Grasping the present by simplifying our operating procedure

Vipassana is about simplifying our operating procedure. Some of us, our operating procedure is so complicated. We are not living in the present. When we have too much craving or aversion about a future state of being, we try to control too much of our our destiny. At that point we lose our grasp on the present. Too much craving or aversion about a future state of being throws off our grasp of the present.

The present is like a circle. All we can do is be situated properly in the present. As soon as we leave our position of being situated properly, we are not in the present. So what that means is that if the circle is the present, then to attempt to grasp anything outside of that circle is to lose your grasp on the present. So the object of the game is to keep your grasp of that circle despite of things constantly trying to drag us out of the circle.

There are objects of craving or aversion constantly trying to make us lose our grasp of that circle. Some of these objects of craving and aversion are inside the circle. Other objects of craving and aversion are outside of that circle. Both of these are working to make us lose our grasp of the circle.

The world of internal-sensing is inside of the circle. The world of external-sensing is outside of the circle. These two are constantly working to make us lose our grasp of the circle itself.
Unfortunately, simply desiring to grasp the circle is a worthy aim, but it is tough as hell to do. Why? Because of the extremely subtle nature of what the circle is made of--time. Who is expert enough to grasp the present?

Can you grasp it with your fist? Can you grasp it with your tongue? Can you taste the present? Can you grasp the present with your ear? Can you listen to the present? Can you see the present? What color is the present? What shape is the present? How bright is it? Can you grasp the present with your nose? Can you smell the present?
Philosophers are trying to grasp the nature of the present with their minds. The poet is trying to grasp the nature of the present with his heart.

But which of these truly has a grasp of the present? How can they prove it to other people that they truly have grasp of the present? (Perhaps a better question to ask is: if they truly have a grasp of the present, would they have a craving to prove it to others? *wink, wink*)

Vipassana is about simplifying our operating procedure. By simplifying our operating procedure, we can have more of a grasp of the present. Currently some of us are grabbing at the world of internal-sensing with craving and aversion and losing our grasp on the circle. Others of us are grabbing at the world of external-sensing and losing our grasp of the circle.

I can really relate to all the above. I am a person who had a need to grasp so much that I lost my grasp of the circle. Through the practice of Vipassana I feel joyous that I gained my grasp of the circle. I write to share my joy.

At first I wasn't convinced that Vipassana would actually help me gain a better grasp on the present. I was suffering so much because my operating procedure was so complicated. I was so busy trying to grasp the complicated nature of my operating procedure that I didn't have energy or time left to grasp the present. My grasp was inside of the circle or outside of it. But it wasn't on the circle itself.

Since I didn't have a lot to lose, I gave Vipassana a try. And now that I have found some conclusive evidence of it's validity, I decided to write about my experience and a few realizations I had. I hope to not crave or have an aversion to the impact of my writing all of this.