Teachings From Ancient Vietnamese Zen Masters – 34
11 The Present
The present is not the past; the past is not the present. That means
past thoughts vanished, and the present thought is not the previous
thought.
That means every act in past lives and now has its own merit.
That means the good deed now is not the bad act done before.
That means the breath now is not the breath earlier,
and the breath felt previously was not the breath sensed presently.
KHUONG TANG HOI
(COMMENT: Live with the present. Every act has its own merit, so you
should not worry about the past. Just sit with eyes half open, feel your
breath now, feel your body breathing now, feel your thought now
arising and vanishing. Can you see this interval: while the previous
thought vanished and the next thought doesn’t arise yet? Try to gently
stare that interval for all times in a day, or in two days, even when you
are lying, sitting, standing and walking. Later, you can use this stare to
cut off all wandering thoughts.)
