If you’ve explored personal growth or spiritual development, you’ve undoubtedly encountered countless references to “living in the present moment” or “staying in the now.” In this article, I will clarify what these concepts truly mean from the deepest perspective of mysticism and non-dual understanding.
The Present Moment and Non-Duality
The present is Absolute Truth. It is pure unity, the absence of all separation. Yet most of us live under the illusion that we are somehow separate from reality. We each play out this game of feeling disconnected from the present, believing we stand apart from what is unfolding right now. However, the core teaching of non-duality reveals this separation as entirely illusory. You are, in fact, the Eternal Now itself.
From this highest perspective, living in the present moment means completely releasing your sense of separate identity and merging with the Eternal Now. The present moment is perfect unity, and when you realize this truth, you’ll understand that everything you’ve been seeking has always been right here. Everything you’ve desired has always been what you already are, because you are reality itself.
Transcending the Illusion of Separation
The game we all play is believing we’re separate from reality. We search externally for a sense of completeness that can only be found by abandoning the very idea of separation. This completeness emerges naturally when we stop believing we’re somehow distinct from the present moment. The present moment is nothing less than your own Mind.
In my experience, one of the most powerful spiritual practices is staying in the “I Am.” This practice involves completely letting go of any attempt to control or improve the present moment. To discover the inherent perfection of Now, you must cease existing as an entity separate from it.
When you practice staying in the “I Am” or any form of meditation, notice how your thoughts are invariably tied to your sense of separate identity and your desire to improve the present moment. This desire for improvement stems from the illusion of separation—an illusion that has no basis in reality.
Through our constant stream of thoughts and preoccupation with personal identity, we perpetuate this idea of separation. One of the deepest spiritual practices lies in simply sitting in meditation and letting go of all desire to change the present moment. Instead, fully accept each moment as it unfolds, continuously embracing whatever arises.
The Experience of Union with the Present Moment
This continuous acceptance and the practice of unifying your perceptions through staying in the “I Am” can lead to a profound experience of union with reality and the dissolution of one’s separate identity.
The union with reality brings forth an incomparable joy. All perceptions align, and any sense of blockage or resistance between the subject and the external world dissolves. You realize that these apparent obstacles were merely projections of your separate identity, maintaining the illusion of being apart from the present moment.
Above all, you discover that the present moment is Nothing, and in the present moment there is no separation or distinction. You can only imagine the existence of separation and distinction. Whatever you experience is God, ultimate reality.
Staying in the “I Am” reveals that all perceptions arise from the same substance: consciousness. In reality, there are no distinctions between anything.
Everything you perceive through your senses is consciousness itself. The senses aren’t really separate faculties—they are undifferentiated consciousness. Understanding this requires direct experience rather than intellectual comprehension.
A Continuous Flow of Perfection and Love
When you merge with the present moment, you enter a continuous flow of perfection and love. It’s as if the present moment recognizes itself through you and experiences love through you. The experience of metaphysical love arises precisely when the illusion of separation dissolves.
Consider the serene expression of Ramana Maharshi—it reflects someone who has stopped believing in anything beyond the Now, beyond God, beyond eternity and infinity. His expression reveals someone who has directly realized that infinity permeates everything. It is the expression of one who has understood that reality is infinity itself, who has ceased playing the game of believing in anything beyond God.