Where is here? When is now?

     In the sixties, Havard Professor Richard Alpert went to India, studied Buddhism, changed his name to Ram Dass, and wrote "Be Here Now," a book whose title sums up a key principle of meditation: staying rooted in the here and now. 

     Buddist teachers compare the mind to a restless monkey, always darting off to grasp something new, something not here and now.  If you spend alot of time obsessing about the past, worring about the future or wishing you were someplace else, that's your "monkey mind" at work. You can tame the monkey by consciously focusing on the here and now.

     Sit quietly and ask yourself, "where is here?  When is now?"  Close your eyes for a moment and visualize the room you are in.  Then open your eyes and look.  Notice the furniture, the doors and windows, the floor covering, the ceiling.  Close your eyes again and imagine the room in greater depth, adding in the details you just noted. 
    Open your eyes again and notice some of the contents of the room:  the books, magazines, toys, appliances, and so on that are present.  Close your eyes again and populate your mental "here" with these objects.   Repeat this eyes open-eyes closed process until you develop a rich, detailed visual map of your surroundings.  This will help anchor you to your location and quell restless thoughts. 
     Some of the things you see will bring up memories or future plans.  When this happens, tell your monkey mind, "That's not here right now."  Then return to exploring the here and now.
     With your eyes still closed, listen to all the sounds you can hear right now:  the air conditioner, the computer fan, birds, traffic, dogs barking, an airplane passing overhead.  Notice that every moment in time is orchestrated with a subtle sound track, ever changing, barely noticed.
     What do you smell?  Cooking, perfume, cat litter?  What do you feel on your skin?  A draft, warmer on one side than the other, itches and twitches?  Closing your eyes and paying attention to the senses of smell and touch, which are frequently drowned out by your dominant visual sense, is a valuable way to connect to the present moment. 
     Whenever you feel stressed by a busy schedule or frustrated aspirations, you can relax by taking a moment and asking yourself, "Where is here? When is now?"

By: McKay, Fanninig