78 THROWN IN THE PRESENT
This text was machine-transcribed from the printed book and may contain errors. Select the words and choose “Report a mistake”.
The Greek philosopher Heraclitus
made the famous remark,
"You can never step into
the same river twice,"
because the river is constantly being
changed by new water rushing in.
Here I say to you: you can't even step into the same river once. Why? Because from the minute your foot touches the surface of the river to the minute it touches the bed of the river, the river would have already moved. The river is constantly moving. So how can you step into the same river twice? This is the river of life. It continuously moves, yet you try to hold on to the water which has already gone. The present is always with you. Why do you try to grab the water which has already gone past you?
Look in
Try this out:
Sit down in a comfortable posture. Your back and neck should be in a straight line. Now, simply sit. Be a witness to all. Hear the sounds around you. Hear the sounds of your chatter inside you. Just be the witness to all your thoughts; do not go behind them.
By doing this, you will immediately be thrown into the present. You are constantly changing. The people around you, the world, everything always changes. It is the way of life to change. Your body may change. Your mind may change. It is only your being that stays the same. It is only your being that will forever remain unperturbed.
Look in
There is a famous saying in English: sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me. I will change this a bit. Sticks and stones will break your bones, and words may hurt you. It will hurt the 'you', but it will never hurt the 'me'. The 'me' is your being. The 'me' is the true 'you'. The next time someone insults you, the next time someone abuses you, do not react. Simply remain the same. Just close your eyes and listen to what the person is saying. Do not be affected. Simply remain with your self. If you can do this, you will understand the silliness of it all. You will understand the silliness in arguing. You will understand the silliness of life. So I say to you, start ignoring the insults.
Then it will be an insult to the insult itself!