A Brilliant explanation of the Eternal now.
Summary
TLDRThis script delves into the concept of time and our perception of it, particularly during sleep. It challenges the notion that the past and future are real places we can visit, arguing instead that they are constructs of the mind. The speaker suggests that we only ever experience the 'now,' which is eternal and not a moment in time. When the mind is absent, as in sleep, the illusion of time disappears, explaining why we don't perceive time while asleep. The script concludes by likening the mind to 'orange glasses' that tint our perception of reality, superimposing time and space onto the eternal 'now.'
Takeaways
- ๐ด We don't experience time when we're asleep because the mind, which perceives time, is inactive during sleep.
- โณ The concept of 'now' is not a fraction of a moment but is eternal and ever-present, not confined to a specific duration.
- ๐ง The human mind constructs the idea of time and space, which are not inherent properties of reality but are mental constructs.
- ๐ The past and future are vast conceptual spaces that we cannot physically visit, suggesting they may not exist as we imagine them.
- ๐ The 'now' does not move or progress; it is a static point that we continuously experience, challenging the common perception of time as linear.
- ๐ค The existence of the past and future is uncertain as they are not directly experienced; they are constructs of our minds.
- ๐ฐ๏ธ Time, as we understand it, is a mental filter through which we perceive the eternal 'now', implying that time is a mental phenomenon.
- ๐ง The seeming continuity of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep is an illusion, as there is no mental experience of time during sleep.
- ๐ Our perception of reality is limited by the mental constructs of time and space, which are like colored glasses that tint our view of the world.
- ๐ฎ Consciousness itself is not limited by time and space, but when viewed through the mind, it appears as if it is, much like how snow appears orange through orange sunglasses.
Q & A
Why do we lose the sense of time when we're sleeping?
-We lose the sense of time when we're sleeping because time, as we perceive it, is a mental construct that exists only when our mind is active. When we sleep, our mind is not actively perceiving or processing information, so the sense of time fades.
What is the relationship between the 'now' and the past and future?
-The 'now' is not a moment that moves through time but rather the only reality we ever experience. The past and future are mental constructs that don't exist in the same way as the 'now', which is eternal and ever-present.
Can we physically visit the past or the future?
-No, we cannot physically visit the past or the future because these are not actual places we can go to. They are concepts that our minds create to understand sequence and change.
Why do we think the past and future exist?
-We think the past and future exist because our minds create a narrative of continuity and change. This narrative helps us make sense of our experiences and anticipate future events.
What does the speaker mean when they say 'the now is eternal'?
-The speaker means that the 'now' is not a brief moment in time but a constant state of presence. 'Eternal' in this context does not mean lasting forever in time, but always being present without beginning or end.
How many 'nows' have we experienced in our lives?
-We have only ever experienced one 'now' in our lives, which is the eternal and ever-present moment that we are in at any given time.
Why does it seem like time passes when we're awake?
-Time seems to pass when we're awake because our minds are actively processing information and creating a sense of sequence and duration. This is a mental perception rather than an objective reality.
What is the role of the mind in creating the experience of time?
-The mind plays a crucial role in creating the experience of time by filtering the eternal 'now' through our perceptions, memories, and expectations, which gives us the illusion of time passing.
Why do we wake up feeling like no time has passed when we fall asleep?
-We wake up feeling like no time has passed because during sleep, our conscious mind is not actively perceiving time. Without the mind to create a sense of duration, the experience of time is absent.
How does the mind's perception of time affect our understanding of reality?
-The mind's perception of time affects our understanding of reality by imposing a linear and spatial framework onto our experience. This framework, while useful for navigation and planning, is a mental construct and not an inherent aspect of reality.
Outlines
๐ The Illusion of Time
This paragraph explores the concept of time and the human experience of it. It questions why we lose our sense of time when we sleep, suggesting that our perception of time is a mental construct rather than an objective reality. The speaker challenges the audience to consider the past and future as vast spaces separated by 'now,' and then invites them to try to mentally 'visit' the past, which is impossible because any attempt to do so occurs in the present moment. The conclusion is that we cannot experience the past or future as they are imagined by our minds, and that our experience is confined to the present moment, or 'now.' The idea that the past and future may not exist as we think they do is introduced, aligning with the notion that we only ever experience the present.
๐ Time as a Mental Construct
The second paragraph delves deeper into the idea that time is not experienced as it is perceived. It suggests that the 'now' is not a fleeting moment but is eternal and ever-present. The speaker argues that time, as we understand it, is a mental filter through which we interpret our experience. When we sleep, our minds are inactive, and thus our perception of time disappears, which is why there is no sense of time passing when we are asleep. The concept is likened to wearing colored glasses that tint our view of reality; our minds impose the limitations of time and space on our experience. The speaker concludes by emphasizing that time and space are not inherent to the world but are the mental constructs through which consciousness perceives eternity.
Mindmap
Keywords
๐กSense of Time
๐กNow
๐กPast and Future
๐กConsciousness
๐กMind
๐กEternity
๐กExperience
๐กReality
๐กDream States
๐กNon-duality
Highlights
The concept that we lose our sense of time when we're sleeping is introduced.
Discussion on the nature of the 'now' and its relationship with the past and future.
The idea that the past and future are vast spaces that don't actually exist in the way we perceive them.
The realization that no one can 'visit' the past or future, as all experiences occur in the 'now'.
The philosophical question of whether the past and future exist if no one has experienced them.
The suggestion that time may not exist as we think it does, but is a construct of our minds.
The notion that we only ever experience one 'now', challenging the concept of time as a continuous flow.
Exploration of the 'now' as not being a moment in time but rather an eternal presence.
The mind's role in creating the illusion of time through its limitations.
The analogy of the mind being like 'orange glasses' that tint our perception of reality with time and space.
The explanation that time is not experienced when we're asleep because the mind is not present.
The concept that waking and sleeping states are the same in terms of experiencing time.
The mind's superimposition of limitations on reality, making it appear in a certain way.
The conclusion that time and space are not inherent to the world but are mental constructs.
The final thought that consciousness perceives eternity through the 'glasses' of time and space.
Transcripts
why do we lose sense of time when we're
sleeping why do we lose sense of time
when we're sleeping why do we lose sense
of time when we're
sleeping try now you understand what I
mean by
now
yeah
and
if we represent the past we could
imagine that the past is is like a a
vast space that extends
endlessly behind the now and that the
future is a vast space that extends
indefinitely in front of the now yes and
the distance between the past and the
future is what we call
time yes or the distance between two
events in the past or the future so so
now let's
explore time the past and the future so
now just for a few
moments leave the
now and
visit this place that you call the
past I when I say visit it I don't mean
just think about it or imagine it
because if you think about it let's take
say you take
the image of breakfast this morning that
image doesn't take place in the past
that image takes place now so I don't
mean just think about the past or
imagine the past I mean go
there leave the now just step out of the
now and go into the
past that's not
possible
okay because if I try to step into the
past that effort is happening now
exactly
so can anyone here just while we're
discussing can anyone here step out of
the past and just step out of the the
now and visit the past just just for a
few moments no can you imagine Alexander
that anybody that has ever lived not
just us kind of weirdos that are
interested in nonduality but but regular
people that that could you imagine that
any of them could just for a few moments
step out of the now and actually go to
the place that we call the past no okay
so if nobody's ever been there and
presumably the
same applies for the future yeah so if
nobody nobody has ever been
there how do we know that this place
called the past really
exists surely experience must be the te
the test of the existence of
something
so if nobody's ever been there nobody's
ever got a glimpse of
it how do we know it's
there we don't really we don't no we
don't know it's there we imagine it's
there but we don't know it's there we
have no knowledge of it at all could it
be that it's not there yes and wouldn't
that be in line with our experience in
other words
could it be that the past and the future
don't exist in the way that our minds
imagine
them
yes after
all have you ever experienced anything
apart from
now no and how many Nows have you
experienced in your life or let's just
take today how many Nows have you
experienced today
that's a trick
[Laughter]
question one one
one yeah so so all your life you're only
going to experience one now yes yes
and that that now we've
already discovered that contrary to
popular
belief the now is not this fr action of
a moment sandwich between these two vast
spaces of the past and future the the
vast spaces of the past and future
aren't
there so now is not a moment in
time we normally think that the now is
moving slowly through time yeah how fast
is the now moving through time in your
experience
it's another trick
question it's not moving it's not moving
it's not going anywhere it hasn't come
from anywhere and it's not going
anywhere so this now is the only now
there is and and this now is not a
moment in time how long does this now
last it's Eternal it's Eternal and you
understand that by
Eternal Eternal doesn't mean Everlasting
in time it means ever present now so if
we're just simple and we just stay with
the facts of our experience time is
never experienced time is what the now
looks like when it is filtered through
our
mind in other words time it doesn't
exist exist in our mind it seems to
exist in our mind and therefore if
that's the case wouldn't it make sense
that when our mind disappears in
sleep the seeming existence of time
disappears with
it yes that's why we don't experience
time when we're
asleep actually we don't experience time
when we're awake but we seem to but when
we're asleep we don't even seem to
experience time because no mind is
present in sleep so that's why you seem
to wake up in the same moment that you
fall asleep because there is no time in
between two waking States or two dream
states
okay that's confusing but it makes
sense
um it's confusing that it makes sense no
no it's confusing but it makes sense
it's confusing but it makes sense
yes yes
it's
[Laughter]
exactly it's confusing because we
compare because everything that I've
said you've understood in your own
experience and you've agreed with and
it's very simple what I've said if you
just stick with your experience but when
we compare that
with the way reality seems from the
point of view of the mind it conflicts
with the mind's view of
reality
so it it is the
mind that superimposes its own
limitations on
reality and makes reality appear in a
way that is consistent with those
limitations just as I said this morning
if you put on a pair of
orange sunglasses when you're skiing you
very quickly forget that you've put the
glasses on and the snow appears to be
orange you think the snow is is
orange the snow is appearing in
accordance with the
limitations or the coloring of your
glasses but because you have forgot that
you are looking through this limited
medium you think that the orange color
belongs to the snow now each of our
minds is a limited medium our minds are
the orange glasses but the orange color
is time and space that's the tint of our
minds time and space so when
Consciousness looks through the the time
and space glasses of our mind it sees a
three-dimensional a four-dimensional
world three dimensions of time and one
dimension of space and we think time and
space belongs to the world no it doesn't
time and space are the orange glasses
through which Consciousness is looking
at
eternity
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