What about Good Memories and Planning for the Future?

"By the way, where does nostalgia/remembering beauty of the past and planning for the future fit into the philosophy of NOW? How does one plan a future job, or itinerary, if its necessary, for example?"


So, the teaching is as follows:

There is the world of the manifested (thoughts, material things) and the world of the unmanifested. We all seek fulfillment, satisfaction, safety in the world of the manifested. Either we remember back to times in the past or look towards the future for salvation. Maybe the next job, next relationship, or next award will satisfy us.

However, we can never become truly satisfied with the world of the manifested. Even if we had everything we desired, there would still be a feeling of lack. That is because who we really are is something that is not in the manifested realm.

So how do we find out this unmanifested part of ourselves when we are living in the manifest world? As thoughts are part of the manifested realm, we must go beyond thought. Thoughts about past and future will only lead us farther away. Even thoughts about the present lead us away. What we need is to still our mind, so there are no thoughts. As the manifest dies away, we can experience the unmanifested.

The only way the mind will become still is if we believe, truly believe, that salvation will not come in the future or can be found in past experiences. Otherwise, we will continue to live through those thought forms.

When we realize the unmanifested that is who we are, and that underlies everything in the universe, then we can begin to function appropriately in the world of the manifested. For, we are no longer trying to FIND ourselves through the manifested. We can remember past experiences, but one will find that there will be little need or desire to do so.

When we do have to plan for the future, we can do so without fear for we realize that nothing we do in the future will really affect who we are on the deepest level. The forms can change but we have found we are formless. This means that planning for the future will be practical and not consume our mind all the time.