Friday, May 9, 2008

No Attachments to the Past



Eckhart Tolle, in his teachings, keep emphasizing that you have to leave the past behind and not get attached to all the good and the bad things or events that you have experienced.

Why? Simply because when you are focused on the past, you will miss out on the Present.

You would also realize that Eckhart did not promise you a final destination, the achieving of Nirvana. Doing so would have made you focus on the future - how to get there, how to achieve it, what you need to do to arrive there. Instead, he emphasized the process, that the journey is more important. And that journey is to be Present, to experience the Now.

Many teachers speak so often of attaining Nirvana, achieving enlightenment, of its special bliss and its importance in their practise. However, it is more important to be aware of the mundane things in your daily life.


Some people will savor a good meal and then go around praising the merits of the meal, the excellent service and the talent of the cook to everyone that they meet. In doing so, their mind is jumping to that past experience of having the meal and forming attachments to it.



Others will eat the meal, savour every morsel and every bite but once through, will feel no need to go around telling others of a meal already eaten. This is the essence of non-attachment - no attachment to events that have already happened in the past.

Just be Present now...

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