May 5th 2014 Lesson 8
My mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.
Today's idea, is the reason why we see only the past. No one really sees anything. He sees only his thoughts projected outward. The mind's preoccupation with the past is the cause of the misconception about time from which your seeing suffers. Your mind cannot grasp the present, which is the only time there is. It therefore cannot understand time, and cannot, in fact, understand anything.
The one wholly true thought one can hold about the past is that it is not here. To think about it at all is therefore to think about illusions. Very few have realized what is actually entailed in picturing the past or in anticipating the future. The mind is actually blank when it does this, because it s not really thinking about anything.
- Intention: The
purpose of the exercises for today is to begin to train your mind to
recognize when it is not really thinking at all. While thoughtless
ideas preoccupy your mind, the truth is blocked. Recognizing that your
mind has been merely blank, rather than believing that it is filled with
real ideas, is the first step to opening the way to vision.
- Practice: Practice today's idea with the eyes closed. This is because you actually cannot see anything, and it is easier to recognize that no matter how vividly you may picture a thought you are not seeing anything. With as little investment as possible, search your mind for the usual minute or so, merely noting the thoughts you find there. Name each one by the central figure or theme it contains and pass on to the next. For example: I seem to be thinking about [name of a person, object, theme, or emotion]But my mind is preoccupied with past thoughts.
- Application: This can be done four or five times during the day, unless you find it irritates you. If you find it trying, three or four times is sufficient. You might find it helpful, however, to include your irritation, or any emotion that today's idea may induce.
Insights/comments:
- It is a somewhat rude awakening to realize that we don't really understand anything at all, because our preoccupation with past thoughts means that we are really not perceiving or thinking about anything at all, and therefore cannot understand anything at all. The present moment is the only moment in which we can act, and if we are not seeing, thinking and interacting with what is in this present moment, how can our actions be fruitful? Knowing this, however, allows us to increasingly bring our attention to the present moment, examining and interacting with it as it is now, while being conscious of the illusions of past experiences.
I and my Creator are One. 
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