moment. Everything that ever happened and will ever happen can only happen in the present moment. It is impossible for anything to exist outside of it. Therefore it is obvious, that past and future don’t have a reality on their own. They are just mental concepts in our heads. Past is the thinking of memories while future is the projection ahead. But anything can really happen only in the present moment. Nothing else regarding time really exists in reality.
This realization shows that there is no time other than the concept of it. I personally see the perception of time as the perception of change of form. If we think about a mechanical watch, the watch changes it’s form through a well laid mechanic and is therefore showing "the time". Even digital clocks are doing nothing else than an ongoing changing in form and by this working as an instrument to measure this progress. Seeing it like this you could say that there is only one moment in which forms are in constant motion. Even memories stored in our brains are changing forms. In that way you could say that it is not time changing along the world, it is the world of form changing along the one present moment.
Become present
Going into the present moment means to become present oneself. All kinds of meditations and spiritual practices are aiming to become present. To center ourselves in the present moment we have to get the past out of our head and stop projecting to the future. What remains is the here and now. Then all of our attention flows into the present moment. Maybe you want to try it out right now. Then remove all past and future and center yourself in the "vertical dimension of time":
The vertical dimension of time is the present moment, the one point out of the concept of time. What happens if we center ourselves in the present moment is that the mind stops to make noise. We become present and are not distracted by our mind. If this happens we are able to connect with our deeper self and we become more alive and awake.
Besides these explanations, regardless of how much we put into them, it is as Tolle states: "Understanding present is being present". And the key to becoming present is the move out of the concept of time.
The present moment as the entry point to spiritual awakening
Thoughts stop. The mind becomes silent. What shines through then is the energy of our being. We can dive much deeper into this vertical dimension of time and discover more about our true nature. To dive into the present moment is also the goal of meditation. The present moment is the entry point, or as Eckhart Tolle calls it the main portal into spiritual awakening.
The power of the present moment
One could think that being in the present moment means that we lose control over the future. Gandhi said "The future depends on what we do in the present." And that entails all the wisdom that is needed here. If we set goals or develop a vision of the future this is very powerful. But then we execute towards this goal in the present moment and the quality of the work we produce towards the goal depends on what we do in the present moment. The more we are present, the better the quality of our doing will be.
Ladan on 
Funny picture :) Regarding the present moment, there is also a lot of material on the Adyashanti.org website, you should check it out. Here are some videos: http://www.adyashanti.org/index.php?file=watchvideo
Thanks D00dikov. I just stumbled over another interesting video by Deepak Chopra about the same topic: “Time and the eternal present moment” : http://www.intentblog.com/archives/2008/03/time_1.html#comments
Now is the probably the most powerful word of all in the personal development niche. Yet the “now” tip has been recommneded for ages already, as you’ve pointed out. I also enjoyed Eckhart Tolle’s book and would also recommend it as essential reading!
Evelyn Lim | Attraction Mind Map’s last blog post: 68 Seconds Of Pure Thought: Visualize In 4 Creative Ways
Evelyn, yes absolutely!
Also I think there is an distinction between the now as in Personal Development and in Spirituality. in P.D. as in “Do it now!” or “Start something towards your just set goal now!” it is to develop momentum and to overcome inertia.
In Spirituality it is the main entry-point for another state of consciousness and for realize our true being.
Excellent pos Myrko and great image to go along with it. One of my favourite aspects of Presence is that you can really be who you want to be. Just because you might think you are shy, there’s nothing stopping you from showing confident and social attributes right now. Your past does not matter, it is not who you are, you are who you are right now.
Cheers,
Glen
Glen Allsopp’s last blog post: The Power of an Abundance Mindset
Hey Glen, yes. Every moment is a fresh and brand new one, exciting isn’t it!? :)
“The past does not equal the future” (Tony Robbins) mixed with “The future depends on what we do in the present.” (Gandhi) seem to reflect what your comment is saying …
Yeah, the power of Presence is huge. It’s amazing how clear reality becomes when the mind starts to grow quiet and the inner peace that was always there comes into conscious awareness.
Ariel’s last blog post: Forcing Presence vs. Allowing Presence
We talk about the importance or being in the moment in many of our podcasts A Quiet Mind. We also work on ways to put it into practice through meditation and self-awareness. You should check us out sometime.
thanks for the great article and the reminder to be present.
robert
Robert´s last blog post: Live Meditation
I share your joy with the present moment. I enjoy living without worry. It’s comforting to not be concerned with what has happened in the past nor what may happen in the future. What keeps me tied to the present moment is my faith in God that everything will work itself out.
Jody Allen Gorran´s last blog post: Faith in God and Self-Improvement
Wow! This is definitely something new for me! I’ve always believed in living in the present and enjoying every moment as they come, but not in the level as you described. I have read a lot of books that describe time as being an illusion, but your presentation of it was very detailed and moving!
I’m a person that really likes visual depictions. I really appreciate you taking the time to create the X/Y axis chart. It really did help me see it in a different light. I’m definitely going to try shifting my perspective of time from the X-axis and Y-axis.
I love it when thoughts stop and the mind becomes silent. Whether you want to call it emptying the mind or achieving mindfulness, I truly feel a sense of euphoria during deep meditation and sometimes even shortly after my session.
Spiritual awakening is an amazing experience! Thanks for sharing! It really helps me on my journey and I appreciate all your help! Keep up the great work! (=
.-= taney’s last blog .. Guiding Through Change =-.
Hey taney, thanks for the great comment! :)
The level you talk about is the opening to become present. Go deeper there and leave beliefs behind, at least for the moment :)
I found that it is often things like unforgiveness, guilt, anger, etc that tie you to the past because your mind keeps playing those scenario’s back to you – so essentially we have to completely forgive and let go and then the present moment opens up like a flower………I also felt the complete stillness of the present moment as though the world and life seemed to be moving……it was amazing – thanks for feeding the present moment for us.