Applied Philosophy

is facilitated by developing the capacity to look inside, to directly lookat and connect with, the truth that resides in the core of genuinenessin each and every person. Capacity enhanced through meditation,practice that teaches how to quiet the mind, to diminish andeliminate discursive dialog. Absence of mental noise, static andinterference that provides space, free of distortion that allows seeingthings for what they are.Living, thinking of past issues is not plentiful living, it representsdragging, from and with the mind, the useless ballast of lived drama;while, living in the future is hoping for something that will neverarrive. Both, attitudes of the mind, lead to merely survival in theperiphery of the phenomenic plane, wasted time and energy; failedattempts to reach for comfort where there is none; one and the other,detracting elements for the evolution of the self. The only true spaceand time to live in plenitude, with depth and meaning, without addingsuffering, taking care of things for what they are, is to consciouslyplace yourself in the here and now, and the way to achieve it, is todevelop the capacity to reside in the present moment through“conscious presence”.To reside in conscious presence, as the words suggest, is to be awareof the present moment and to do it with the whole being, consciouslysilencing the furtive mental dialog typically full of drama, to depositall attention in the bountiful and eternal now. This leads todeveloping a different form and state of perception. In it, the personis a witness, consciously removed from the situation while at the sametime going through it. Observe everything (including yourself), from theoutside while doing things, as well as the dynamics of the situationsas they unfold. It is equivalent to becoming a spectator whileconcurrently seeing yourself as part of the movie. This way of seeingthings opens doors to new ways of interpreting information which areclearer and more objective.While a witness, abstain from making mental commentaries, becompletely mindful of what is being observed; above all be attentive ofthe energy that accompanies that which you feel in relation with whatis being experienced at the moment. If mental dialog erupts, recognizethat it has surfaced and allow it to pass along, returning as fluidly aspossible to deposit the energy of attention on the subject underconsideration. This is done as many times as necessary, withoutjudging whether there were any or many interruptions, or how muchtime was spent or not in conscious presence. Just be mindful of themain objective and the auspicious implications of achieving the task.4