The meaning of living fully in the present moment, neither retreating to the past nor anticipating the future, is wonderfully illustrated by a Zen parable about a monk being pursued by a ferocious tiger.
The monk raced to the edge of a cliff, glanced back, and saw the growling tiger about to spring. The monk spotted a vine dangling over the edge of the cliff. He grabbed it and began shinnying down the side of the cliff out of the clutches of the tiger.
Whew! Narrow escape.
The monk then looked down and saw a quarry of jagged rocks five hundred feet below. He looked up and saw the tiger poised atop the cliff with bared claws. Just then, two mice began to nibble at the vine.
What to do?
The monk saw a strawberry within arm’s reach, growing out of the face of the cliff.
He plucked it, ate it, and exclaimed, “Yum! That’s the best strawberry I’ve ever tasted in my entire life.”
If he had been preoccupied with the rock below (the future) or the tiger above (the past), he would have missed the strawberry in the present moment.
Life is best when you do not focus on the tigers of the past or the jagged rocks of the future but only on the strawberry that comes in the here and now.
(photo source)
Adapted from Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel
Mm…. I love strawberries!
My wife and I have been trying to focus on the little things this week: spending time together in the afternoons, cooking together, relaxing before doing homework. It’s been a great week!
That reminds me of the quote I used today: “For lack of attention, a thousand forms of loveliness elude us every day” by Evelyn Underhill
Corey, this reminds me a an addage I often use. “You become what you choose to behold.”
If your eyes are fixed on the past, you can never move forward and get beyond it. If your eyes are fixed on the future, you never quite get where you can see to. If your eyes are fixed on the present, you can find true delight in the present moment.
I’m not saying I’ve mastered this by any stretch, but it’s a good reminder. Thanks!
I love this post. Living in the present can be difficult, what with the swirl of the mdoern world (and other such excuses), but being present and midful can make all the difference. Thanks for the reminder.
You know this is one of my favorite stories. Thank you for helping me with seeing the strawberries!
This was a wonderful, insightful story! I struggle daily with living in the moment…I am always worried about what has happened or what might happen. This illustrated to me how much I am missing!!!