Right Away is the Opposite of Now
Some years ago, I was walking downtown San Francisco with a great friend and a learned Tibetan scholar. I asked him about one of the most striking ways that the Tibetans express the uniqueness of the human condition. Imagine, they say, that deep in the vast ocean there swims a great and ancient turtle who surfaces for air once every hundred years. Imagine further that floating somewhere in the ocean is a single ox-yoke carried here and there by random waves and currents. What are the chances that when the turtle surfaces, his head will happen to emerge precisely through the center of the ox-yoke? That is how rare it is to be born as a human being!
In the middle of our conversation, I pointed to the crowds of men and women rushing by on the street and I gestured in a way to indicate not only them, but all the thousands and millions of people rushing around in the world. "Tell me, Lobsang," I said, "if it is so rare to be born a human being, how come there are so many people in the world?"
My friend slowed his pace and then stopped. He waited for a moment, taking in my question. I remember suddenly being able to hear, as though for the first time, the loud and frenetic traffic all around us. He looked at me and very quietly replied, "How many human beings do you see?"
In a flash, I understood the meaning of the story and the idea. Most of the people I was seeing, in the inner state they were in at that moment, were not really people at all. Most were what the Tibetans call "hungry ghosts." They did not really exist. They were not really *there*. They were *busy*, they were *in a hurry*. They -- like all of us -- were obsessed with doing things *right away*. But *right away* is the opposite of *now* -- the opposite of the lived present moment in which the passing of time no longer tyrannizes us. The hungry ghosts are starved for "more" time; but the more time we hungry ghosts get, the more time we "save", the hungrier we become, the less we actually *live*. And I understood that it is not exactly more time, more days and years, that we are starved for, it is the present moment.
Through our increasing absorption in the busyness, we have the present moment. "Right away" is not now. What a toxic illusion!
excerpted from Jacob Needleman's book "Time and the Soul"
SEED QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How do you relate to the notion that *right away* is the opposite of *now*? Can you share a personal story of a time you became aware of the need to step away from *right away* and step into *now*? What helps you protect yourself from turning into a "hungry ghost?"
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13 Past Reflections
On Sep 15, 2016 Kristof wrote :
When I wake up in the morning right away I start getting ready for the day it takes me some time to truly wake up
then I sit down and I observe the process of waking and falling asleep .When I sit down long enough I can see that process of turning into hungry ghost more clear ..
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On Sep 15, 2016 luv4all wrote :
Much grateful for the reading....
To me - while 'right away' is about getting lost in completing some task ; 'now' is about living this very moment with awareness.
i have personally chosen to spend few minutes with senior citizens - as moments of listening and feeling warmth of human connection. These are time spent in 'now' for me.
Silence sittings and the feeling of calm & content within help me to choose 'now' rather than 'right away'.
Thank you for the opportunity to share.
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On Sep 13, 2016 Joan sewall wrote :
Life is a series of continuous moments of now
1 reply: Suroj | Post Your Reply
On Sep 13, 2016 Daniela Birschel wrote :
Right away...is a demand, a condition we want to happen at this very instance, a confirmation of our efficiency to get things done in a hurry. Now...is flowing with what is instead of making IT happen out there, I have to happen to be present, I have to put myself into the condition to be with what is.
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On Sep 13, 2016 Padma wrote :
Now, a settling in. A spreading out into the spacious allowing of what is here. Nothing separate.
Hurry!, "right now,"...a mind-filled contraction pushing against an illusory sense of separation.
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On Sep 13, 2016 Michael Uchebuaku wrote :
"Now" gives me peace of mind and helps me find myself. But "right away" makes me lose myself and the purpose of my existence.
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On Sep 13, 2016 Sunil,Bangalore wrote :
You hear more with less noise.Pineapple stands tall,wears a crown & is sweet inside.Now is unspoken inner balance with silent harmony.Right-away is disturbed unequilibrium. Arrival at peace within & without may be the parameter for NOW.Search for a living Guru opening the tenth door/third eye is the personal story to become a humane Now avoiding the human Right away. Finding "Who am I" brings satisfaction ending the hunger of this precious human birth. Cheers with Love
1 reply: Myrtle | Post Your Reply
On Sep 13, 2016 arun mathai marette wrote :
Fantastic and Energized Reverence to Loving Avatars of Creator...
Now is the state where seeker becomes the sought..
i.e..seeker realizes and cherishes the intrinsic ability to reflect the actions and thoughts of Self in the form of Love, Humbleness, Selfulness, Peace, Devotion, Courage, Fearlessness, Forgiveness, Acceptance, Justice Abiding, Gratefulness, Clarity, Transparency, Honesty, Listening, Learning, Compassion, Companionship,Empathy, Hope....................
In short- Now is Heaven and right away is hell...
Enjoy.
Love All......
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On Sep 12, 2016 Jagdish P Dave wrote :
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On Sep 12, 2016 Kristin Pedemonti wrote :
For me, Right away has a sense of urgency whereas now has a feeling of peacefulness. When I was in Belize traveling village to village learning and sharing stories as part of my literacy project I felt I was recalibrated by the local culture to look at the idea of 'right away' as "now." Belizeans for the most part move at a much slower pace and when they would say "right away I will come" that could mean 5 minutes, an hour or several hours later because they tended to be in the moment of now with whomever and whatever was happening within their immediate physical space. It was liberating. And yes, admittedly, a bit frustrating for me at first, especially coming from the Northeast of the US which often runs at breakneck speed. To protect from becoming a 'hungry ghost' I do my best to remind myself to be present now with whoever I am in physical presence and with the task at hand. Progress not perfection. :)
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