A Brilliant explanation of the Eternal now.

Soul Continuum
2 Jan 202409:27

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

  • ๐Ÿ˜ด We don't experience time when we're asleep because the mind, which perceives time, is inactive during sleep.
  • โณ The concept of 'now' is not a fraction of a moment but is eternal and ever-present, not confined to a specific duration.
  • ๐Ÿง  The human mind constructs the idea of time and space, which are not inherent properties of reality but are mental constructs.
  • ๐ŸŒŒ The past and future are vast conceptual spaces that we cannot physically visit, suggesting they may not exist as we imagine them.
  • ๐Ÿ”„ The 'now' does not move or progress; it is a static point that we continuously experience, challenging the common perception of time as linear.
  • ๐Ÿค” The existence of the past and future is uncertain as they are not directly experienced; they are constructs of our minds.
  • ๐Ÿ•ฐ๏ธ Time, as we understand it, is a mental filter through which we perceive the eternal 'now', implying that time is a mental phenomenon.
  • ๐Ÿง The seeming continuity of consciousness between wakefulness and sleep is an illusion, as there is no mental experience of time during sleep.
  • ๐ŸŒ 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.
  • ๐Ÿ”ฎ 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

00:00

๐Ÿ•’ 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.

05:01

๐ŸŒŒ 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

๐Ÿ’กSense of Time

The 'sense of time' refers to the perception of the progression of events in an ordered sequence from the past, through the present, into the future. In the video, the concept is explored in the context of sleep, where the speaker suggests that the sense of time is lost because time is a mental construct and not an objective reality. The script mentions, '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,' highlighting the idea that our experience of time is tied to our conscious awareness.

๐Ÿ’กNow

The term 'now' in the script is used to denote the present moment, which is often misconceived as a fleeting instant between the past and the future. The speaker clarifies that 'now' is not a moment in time but rather an eternal presence. This is illustrated when the speaker asks, 'how many Nows have you experienced today?' and concludes that there is only one 'now,' which is ever-present and not moving through time.

๐Ÿ’กPast and Future

The 'past' and 'future' are discussed as mental constructs that do not exist in the same way as the 'now.' The script challenges the audience to consider whether they have ever truly 'visited' the past or future, suggesting that these are imagined spaces rather than real ones. The speaker uses the rhetorical question, 'if nobody's ever been there and presumably the same applies for the future, how do we know that this place called the past really exists?' to emphasize that our knowledge of these constructs is based on imagination rather than experience.

๐Ÿ’กConsciousness

Consciousness is presented in the script as the awareness or perception of an individual. It is contrasted with the mind, which imposes limitations on our perception of reality. The speaker uses the metaphor of 'orange glasses' to describe how the mind tints our view of reality, including our perception of time and space. The script states, 'when Consciousness looks through the time and space glasses of our mind it sees a three-dimensional a four-dimensional world,' indicating that our conscious experience is shaped by the mind's filters.

๐Ÿ’กMind

The 'mind' is described as a limiting factor that creates the illusion of time and space. It is portrayed as a medium through which consciousness perceives reality, but which also distorts that reality. The script explains that 'the mind is a limited medium our minds are the orange glasses,' suggesting that the mind colors our perception of the world, including our sense of time, in a way that is consistent with its own limitations.

๐Ÿ’กEternity

Eternity in the script is used to describe the unchanging and ever-present nature of the 'now.' It is contrasted with the common misconception of time as a linear progression. The speaker clarifies that 'Eternal doesn't mean Everlasting in time it means ever present now,' indicating that eternity is not a duration but a state of constant presence that is not subject to the passage of time.

๐Ÿ’กExperience

The term 'experience' is used to differentiate between what is imagined and what is directly perceived. The script suggests that we cannot truly experience the past or future, and thus our knowledge of them is based on imagination rather than direct experience. The speaker asks, 'have you ever experienced anything apart from now?' to emphasize that our experience is confined to the present moment.

๐Ÿ’กReality

Reality, as discussed in the script, is the actual state of things as opposed to an illusion or appearance. The speaker argues that our minds impose a perception of time and space onto reality, which is actually eternal and unchanging. The script states, 'reality is the orange color belongs to the snow now each of our minds is a limited medium,' suggesting that our perception of reality is limited by the mind's constructs.

๐Ÿ’กDream States

Dream states are mentioned in the context of sleep, where the sense of time is lost. The script implies that there is no difference in the experience of time between waking states and dream states during sleep, as both are devoid of the mind's constructs. The speaker says, '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,' highlighting the continuity of experience without the perception of time.

๐Ÿ’กNon-duality

Although not explicitly mentioned, the concept of non-duality underlies the discussion of the singularity of the 'now' and the illusory nature of time and space. Non-duality is the idea that reality is not composed of separate, independent entities but is a unified whole. The script's exploration of the 'now' as the only reality we experience aligns with non-dualistic philosophy, which posits that the apparent separation into past, present, and future is an illusion created by the mind.

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

play00:00

why do we lose sense of time when we're

play00:02

sleeping why do we lose sense of time

play00:05

when we're sleeping why do we lose sense

play00:07

of time when we're

play00:19

sleeping try now you understand what I

play00:23

mean by

play00:25

now

play00:27

yeah

play00:28

and

play00:30

if we represent the past we could

play00:32

imagine that the past is is like a a

play00:35

vast space that extends

play00:38

endlessly behind the now and that the

play00:41

future is a vast space that extends

play00:44

indefinitely in front of the now yes and

play00:48

the distance between the past and the

play00:51

future is what we call

play00:53

time yes or the distance between two

play00:56

events in the past or the future so so

play00:59

now let's

play01:01

explore time the past and the future so

play01:05

now just for a few

play01:07

moments leave the

play01:10

now and

play01:12

visit this place that you call the

play01:17

past I when I say visit it I don't mean

play01:20

just think about it or imagine it

play01:22

because if you think about it let's take

play01:23

say you take

play01:25

the image of breakfast this morning that

play01:28

image doesn't take place in the past

play01:31

that image takes place now so I don't

play01:34

mean just think about the past or

play01:36

imagine the past I mean go

play01:39

there leave the now just step out of the

play01:42

now and go into the

play01:45

past that's not

play01:49

possible

play01:52

okay because if I try to step into the

play01:56

past that effort is happening now

play01:59

exactly

play02:00

so can anyone here just while we're

play02:03

discussing can anyone here step out of

play02:05

the past and just step out of the the

play02:07

now and visit the past just just for a

play02:10

few moments no can you imagine Alexander

play02:13

that anybody that has ever lived not

play02:16

just us kind of weirdos that are

play02:19

interested in nonduality but but regular

play02:22

people that that could you imagine that

play02:24

any of them could just for a few moments

play02:27

step out of the now and actually go to

play02:30

the place that we call the past no okay

play02:33

so if nobody's ever been there and

play02:35

presumably the

play02:37

same applies for the future yeah so if

play02:41

nobody nobody has ever been

play02:45

there how do we know that this place

play02:49

called the past really

play02:51

exists surely experience must be the te

play02:55

the test of the existence of

play02:58

something

play03:00

so if nobody's ever been there nobody's

play03:03

ever got a glimpse of

play03:06

it how do we know it's

play03:10

there we don't really we don't no we

play03:15

don't know it's there we imagine it's

play03:17

there but we don't know it's there we

play03:19

have no knowledge of it at all could it

play03:23

be that it's not there yes and wouldn't

play03:26

that be in line with our experience in

play03:29

other words

play03:30

could it be that the past and the future

play03:33

don't exist in the way that our minds

play03:36

imagine

play03:38

them

play03:40

yes after

play03:42

all have you ever experienced anything

play03:45

apart from

play03:47

now no and how many Nows have you

play03:52

experienced in your life or let's just

play03:54

take today how many Nows have you

play03:58

experienced today

play04:01

that's a trick

play04:02

[Laughter]

play04:05

question one one

play04:10

one yeah so so all your life you're only

play04:14

going to experience one now yes yes

play04:18

and that that now we've

play04:21

already discovered that contrary to

play04:24

popular

play04:25

belief the now is not this fr action of

play04:30

a moment sandwich between these two vast

play04:33

spaces of the past and future the the

play04:35

vast spaces of the past and future

play04:37

aren't

play04:39

there so now is not a moment in

play04:46

time we normally think that the now is

play04:49

moving slowly through time yeah how fast

play04:54

is the now moving through time in your

play04:58

experience

play05:00

it's another trick

play05:03

question it's not moving it's not moving

play05:06

it's not going anywhere it hasn't come

play05:09

from anywhere and it's not going

play05:12

anywhere so this now is the only now

play05:16

there is and and this now is not a

play05:19

moment in time how long does this now

play05:24

last it's Eternal it's Eternal and you

play05:28

understand that by

play05:30

Eternal Eternal doesn't mean Everlasting

play05:33

in time it means ever present now so if

play05:37

we're just simple and we just stay with

play05:40

the facts of our experience time is

play05:43

never experienced time is what the now

play05:49

looks like when it is filtered through

play05:53

our

play05:55

mind in other words time it doesn't

play05:59

exist exist in our mind it seems to

play06:01

exist in our mind and therefore if

play06:05

that's the case wouldn't it make sense

play06:07

that when our mind disappears in

play06:09

sleep the seeming existence of time

play06:12

disappears with

play06:15

it yes that's why we don't experience

play06:19

time when we're

play06:20

asleep actually we don't experience time

play06:22

when we're awake but we seem to but when

play06:25

we're asleep we don't even seem to

play06:28

experience time because no mind is

play06:31

present in sleep so that's why you seem

play06:34

to wake up in the same moment that you

play06:38

fall asleep because there is no time in

play06:42

between two waking States or two dream

play06:50

states

play06:54

okay that's confusing but it makes

play06:58

sense

play07:01

um it's confusing that it makes sense no

play07:04

no it's confusing but it makes sense

play07:06

it's confusing but it makes sense

play07:08

yes yes

play07:12

it's

play07:16

[Laughter]

play07:28

exactly it's confusing because we

play07:31

compare because everything that I've

play07:32

said you've understood in your own

play07:35

experience and you've agreed with and

play07:37

it's very simple what I've said if you

play07:39

just stick with your experience but when

play07:42

we compare that

play07:44

with the way reality seems from the

play07:48

point of view of the mind it conflicts

play07:50

with the mind's view of

play07:55

reality

play07:58

so it it is the

play08:02

mind that superimposes its own

play08:06

limitations on

play08:08

reality and makes reality appear in a

play08:12

way that is consistent with those

play08:15

limitations just as I said this morning

play08:17

if you put on a pair of

play08:20

orange sunglasses when you're skiing you

play08:23

very quickly forget that you've put the

play08:25

glasses on and the snow appears to be

play08:27

orange you think the snow is is

play08:30

orange the snow is appearing in

play08:32

accordance with the

play08:34

limitations or the coloring of your

play08:36

glasses but because you have forgot that

play08:39

you are looking through this limited

play08:41

medium you think that the orange color

play08:44

belongs to the snow now each of our

play08:46

minds is a limited medium our minds are

play08:49

the orange glasses but the orange color

play08:52

is time and space that's the tint of our

play08:56

minds time and space so when

play08:59

Consciousness looks through the the time

play09:02

and space glasses of our mind it sees a

play09:06

three-dimensional a four-dimensional

play09:07

world three dimensions of time and one

play09:09

dimension of space and we think time and

play09:12

space belongs to the world no it doesn't

play09:15

time and space are the orange glasses

play09:17

through which Consciousness is looking

play09:20

at

play09:26

eternity

Rate This
โ˜…
โ˜…
โ˜…
โ˜…
โ˜…

5.0 / 5 (0 votes)

Related Tags
Time PerceptionConsciousnessMind RealityExistentialismPhilosophyNow MomentNon-DualityEternal NowTemporal IllusionPerceptual Limits