Time
Revisited
See the bigger
Picture From
Each Moment Is the Universe, © 2007 by Dainin
Katagiri.
Usually we think of time in the common
sense, as a stream running from the past through the present to the
future. We think that way because we base our idea of time on the
law of cause and effect. If someone hits you, you feel pain, so
your human consciousness creates an idea of time that connects the
past, present, and future. Then you believe that time is passing
quickly and is characterized by the continuous existence of
separate beings.
But that is a narrow understanding of time, which
creates lots of problems and lots of suffering, because when you
think about time that way, you become egoistic. You believe that
another person’s time is separate from yours and that you only have
to take care of your own time. Then you feel isolated and cold. You
don’t feel a warm relationship with other people or beings, and you
can easily hurt them.
When we see human life only from that narrow view of time, we are
blind to the total picture of time. This is a big problem. It is
like always climbing a mountain and never seeing the mountain from
a distance. Sometimes, to understand the life of the mountain, you
have to see the beauty of the mountain as a whole, connected with
the clouds and the sky. We cannot ignore or escape from the stream
of time. We must be there. But we cannot be blind.
In Shobogenzo, “Uji” (Being-Time),
Dogen Zenji says: Open your eyes and let’s see time from a
different angle! When you see your life from the broad view of
time, you see that your life is not something separate from time—
your life is time.
It is very important to see your life not only from
the narrow view of your egoistic telescope but also from the broad
view of the universal telescope called egolessness. This is why we
have to practice. Right in the middle of the stream of time, we
have to open our eyes there and see the total picture of time.
Through spiritual practice we can go beyond our egoistic point of
view. We can touch the core of time, see the whole world in a
moment, and understand time in deep relationship with all beings.
Then we cannot be isolated and cold people. We become beautiful and
warm people, appreciating and helping all beings.