Spring 2001

People often ask – “What is the present moment”? How can I learn “to be” or “to live” in the present?

The so-called “present moment” is understood and experienced, at least by most, as the totality of one’s experience at any given time. It usually involves at least three aspects: (1) a someone who experiences “the present moment” - the “subject”; (2) some sensory activity – seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, tasting, etc.; and (3) the “object(s)” of the sensory input – a pine tree, taste of salt, smell of hazelnut coffee, hot/cold, feeling of fear, etc.

The actual experience of the present moment is usually limited to what our nervous system and the senses allow us to perceive – a narrow band of electromagnetic (light) spectrum, a limited number of flavors and flagrances, very narrow (acoustic) band of sounds, some very basic tactile stimuli. Evolution limits our nervous system to what has been adaptive for survival on this planet. We are unable to actually experience directly, through our senses, most of the external world around us. In addition, we can’t alter our perceptions even if we know they are fundamentally inaccurate. For example, we still perceive Earth as flat even if we know it is not, we experience the ground as still even if, in fact, the entire planet is not only speeding through space with an incredible velocity but also rotates around two separate axes simultaneously. We often hear silence late at night in spite of constant electromagnetic cacophony of the vibrating Universe. When do we ever actually experience the Big Bang we are in the midst of all the time? Our nervous system has evolved not only to tell us “what is out there” but also to shield us from most of it, anyway.

The same applies to the “subject” of experience, or the “self”. We know it is a mental / psychological construction yet we can’t stop experiencing it as “being there”. Like stroboscopic light, or a movie, we know that the perceived movement is just a series of fast moving still images, yet we still actually perceive the “movement”. We know that there is no actual “self (inside)”, that there is only a perception of it-being-there, yet we still not only continue to perceive it but also somehow, experience it as real. We forget that our “real” is only the “perceived real”. As flat Earth, it is “real” locally, “real” in a pragmatic way, valid only as long as it secures and enhances our survival. Therefore, the “real” of the “present moment” is as “real” as the real of the flat and still Earth, or the “real” of the movie we are so engrossed in that we have forgotten we are in the movie theater.

What is experienced is nothing but a fractional glimpse, a momentary construction created by the senses, the colors, the sounds are experienced as such because of how our nervous system has evolved to process them into neuronal / brain processes in the central nervous system. So not only it is a sliver of the infinite spectrum of the “out there” but also it is only the filters of our mind / brain allow us to become aware of.

It is also a delayed present, all that we experience is usually processed by our nervous system and there is a delay, as in a long distance phone conversation or a satellite broadcast, there is few mini-seconds delay, a gap, so what we are experiencing at this very moment is something that actually happened a few moments ago, so we always live in a delayed reality, the delay intervals are so miniscule that we can function fine with it, but one needs to know that what one experiences at this very moment is just what it is, just this moment of experience not the reality itself, so it is not only arbitrarily constructed by the senses and the nervous system but also it is delayed.

Another way of experiencing the present moment is to “become one with it”, meaning, to be the sound, be the tree, be the anger, the pain, etc. The experiencer becomes one with the object of experience, becomes the sounds, the tree, etc. and there is a momentary loss of the experiencer in the experienced. And there are two modes there; the first one is that there is a complete awareness of being one with the object of experience. There is a residual sense of, and awareness of it happening right now, a state of complete union. One exists as something else.

The next mode is when that awareness of being the object of experience itself disappears. Both one and the object disappear. No mind, so eye, ear, nose, tongue smell, no phenomena.

However, that is only the beginning. More happens not via experiencing more but via more insight.

What is the implication of the above – that the present moment is really an arbitrary construction actually experienced as a delay, after the “original event” has already taken place? If both the experiencer and the experienced are just constructions, then that entire tradition of “being in the moment “ appears to be a bit of a hoax.

The true present moment is that which we cannot experience. We not only are in it all the time, whether we know it or not, but in a fundamental sense we ARE the present moment, yet we will never know it. It has no “nature” to experience, it has no form to grasp by mind or by any senses, yet it manifests in a myriad of forms in front of us. We cannot experience it because we ARE it. No matter what we think or see, or hear or smell, we are always the present moment. A sleeping drunk, intoxicated to oblivion, with no awareness, IS, without anything left outside of it, totally the present moment. The tree, the rain, the buildings and the Brooklyn Bridge are nothing but the present moment. Experiencing them as “a present moment” only obscures their reality.

Your suicide

When you died, we all died in you but, somehow, you live in us, wondering – where is the end of your suffering – and where the beginning of ours - we can’t tell. A part of you have moved on, but what is that which remains? Hundreds of thousands of tortured, imprisoned, raped, maimed, burnt, electrocuted, crucified, sick, enslaved, abused, hungry, dying, lost, lonely, suffering, humiliated, aborted, executed…yes, your death obliterates your pain, but does it diminish theirs or mine? Death, something is gone, the “I” of your mirror-as-perception, that particular angle of reflection may be gone forever, but in that way anything being one way this moment is completely gone the next one, this moment of perception, of being, never returns, it is only as the moment in you, in me, in the tree next to us, in the air, it is only as much as it is in and through all other “beings” in the Universe, no “one” no “thing” exists on it’s (“one”) own….Life evolved in the name of survival, we are biologically, genetically pre-wired to compete for resources, for survival….pre-wired to try to be better off, to have more, to control more..

So how do we explain suicide?….animals do not kill themselves…..one has to have an ability to separate oneself from oneself, soul from the body, mind from flesh, to self-destroy, it takes more separation than any animal would be capable of, there is a mystery in taking one’s own life, it comes with the ability to have a choice, animals do not have “a choice” to kill themselves, or would they if they did ?

10 QUESTIONS TO ASK AN AMERICAN BUDDHIST TEACHER

Recent proliferation of Buddhist teachers claiming “authentic Dharma transmissions” / “teaching authorizations”, is alarming. Signs of incompetence, incomplete training, complacency, multiple allegations of exploitation, greed, ignorance, arrogance, self-absorption and substance abuse abound. The Dharma is often distorted, misrepresented and/or trivialized. The politics of power, nepotism and cronyism dominate in many Centers at the expense of authentic realization and practice. Buddhism has become popular and too many are trying to nest their lives within its generous robe or simply cash in on it. The lack of tradition, lack of “checks and balances” and cultural guidelines for the newly transplanted “American Buddhism” creates a vacuum often resulting in mediocrity or outright fraud.

Below is a list of 10 simple questions which may be helpful in considering any of the contemporary Buddhist teachers.

(One or more YES answers should serve as RED ALERT).

10 QUESTIONS TO ASK AN AMERICAN BUDDHIST TEACHER

Have you ever been romantically involved with anyone who is or was your student or teacher?

Romantic involvements between teacher and student are not only unethical and potentially exploitative but also may be illegal for anyone in the “teacher’s” role. Romantic relationship with a student discredits a teacher, compromises the student training and, ultimately, may turn out to be detrimental not only to the student but also to the Buddhist Sangha at large.

Do you control access to any of the Sangha resources?

Teachers who de facto own / control access to Sangha resources but deny actually “owning” anything, not only violate the vows of poverty and simplicity but may also be misrepresenting facts. Since control/access often substitute for “ownership” (an old IRS trick), playing the semantics of “ownership” compromises teacher’s credibility and integrity.

Is your house / room more luxurious than others’ in your Center / Monastery / Temple?

A teacher who claims to need / deserve more comfort / privacy than others, not only demeans others, but also violates the vow of simplicity, which, if claimed or preached, needs to be observed by ALL members of the Sangha.

Is it expected of people / students to prostrate in front of you in any setting?

Prostrations, (otherwise a recommended solitary practice) IF expected but NOT reciprocated in kind by the teacher, are superfluous and potentially detrimental. Students' prostrations should be optional.

Do you allow others perform Sangha household chores for you?

Teacher who shuns / avoids seemingly mundane and simple tasks, or agrees to have others to perform them instead, contradicts and misrepresents not only the vow of service but the spirit of the Buddhist teachings and may be engaging in exploitation of students.

Has your group of students ever been described or referred to as a “cult”?

There are innumerable psychologically / spiritually vulnerable persons who look for a “guru” or “spiritual teacher”. Many of them end up “brainwashed” and exploited by quasi-religious groups. Any organization that attempts to limit voluntary exit / departure of its members, uses psychological pressure to maintain membership / attendance, utilizes / benefits from free labor of its members or insists on collecting fees for spiritual teachings should be carefully evaluated before joining.

Have you ever been described or referred to as “controlling”, “authoritarian”, “exploitative”, “dogmatic”, “deceitful” or “manipulative”?

Teachers with unresolved issues around power and intimacy, often develop a reputation for being “controlling” as they confuse the need for self-imposed discipline necessary in everyone’s spiritual development with teacher-imposed control of students behavior. Teachers who control key decisions in the Sangha may be perceived as exploiting others in the name of spiritual guidance.

Do you eat meat, smoke, drink or use any drugs or mind altering substances?

Vegetarianism has been historically not only a natural prerequisite for any authentic and actualized spiritual realization but also its natural and direct manifestation. Meat consumption, quite acceptable in many groups and the society at large, compromises spiritual life. Individuals unable to refrain from eating meat should continue and deepen their own practice before assuming the role of a "Buddhist teacher" for others. Individuals routinely using and / or addicted to any mind altering substances should seek psychological help.

Are you exempt from any rules observed in your Sangha?

Power tends to corrupt people, groups and organizations. It is important to make sure that all members of the Sangha actually follow the same code of rules and expectations. Teachers who exempt themselves from what is typically demanded of others not only may loose the trust and devotion of their students but also may be perceived as “oppressive”, “unfair” or “exploitative”.

Are you qualified to teach?

It is important to question thoroughly teacher’s qualifications and capacity / ability to teach you at your level of understanding. Teachers who become defensive or threatened by it, do not understand or avoid your questions, or criticize you for questioning may not be ready to teach you at this time and you should move on.