The best time to begin cultivating our awareness and recognizing our own true nature is #now. The present moment.
There are so many excuses that we come up with: there's not enough time, I have more important things to do, I can't afford to waste my time on spiritual pursuits, I have a life to live! Perhaps when these excuses come up we could ask ourselves this: What will it be like at the moment of my death? Will I ask: "Why didn't I take the time to know myself?" "Why did I make everything important apart from my need to know who I really am?" "Why did I spend so much time earning material wealth that I can't take with me now I am faced with death?"
"A journey of a thousand miles starts beneath one's feet."
Perhaps you have heard the saying "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." It is in verse 64 of the Scripture the Tao Te Ching, attributed to the sage Lao Tzu. A more literal translation is "A journey of a thousand miles starts beneath one's feet."
I remember once when I was on a spiritual retreat. I had gone to a remote place, a rugged and isolated beach, to spend 49 days alone in silence to deepen my study of meditation. On this particular day, I went for a walk in silence. I was walking up a hill. I lifted my foot to step forward, and as I placed it down on the earth, the meaning of Lao Tzu's saying welled up inside me. I realized my entire journey was contained in one step; one step contained it all. And yet, at the same time, that one step was a small part of the magnificent journey to knowing my own true Self. But whether it was one step or millions upon millions, what mattered was the intent. I had the intention to know myself, to understand the deepest part of my being. I had made that resolution. So, in essence, the journey started beneath my foot. My will to step forward on the journey was there. It impelled me forward.
Nothing is more important than knowing who we truly are. Nothing.
It is the only journey worth taking.
Now, are we going to do it?
If so, when will we do it?
The only time is Now. And it is here, waiting.
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