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Many people speak of this moment as all that exists, which is self-evidently true. Yet what is the composition of this and every moment? And how is this moment - now - showing up in consciousness to be experienced?
The now exists as what we could call the Trinity of Life, consisting of: Who we are; What we have; and What we do.

Who we are is the awareness in which everything appears and disappears moment by moment.

What we have is the experience of now, as a multi-sensual sensation in the body and nervous system.

What we - consciously or unconsciously - do is play with different qualities of attention. The quality of the attention we give and receive determines how we experience this moment.

In most of us the attention is either completely turned outside observing external objects, or it is turned inside on what we think, feel and experience inwardly. In either direction our attention is habitually used and controlled in a narrow focus, mainly as a means to get what we want, and get rid of what we don't want. Our focus becomes highly selective and exclusive, constantly re-creating a sense of being an observer who is separated from what is observed.

Unavoidably, yet innocently, we are caught up in a dualistic experienceperception loop. In this narrowness of focus the body and nervous system - the actual interface between unmanifest consciousness and the manifestation of life -
are excluded. Without our being aware of it, in excluding and separating the body from consciousness, our natural capacity to include and experience the totality of now is rather limited.

Let us remember: Who we are is the resting awareness in which the totality of now appears naturally as movement. Yet we are mostly not aware that the attention itself is also a movement in the awareness that we are. Attention is the
dynamic aspect of awareness, by which it is able to manifest, recognise and experience itself as the human form – the body reading this - and all forms and every body.

All of life - including the movement of attention and this body - is already included in awareness. It is the totality of now. And we contain it already. As said earlier: all we have is the experience of now as a multi-sensual sensation in our
body and nervous system.

Habitually we are trained to hold our attention tight and one-pointed by willpower and effort. Attention becomes concentration. Its focus is narrow, exclusive and therefore limited in its capacity to include the totality of now. This
way we cannot see and experience much of the richness of life. Fear, stress, loss of freedom, a sense that ‘something is missing’ and seeking for compensation are unavoidable consequences.

This unconscious way of functioning is dramatically illustrated by the recent economic turmoil. Especially in the western hemisphere, a lot of attention was focused in one direction - on making money and finding security; an outward movement of attention generated by unconscious fear, stress and compensation. In this, much of life was excluded. Mostly with good intention we sacrificed relationships, nature, inner peace and natural boundaries. Just by functioning on a narrow focus, we innocently took up the belief of unlimited expansion. Like any exclusive loop - if not recognised and honoured - it speeds up in a self-generating dynamic, reinforces unconscious beliefs, loses the sense of self-regulation, and eventually collapses.

Is it possible to again gently and forcelessly include what has been unnaturally excluded? Inclusion in its truest sense means letting the focus of attention soften and widen. In its utmost widening the attention gently returns to its own source, being all-inclusive space. It is the invitation to let attention finally move freely to consciously recognise what is its natural interest and focus. It is our opportunity to honour the fact that we were using - possibly even abusing - the infinite power of attention to follow unconscious beliefs. None of this is bad or good. No-one is personally responsible, to be blamed or even guilty. It ultimately only reflects the present maturity level of all of us.

Is it possible to gently recognise who we are, right here and now, without comforting delusions, just seeing and honouring reality as it is? From a new inclusive, wider focus there is no need to solve or change anything, may it be by
believing in superficial promises or a better future, or by believing in spiritual awakening or playing with comforting utopias.

Honouring reality begins with including our own body and a deeper understanding of the functioning of the human nervous system in the focus of attention. In giving a wide, gentle quality of attention to this embodiment we all
eventually are able to sensitively discern natural boundaries, and explore subtler layers of automatic reaction which so far prevented genuine inner self-regulation. By letting the attention naturally loosen and be free, we - as consciousness - drop into the body. We are fully here. We become truly grounded. Finally we are enabled to live as the EMBODIED SPACE for the totality of now.

Florian Schlosser
December 2008
SPACE: Conversations with Florian Tathagata, published by 220 Publishing,
€9,95 Paperback (104 pages). Florian Tathagata's two previous books, BEING
and GIVEN are also available at €9,95 each