A lesson in the now from Zen and Yamabushi training

Focus on the now means exactly what it says on the label.

It’s a concept that is extremely evident in Yamabushi Shugyo (training) or when out in nature.

For an obvious example, when you’re walking along a precarious cliff and one wrong move could prove fatal, you have no choice but to focus on the now. If your focus switches to something else, even for a split second, you put yourself at great risk.

Another perhaps less obvious example is worrying about your date tonight when you really should be working on something important. As a result, that something important becomes less important, and you do a bad job.

In other words, when you’re doing one task, but your focus switches to another, you aren’t fully invested in what’s in front of you. This can lead to undesirable results, which is exactly why you need to focus on the now.

Here, now, self. The only things that truly exist.