Instant Birth and Death

"We are being born and dying simultaneously. Each moment we are being born, and each moment we are dying. Instant birth and death."

-- Taizan Maezumi Roshi

Each moment comes alive. Each moment fades away. With our minds we project the illusion of continuity, the delusion of stability where none exists. Born-die. Bang, bang! In the time it takes to breathe in and breathe out, we have met out demise and been resurrected.

So what is all this baggage that we're carrying? Backpacks, suitcases and craniums stuffed full of excess baggage! A new you doesn't need all this old stuff. It just creates friction and drag, and keeps you focused on the past rather than on experiencing the instant birth-death cycle that is the here and now.

How do you bring yourself into the here and now? You use anchors, small things that will arrest your consciousness in the present. Your breath is an anchor. When you find yourself lost in thoughts about the past or the future, simply turn your attention to your breath. Witness the rise and fall of your chest, the breathing in and out, and you are instantly returned to the moment.

Physical reality can also be an anchor. Look, really look, at what is in front of you. See it, penetrate it, let it fill the screen of your mind. When you find yourself judging what is, or fantasizing about what isn't, return to bare attention, to focusing on your current physical environment whatever it may be.

If you spend enough time in the present, you will begin to see the birth and death of each moment. You will begin to observe your own continuous going and coming. A tear will form in the fabric of sameness that passes so often for life. And through that tear you will not only glimpse your own instant birth and death, not only see the present moment in all its stark beauty, but also catch a small sliver of eternity.

It's one helluva view, and you can only find it by standing firmly and openly in the Now.