Be Here Now. That's our motto here at Bambu Batu. Not that we made it up, of course. Ram Dass brought the slogan and the way of life to popular attention with his best-selling book in 1971. Now, we see Eckhart Tolle running with the same theme in his recent series of soul-searching self-help books, drawing a massive, fervent following.
The essence of "Be Here Now" means not to dwell in the past or fret about the future, but to live in the moment. By focussing on the present moment, in deep meditation, one can discover the bliss of eternal life sought by every religion since the dawn of man.
This concept lies at the heart of eastern philosophy, to which bamboo lovers frequently adhere. Here are a few passages from western literature which express the "Be Here Now" ideology.
To see a world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.
~William Blake (1757-1827)
"Be Present"
The past and the future are one and the same
To believe otherwise is a short-sighted game
Outside of uncertainty
Right now is eternity
The light of a pure and perpetual flame
"The Uncarved Block"
I feel like it’s better to listen than talk
And faster to run, though it’s wiser to walk
A field to be tilled
Or a cup yet unfilled
This is the way of the unsculpted rock
~The Granola Poet (1973-)
1 comment:
Yes, being Here and Now is the main point of all spiritual teachings.
It is the constant activity of the mind and mental noise that causes problems. I find that when I am totally Here and Now...the mind is silent. The mind talks about the past and future, never the now. So, the more "present" you are, the more silent the mind is. The more still and quiet the mind is, the more peace and bliss there is.
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