Sunday Stream (244) ~ The Modern Now

[mtmynd]

The Modern Now

Modernity - (n): the state or quality of being modern.

Modern - (adj): of or relating to recent times or the present.

I think we all have a sense of what modern is, but these dictionary definitions are somewhat vague. But I do find it interesting that the definition of modern uses the words recent and present.

Recent - (adj): of, belonging to, or occurring at a time immediately before the present.

Present - (n): a moment or period in time perceptible as intermediate between past and future; now.

The state of Now is a place that all of Nature abides by. There is no past, no future... just the eternal Now and Life blazing thru the cosmos untethered by Mind halting, analyzing, confusing with dualities. Nature is Now. Nature is forever modern. And yet we humans seem to play catch up with Nature... latching on to Nature's coattails, spinning in delirium, as it continues on its path with or without us.

I enjoy the modern. The modern breaks with tradition, the modern continues to evolve, the modern is constant change, influenced by forces greater than we might comprehend. We are not just a part of Nature, but the essence of Nature, just as all living things are.

Our minds make us diverse and unique despite our commonalities. Our egos define who we are within society. It has been said that ego is society - that which dictates our being, our purpose, our paths in Life's journey.

As modern (now) as Life is, we are constantly influenced by Past. Our conditionings of Mind are the baggage we carry from childhood imprints and onward, up thru adulthood, some of it helpful in our growth and other conditionings detrimental to our growth. We need to evaluate our conditionings, review their worth, leaving behind those that no longer are useful - cleaning out our surroundings, making new of our influences thru the choices available to us. Tuning in to the Now, becoming modern, if we don't listen to our instincts to change, to grow, to learn and accept the Now which we all live in, we become lost and in the way... our own way and the way of others.

Modernity is refreshing as a summer rain complete with rainbows stretched across the sky, nourishing Nature, our own nature included. Acceptance of Now is revolutionary... not the Now, but the acceptance of Now. The acceptance of Now changes our being from dull and boring to new and interesting. The world is so diverse with sounds and color, with variety that can stimulate all our senses, and we miss so much by locking ourselves away from Life's majesty.

So much of our hu'man world is stifled by Past and pins its hopes on a future never quite attainable... the present is never good enough. The present never seems good enough because it never remains.

We build machines to transport us - the locomotives, the automobile, aircraft... physical transports... we build machines to transport us mentally - stereos, televisions, computers... we create 'stuff and things' to transport us from our 'mundane-nesses', those things that no longer satisfy our longings, our needs, our loves. We modernize ourselves to escape the shit that brings us down, even the modern grows old if we do not continue living in the present.

Living in the present does not mean to say, "Hey, this present is pretty cool... I think I'll stay here. - if we stay here, that quickly turns to staying there which is Past.

The Now necessitates our being without desire - satisfaction achieved thru stillness of Mind, where all can be seen, where all can be heard, where all senses are tuned in to the same Channel Now. We become transported into the modern, that which has always existed beyond Mind. No past to anchor us from our Liberation, no future to instill doubt or confusion.

___________

bask in the Now

still the restless mind

that's in constant flux

seeking answers to

its own questions.


The answers are never enough

for they bring more questions,

good for exercise

but useless in the Now.


For when we live our lives

in the spaciousness of Now

we have room for our Being

to flourish and attain

its potential

its sacred individuality.

___________

Cecil
25 April 2010
(written 13 July 2003, under a full moon in Capricorn)

[Steve Plonk]

Hey there, hi there, ho there, hi dee ho there. Where you at!?
What a great rap for a windy day...Letting the vatic waters spring
up inside me in the Now...Using my fingers as a plow...Mtmynd, I remember back in 2004, even though it is now, reading some of your great posts on Litkicks.com. Keep those cards and letters flowing into the Now...
Time flows like like a stream in a vibrant dream...What is now "mod" may
turn out to be quaint in the future or revisited as revolutionary....

[Arcadia]

gracias for the stream, Cecil!!!!

saludos,

Arcadia

[stilltrucking]

Beautiful stream

[mtmynd]

Thx, Steve, for your reply and your memory of 2004. Yeah, I've been streaming for awhile after getting my first one down on Litkicks way back when... A lot of us S8'ers came from that place as you must know since you were amongst us at the time.

Hola, 'V'! Gracias, amiga mia y la sonrie!

Howdy, JT... thanks for stopping in and the nice comment. We had our first show of the year this weekend hence the flashback Stream.

[Non Sum]

Hi M(odern)T(imes), a ‘timely’ piece.

MT: The state of Now is a place that all of Nature abides by. There is no past, no future... just the eternal Now

NS: Were that true, there would be no falling rain, no blowing wind, no growing plants, nor flying birds. Nature would be stuck fast like a fly sealed in amber, or some natural history diorama; fixed between a gone forever past and a never to arrive future.

Yes, the ‘now’ is eternal. But, ‘eternity’ exists “outside of time,” and birds of necessity, not only fly in the sky, they must also fly through time (i.e. from past to future).

Of course, hummingbirds can fly backwards.
NS (Nano Second-opinion)

[mtmynd]

NS: Were that true, there would be no falling rain, no blowing wind, no growing plants, nor flying birds. Nature would be stuck fast like a fly sealed in amber, or some natural history diorama; fixed between a gone forever past and a never to arrive future.

Do you seriously believe rain does not fall in the NOW? Do you think the wind does not blow in the NOW or plants and birds do not abide by the NOW? Nature is as NOW as it ever was and ever will be.

[Non Sum]

MT: Do you seriously believe rain does not fall in the NOW? Do you think the wind does not blow in the NOW or plants and birds do not abide by the NOW?

NS: Step out of the homespun chiche's for a minute, my friend, and give it a moment's thought. 'All' motion necessarily entails a past position relative to a present position. With "no past" to compare the present arrangement to you'd have no way of distinguishing static phenomena from dynamic ones. Everything would just hang there eternally.

[mtmynd]

NS: Step out of the homespun chiche's for a minute, my friend, and give it a moment's thought.

Thanks! I needed that minute of thought...

NS: With "no past" to compare the present arrangement to you'd have no way of distinguishing static phenomena from dynamic ones. Everything would just hang there eternally.

I'm not disagreeing with your premise here, amigo, but baffled how you could quote me and not complete what I had written, i.e. 'There is no past, no future... just the eternal Now and Life blazing thru the cosmos untethered by Mind halting, analyzing, confusing with dualities.'

When you say you "you'd have no way of distinguishing static phenomena from dynamic ones. Everything would just hang there eternally," I see that as including mind into the brew whereas I said 'untethered by Mind...' Including your own mind into this scenario without 'stepping out' of that mind to see the wholeness in perpetual Now would, indeed, be to 'hang there eternally' waiting for an answer to that questioning mind.

[sooZen]

There two Nows, now. Mt's Now and Non's Now. How can that be?

Right Now is just this moment. It is raining Now, those birds are flying Now, the wind is blowing Now. But all will change the Now becomes the not Now. Being in the Now is being in this very instant, aware and awake and not somewhere in your dreaming head thinking about Aunt Martha or what'cha gonna do later?

Now is not stuck anywhere, it just is... "Be here, be Now" said a famous zennist. "Wash on, wash off", said Mr. Miagi in that movie. All is in the Now and there is No Thing else but that Now. The Past is just that moment you were just in, Now you are in the Now which came whizzing from the Future (of which you can only guess at or understand consequences of actions in the Now.) Now whizzes into the Past as fast as the whir of a hummingbirds wings (actually faster.)

Animals are in tune with Now, Nature is in tune with Now. We are the out-of-tuners (I crack me up.) A few of us are in the Now and that is mostly briefly because the Past and Future are always on our feeble, underused minds waiting for that spark of "ah hah!".

To be in the Now, is simply to Be. It is not complicated or explainable (altho I am working on it Now.) That is why there are zen riddles or koans to help us get in the Now. That is why we meditate because we get in the Now.

If you wash dishes, you are doing that act. If you wash dishes and are thinking about the roof leaking, you are not in the Now of washing dishes. Now takes all your attention and focuses it like a laser into what is Now.

Haiku is Now, zen is How Now? Now is three letters that signify this, this, this, this... When you are in the Now, you are still, you are like a bug in amber, still. Your mind is racing to and fro from the Past and Future but in the Now you are still. Your body may be moving, washing dishes or fixing the leaking roof but you are in those moments Now. Otherwise, dishes break or you fall off the roof.

[mnaz]

just the eternal Now and Life blazing thru the cosmos...

nice. it's all quite cutting edge, isn't it?

wrote a little silly bit about that...

all we have is now
razor edge, in the lead
and no duration fits now
no trail of utterance or deed
"all we have is now!" you shout
as the sentence evaporates to past
before it's out . . .

[sooZen]

just the eternal Now and Life blazing thru the cosmos...

nice. it's all quite cutting edge, isn't it?

wrote a little silly bit about that...

all we have is now
razor edge, in the lead
and no duration fits now
no trail of utterance or deed
"all we have is now!" you shout
as the sentence evaporates to past
before it's out . . .

I love that ditty Mark. Good one.

[Non Sum]

Well, I don’t want to be a spoil sport by introducing irrelevancies like ‘thought,’ into what is obviously poetic fancy on your (MT), and Soozen’s, nice, wide, and juicy ‘Now.’ A ‘Now’ that has plenty of room to spare for recent past to nestle in beside it and spring into actions of every sort.

It’s ironic that SZ should mention a Zen ‘Now.’ Since, a mystical understanding of this important concept is one of utter transcendence beyond the flow of relativistic time and ‘change.’ This, according to Zen, is the realm of the Unborn (i.e. the changeless). The Unborn, which abides nowhere, and in no time, is our original nature – our true Self. Here “there is no going out, no coming in.” All motion/change occurs exclusively in the mind. I know it must sound awfully empty to your minds, but Zen is all about becoming completely empty of mind.

”Objects rise and disappear in and of the Mind only.” (Lankavatara Sutra)

(My responses are slow, and I apologize for that, but I’ve manage to contract the flu, and seem unable to cancel the contract. If I fail to return ever again, know that I got lucky and died, thus putting an end to my misery.)
Over dramatically yours, NS

[sooZen]

Oh my dear NS... Immediately my mother instinct kicks in when I hear you are unwell. Please do take care of yourself as I would miss our repartee and fencing matches and mining that mind (full, not empty) for the future (not Now) gems (embellishments) and recipes therein.

I, for one (not THE ONE) would miss you terribly so vitamize yourself and if you need some healthful hints and tips, I have them filed in my medicine bag of cures.

Drama Queens are my specialty too as I have raised at least three including the Empty One, Number One son and Number Two son, so keep that in mind also. I am at your service, should you be so inclined but mostly I am in your corner.

Retreat and relaxation are my first recommendation...

Now, down with the business of NOWoW!:

N(eeds)S(omething): Well, I don’t want to be a spoil sport by introducing irrelevancies like ‘thought,’ into what is obviously poetic fancy on your (MT), and Soozen’s, nice, wide, and juicy ‘Now.’ A ‘Now’ that has plenty of room to spare for recent past to nestle in beside it and spring into actions of every sort.

S(Um) Z(One): You are a liar! You actually love, love, love being a 'spoil sport!' and don't you deny it. That's a fact, Jack. (snicker)

My take on the whole circular conversation going on here (observer mode) is that you and MT are saying the exact same 'thing' as far as the limitations of conversing about Now goes.

Note: I do not follow the empty minded one around so I am never sure where he is at any One time. I do not always read what he writes and vicey versey so your and his arguments (gentle but passionate) are mostly a mystery to me.

N(Ever) S(ilent): It’s ironic that SZ should mention a Zen ‘Now.’ Since, a mystical understanding of this important concept is one of utter transcendence beyond the flow of relativistic time and ‘change.’ This, according to Zen, is the realm of the Unborn (i.e. the changeless). The Unborn, which abides nowhere, and in no time, is our original nature – our true Self. Here “there is no going out, no coming in.” All motion/change occurs exclusively in the mind. I know it must sound awfully empty to your minds, but Zen is all about becoming completely empty of mind.

S(o) Z(ippy): Yah, sooo? No argument here. I get it. zen(small z) is a study, an exercise in the "awfully empty" I exercise my awfully full mind and empty it regularly just like I take a dump (pardon my crude anal-O-gee). And don't you go telling me what Zen is (big Z) because that is not your job. I have my own inner guide and she is quite trustworthy. You?, I am not so sure you know what stream you are stepping in so I will forge my own path. Follow if you like, walk along side if you will but don't be telling me where to go. I carry a zen shtick and am not afraid to use it. (I am past idle threats, active ones only, I amuse myself end-less-Lee and I hope you know I am joshing you.)

I think of the mind as a tool, just like a ladder or a hammer or a right (or left) arm, i.e. Rising to the moment at hand is my pleasure and using my hammer ( mind) to pound a nail or two into the illusion of my cloud ladden mind is an ongoing process.

HerStory: This understanding is a process that started in the Shambala bookstore in Marin County in 1969. A place that MT took me on one of our jaunts before we tied ourselves into a knot. I read MTs books (personal library of) on Basho, Reps, etc. during that time frame. I started stretching mySelf beyond my sheltered and lovely childhood.

I admit, I did follow him then as I was pretty much a clean slate but he Opened doors for me (gentle man that he is) and showed me the great possibilities available to the eager young woman I was.

(Am I boring you? Hopefully I am distracting you from your miseries with my storytelling.)

I started writing Haiku then in the traditional 5-7-5 Western misunderstanding of what haiku actually is. But that is good practice for a novitiate that I was.

I discovered Zen (then) and it made me laugh, made me ponder, confounded me until Ah HaH! I got it! I am still getting it, as much as I can, when I can. I had tried Religion (of my foremothers) but too many strictures for this unfettered mind of mine. I don't BELIeVe in anyTHING or disBeLieVe anyTHING. All is, just is. Others beliefs don't concern me for it is their path, not mine. But they better not try to convert me because my guns are always loaded and I will shoot holes in the buddHa to see the light.

I see connections, the dots between one thing and another. I understand the ebb and flow of Life and see Death as a doorway. I have worked with children with Cancer and the dying, my parents are Clowns. (short version of the tale.)

My inner workings are well oiled and clicking along on all cylinders most of the time. A work in progress is how I see NOWeeWoWee and me. (Regular tune-ups are required.)

So there you go. You have it in a nuttyshell, SooZen and how she got to NOW.

Get well, heal yourself my friEnd. I look forward to when you can come out and play with me again.

[Non Sum]

Hi SooZen,
Thank you, for your considerate commiseration; much appreciated!
It must have some strong mojo to it, for you’ve manage to turn things right around, and I appear to be rapidly on the mend. It has been about thirty years since I’ve had more than a cold or hay fever. It was quite a shock to get hit so hard for three days, and eight pounds. It has me so shaken that I may even try getting inoculated next year, maybe.

Nice of you to offer your advice and cures. But, in this case ingesting anything was an impossibility. I have a dedicated, live-in LPN, so fortunately I’m well cared for. She spent years as a private duty nurse for rich old people, now she had an opportunity to care for this poor pathetic old guy. I’m sure she’s grateful for the experience.

SZ: Retreat and relaxation are my first recommendation...

NS: A very sound recommendation! One I’ve unfailingly lived by for the last 19 years.

SZ: S(Um) Z(One): You are a liar! You actually love, love, love being a 'spoil sport!' and don't you deny it. That's a fact, Jack.

NS: Okay, you got me well typed, and I won’t deny the general attitude. I meant it honestly, and exceptionally, ‘in this particular instance.’ You see, I saw that you had it right earlier when you suggested that we were dealing with “two Nows.” MT’s ‘now’ was more of a general usage/poetic application; and mine, more literal/metaphysical. It would be foolish to get hung up on a double-entendre debate, like “Who’s on first.” Like everyone else, I too use ‘now’ just as MT has. I do still wonder, though, if he is able to see this other (capital ‘N’) ‘Now’? But, I shan’t push it.

SZ: your and his arguments (gentle but passionate) are mostly a mystery to me.

NS: Were you to read them, I’ve no doubt in your ability to understand them. You appear to be very bright young lady. MT is fortunate in that, and here (for once) we may both finally agree.

SZ: I have my own inner guide and she is quite trustworthy.

NS: What other possible guide could you trust? Even if you were to choose to trust another guide, you’d have to rely on your inner guide’s choice of them. ‘Inner guides’ are inescapable.

SZ: I think of the mind as a tool, just like a ladder or a hammer or a right (or left) arm, i.e. Rising to the moment at hand is my pleasure and using my hammer ( mind) to pound a nail or two into the illusion of my cloud ladden mind is an ongoing process.

NS: More than one poet among the Lee’s, I see!
I’ve tried to nail more than a few clouds my own self, jello too. As you suggest, with minds nothing ever holds.

SZ: Am I boring you? Hopefully I am distracting you from your miseries with my storytelling.

NS: Not at all (the former).
Wonderfully! (the latter).
I hope you’ll one day indulge me by sharing the longer version of the tale. I also hope that it does not scare you to know that we share much more in our characters than our love of Zen.

My own Zen tale goes back to when I was 13, tired of hating the Xian god, and became an atheist in search of wisdom. Beginning with the world’s religions, the discovery of “enlightenment religions” was a revolution in thought for me. The ‘non-religion’ of Zen emphasizes this aspect like no other tradition. At about that time, what was then called “educational TV” initiated a fascinating lecture series, every Wednesday after school, on Zen. It was given by a young scholar from your Bay area, named, Alan Watts. I’ve been decidedly Zennish ever since.

Oh, I too introduced a fine, bright lady to Zen a couple years later (1961). She was a relapsing Mormon. So, it was no contest between Mormon and Master Mumon. We’ve been at, and around, Zen ever since (48 years). She’s a regular poster on a Buddhist site these days.
Your Friend, NS (Natural Synthetic)