Date: 07/12/2025 07/13/2025
Location: Star River Meditation Center
Teacher: Yunquan Huang
Dharma Knowledge
The Importance of the Present Moment
In Buddhist practice, the “present moment” is not just a point in time—it is the gateway to awakening. The Buddha did not teach his followers to dwell on the past or chase after the future, but to fully inhabit the here and now. Awakening does not exist somewhere else or sometime later. It unfolds right here, in this breath, this thought, this moment. In a world filled with distraction and uncertainty, the ability to return to the present is the first step toward peace and freedom.
Most of us live under the illusion of linear time. We replay the past, anticipate the future, and view the present as merely a stepping stone to something better. But the Buddha taught that this constant swinging between past and future is the root of suffering. The past is gone and unchangeable; the future is unknowable and out of reach. Yet we allow both to dominate our minds, robbing the present of its vitality and our lives of clarity.
The present moment is not a tiny sliver of time—it is the full unfolding of life. Every sensation, perception, and action that arises now carries the momentum of past causes and shapes future outcomes. Whether we inhabit the present determines whether we are truly “alive.” Many people go through their entire lives without ever being fully present—missing their breath, their relationships, the beauty of a passing cloud.
The present is also the only place practice can occur. Ethical conduct happens now. Meditation happens now. Insight arises now. Liberation does not take place in the future; it blossoms in a moment of clear seeing right now. This is why mindfulness (sati) is so central to the path—it trains the mind to stay rooted in awareness, unscattered, unclouded, fully alive.
Living in the present does not mean ignoring the past or neglecting the future. Rather, it means holding both in wisdom and balance. We can learn from the past without being chained to it. We can plan for the future without being consumed by anxiety. Only a person grounded in the present can truly understand and direct the flow of cause and effect—because they see how each moment contains the seeds of destiny.
The importance of the present also lies in its power to cultivate compassion. When we listen to someone with full attention, when we care for a task without distraction, when we greet a friend with full presence—these are profound acts of love. We don’t need to do something dramatic to be kind. We only need to offer our undivided presence to what is before us.
The present moment is also where we meet ourselves most honestly. Here, we can see our emotions, our patterns, our hopes and fears—and learn to meet them with kindness rather than avoidance. If we constantly run from the present, we will never truly know who we are, nor will we be able to transform.
In short, the present is not just a tool for liberation—it is the door to liberation. It is the root of practice, the source of compassion, the field of awakening. Every present moment is a chance to return—to clarity, to reality, to truth. The Dharma is not about someplace else. It is about how we live this very moment—with wisdom, kindness, and presence. If we can learn to inhabit the now, then every breath becomes practice, and every step becomes freedom.
