Here We Are…That’s all There is
Words to Be With #1
Here we are, Here and Now, that’s all there is.
- — Ram Dass
Here we are in this moment, and it’s all we ever have.
So let’s begin from here.
This quote from Ram Dass is simple but impactful, and it sums up a significant portion of his teachings; that our human neuroses stem from living in our minds and not in the Here and Now.
In both writing and lecture, I have heard Ram Dass use the simple statement, “Here we are,” to remind us that we are once again together in the moment before us. It is a statement that stops and grounds me, and it resets my incessant mind and returns me to my center.
The second part of the quote, “Here and Now,” is a statement, it directs us to what makes up our reality. We are always here, wherever that “here” may be, and it is always now. This concept brings us back to ourselves as the here and now unfolds before us.
The final part of the quote, “that’s all there ever is,” leads us to acceptance. All we ever have is the present moment, and it is with us always. There is nothing but the present. We have no choice but to engage with this moment, whatever it may be.
Many spiritual teachings, at their core, contain this wisdom; that the present moment is the only place we ever find ourselves in, so we must learn to live fully in it. The message may differ in context, but the wisdom within often circles back to this teaching.
When I started on my journey of self-discovery, this was the first thing I learned, to become aware of and honor the present moment. So I began to look for ways to more fully experience life as it unfolded. I used my breath, movement, and mantra, all things I still use today to bring me back to myself. I struggled with each, but through those struggles, I had some breakthroughs. Ultimately, I learned that these breakthroughs take a lot of work to integrate consistently into our daily lives.
Stay in and with the present moment to keep centered, a practice so basic that you would think it was simple enough. But it takes consistent effort and work to maintain this state.
Externally, the present moment is a constant invitation to live a more conscious life. All we need to live a happy life is to know this truth deeply. Yet, the act of living more deeply in the present is difficult. It requires practice.
Here are some insights from my practice of sitting and giving space to the words from Ram Dass.
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— -Here We Are — -
It is a call to stop, to pause, and to bring us back to ourselves.
It is a chance to reflect and a reminder to acknowledge that here we are in this present moment.
It is an opportunity to give to ourselves.
It is a method to stop the wandering mind, an appreciation of the fact that we have made it this far, and if we can allow it, gratitude for this moment.
We are grateful to have this opportunity to be Here in this Now, wherever that Here is, and whenever that Now may be.
Here we are.
Regardless if it is joy or pain.
Here we are.
— -Here & Now — -
It is the recognition of the present moment. As we recognize the moment we naturally begin to honor it, and through this process we may eventually get to a place of acceptance. Recognizing is the first step.
If we practice resting in the present moment, regardless of what that moment contains, we get to a place where we can be ok with whatever situation we find ourselves in.
This is the beginning of slowly meeting our reality regardless of the circumstances. By recognizing the moment, whatever it may be, you are no longer escaping it. You are facing it, whatever comes.
We then honor this opportunity to be here, and gratitude is born.
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— -That’s all there is — -
It is a statement that grounds us in reality. However the present moment unfolds before us, we must learn to meet it as best we can. The first step in this process is to make space for our current reality and allow it to be. This is the space required to move to acceptance.
Through mindfulness, we can practice acceptance of the moment, whatever that moment presents to us. Here we are, accepting this moment, however easy, hard, blissful, or painful it may be.
If it is joy, we have the chance to be fully in it. If it is a painful emotion, we can stop trying to run from the pain, a desire which nearly always causes more pain. This is the beginning of accepting our current reality and eventually our life.
The present moment is an invitation. It holds infinite possibilities within it. It is our choice to engage with it or not, unlocking those possibilities.
Here we are, in whatever this moment gives us.
A simple truth we must accept. And in accepting that simple truth we can begin to live more fully.
By sitting, by following our breath, by linking that breath to movement, it is all to come into the present moment. Because that’s all there ever is. It is our reality.
If it is peace we accept it.
If it is joy we accept it.
If it is pain we accept it.
Here we are in this moment of pain, worry, sorrow, anxiety. Here we are in this moment of joy, happiness, peace.
It is where we begin and end and where we stand in between.
The past is a memory, and it holds power to either constrain or free us.
The future is an assumption often held by anxiety and fear.
The present is here, sitting before us.
It may be a road we are starting down, a river before us that we must cross, or a mountain we must climb.
Whatever it may be, we have no choice but to engage with it. To show up. To meet it head-on.
That is the way of nature.
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