Date: 11/22/2025 11/23/2025
Location: Star Lake Meditation Center
Teacher: Shilin Long
Sitting Meditation
Being Here and Now: Awakening the Present-Moment Mind
“The present moment” is not a point on a timeline but a state of mind—a mind free from distraction, anchored in awareness. Zen teaches that awakening can only occur in the now: not in memories of the past, not in imagination about the future, but in immediate experience. To understand “awakening in the present moment” is to grasp the essence of Zen practice.
1. What Is the Present Moment? Not Time, but Clarity of Mind
1. Not a frozen second
Time flows; the present is not a clock tick.
2. It is freedom from past and future
A mind unpulled by memory or projection.
3. It is awareness of what is happening now
Breath, sensations, sounds, and thoughts.
2. Why Zen Emphasizes “Here and Now”
1. The past is memory
Not the living reality.
2. The future is imagination
Not direct experience.
3. Awareness can only exist now
Awakening is always immediate.
3. Three Obstacles to Present-Moment Awakening
1. Thoughts
Unending thinking obscures awareness.
2. Attachment
Clinging to states such as calmness or clarity.
3. Resistance
Rejecting unpleasant experience creates tension.
4. How to Awaken to the Present Moment
1. Feel the breath
A stable and reliable anchor.
2. Sense the body
Weight, warmth, tension, relaxation.
3. Observe thoughts arise and fade
Recognition is already awakening.
5. Qualities of the Present-Moment Mind
1. Clarity
Seeing without confusion.
2. Openness
Accepting all experience without resistance.
3. Non-attachment
Neither grasping nor rejecting.
6. Practical Methods for Awakening in the Present
1. Three breaths practice
Return to presence within seconds.
2. Body scan
Experience sensations without labels.
3. Walking meditation
Mindful contact with each step.
7. Deepening Awakening: From Moments to Continuity
1. From occasional presence to frequent presence
Practice strengthens staying power.
2. From meditation presence to daily presence
Eating, walking, speaking—all become practice.
3. Presence becomes a natural state
Awareness no longer switches on and off.
8. The Ultimate Meaning: Awakening Is Here, Not Elsewhere
1. No searching, no waiting
Awareness is already present.
2. No need for special experiences
The now is inherently complete.
3. A mind in the present cannot be shaken
Freedom arises naturally.
Conclusion
“Being here and now” is not a slogan but a way of being.
The present is not time—it is awareness; not technique—it is awakening.
When the mind no longer wanders through past and future but directly sees what is happening now,
awakening emerges effortlessly, without seeking.
Zen practice is simply living in the present—and the present is the gateway to awakening.
