Present

Two weeks ago, I went to the youth service at Buddhist Fellowship. I was told a story of a great emperor that had three questions in his mind. One day, he was lucky to meet Buddha and he asked his three questions:

1. What is the most important time?
   
2. Who is the most important person?
   
3. What is the most important thing to do?
   

When I heard the questions, I answered to myself. My most important time might be the time I was born, when my mommy really bet her life to give birth to me. Then my most important people are my parents and to make them happy is the most important thing for me to do.

However, those are not the answers Buddha gave. Instead, Buddha answered:

1. now
   
2. the person or people beside you
   
3. to care
   

Buddha is absolutely right.

In this post, I will concentrate on the first part, the most important time.

Last week, I went there again and a part of the meditation session focusing about letting go the past, future, and more concerning about now, somehow connected to the previous week's talk.

We cannot do anything to change our past, and the future has not even come yet. Nevertheless, people, including me, tend to keep regretting the past. In addition, we think too much about the future although we actually know precisely that we cannot really arrange the future because we will never know what is coming. However, now is a gift. That is why it is called present.

And I found this writing that has been staying in my to-be-posted-on-blog folder for such a long time…

Today I will delete from my diary two days:

yesterday and tomorrow

Yesterday was to learn

and tomorrow will be the consequence

of what I can do today.

Today I will face life

with the conviction that

this day will not ever return.

Today is the last opportunity

I have to live intensely,

as no one can assure me that

I will see tomorrow's sunrise.

Today I will be brave enough

not to let any opportunity pass me by,

my only alternative is to succeed.

Today I will invest my most valuable resource:

my time,

In the most transcendental work:

my life.

I will spend each minute passionately

to make of today a different and unique day in my life.

Today I will defy every obstacle

that appears on my way trusting

I will succeed.

Today I will resist pessimism

and will conquer the world with a smile,

with the positive attitude of expecting always the best.

Today I will make of every ordinary task

a sublime expression,

Today I will have my feet on the ground

understanding reality

and the stars' gaze to invent my future.

Today I will take the time to be happy

and will leave my footprints

and my presence in the hearts of others.

Today, I invite you to begin a new season

where we can dream

that everything we undertake is possible

and we fulfill it with joy and dignity.