The Eternal Now

As the mystic lowered himself toward the soft mat that he had placed on the floor for his meditation, his arm brushed the bookcase. As he closed his eyes a glass vase tipped over and headed toward the stone floor. He sat in meditation, went within, met the Radiant Form of his Master, traversed the spiritual planes, and enjoyed the bliss within. As he opened his eyes, he lifted his hand and caught the falling vase.

This story illustrates that time, as we perceive it, is an illusion. From a higher perspective time does not exist. We, however, give time – past and future – far too much significance in our lives. Time can be described as an insignificant bouncing drop of water, yet may be perceived by us as a raging river to which we attach great importance. Time is part of the illusion of the material plane that keeps us prisoners here.

In the play of this life, past and future are part of the story. In playing our part well, we have to act responsibly and attend to plans for the future. The problem occurs when we become attached to our well-laid plans. As we race mentally between past and future, we miss out on the experience of the eternal now. If we become consciously present in the experience of the now, then we will find contentment in our lives. By living in the now we will be free of worry about the past and the future. Yesterday is but a dream, tomorrow might not come. All we have, in truth, is the eternal now.

Much like the squirrel in the wheel, Man who has set the wheel of Time a-turning is so enthralled and carried by the motion that he no longer can believe himself to be the mover, nor can he ‘find the time’ to stay the whir of Time.
_{The Book of Mirdad}

At our level of consciousness, we imagine past and future as separate. We do not see the perfection of everything in this creation. The living Master sees everything as perfect and gazes upon the world with the love that he has realized. When we become present in the eternal now we will also see that duality is an illusion. By practicing meditation as taught to us by the Master, we will learn to focus all our energy within, at the third eye. Only through meditation will we come to know the real meaning of the eternal now.

This inner path will take us ever closer to the experience of the eternal now. That is why Master stresses that meditation is not just the hours that we spend sitting, but rather is an all-day practice. We will achieve the higher perspective that allows us to see the perfection of this creation when we transcend the illusion of duality; then the illusion of our separation from God will also be destroyed. The concept of ego will be dispelled, and we will become one with God. For the disciple this is the ultimate goal.

The more committed we are to our meditation the more our use of time will change; our relationship with this world will change. The mad rush will start to fall away and leave us free. We will find our feet in boots that make walking over thorns and brambles painless. We will witness the transformation that occurs when our time merges more and more into Master’s time. We will more easily be able to maintain our balance in adversity and ecstasy alike. We will start moving closer and closer to the eye centre with our Master. He has promised this to us. He supports and aids us in moving further inward on our way home and toward the Master. In The Book of Mirdad, we read:

Shall Man, then never free himself of the vicious circle of Time?
Man shall, because Man is heir to God’s holy Freedom.
The wheel of time rotates, but its axis is ever at rest.
God is the axis of the wheel of Time. Though all things rotate about Him in Time and Space, yet is He always timeless and spaceless and still. Though all things proceed from His Word, yet is His Word as timeless and spaceless as He.
In the axis all is peace. On the rim all is commotion. Where would you rather be?
I say to you, slip from the rim of Time into the axis and spare yourselves the nausea of motion. Let Time revolve about you; but you revolve not with Time.

Remarkably, we have been shown the way to enter this timeless and spaceless state of bliss, working toward our actual reunion with the Lord. This is our daily goal and our supreme goal. Through meditation, we transcend the plane of illusion. Then, the truth about the insignificance of time becomes self-evident. When we see our lives from a higher perspective, our attitude improves automatically. When, through meditation, we learn to concentrate within ourselves, we naturally reside in the eternal now.