The Past, Present, and Future Are All Realities
We have yesterday, we have today, and we will have tomorrow.
- No one can deny this.
- Whether we believe in past lives and future lives or not, time continues to pass.
If there is yesterday, there is today, then why can’t there be past, present, and future?
Talking about past, present, and future is not meant to foster superstition, but to understand the laws of life.
- The past is what has already passed.
- The present is what is happening now.
- The future is what is yet to come.
Understanding this, we won’t cling to the past, we won’t suffer from what’s lost, and we won’t worry about what’s yet to come.
The One Who Knows How to Be Alone – Free from the Three Times
The sutras teach that:
“The one who knows how to live alone is the one who does not seek the past, does not dream of the future, and does not cling to the present.”
Why? Because none of these three are fixed.
- The past has already passed, and clinging to it brings suffering.
- The future has not yet arrived, and worrying about it causes suffering.
- The present is always changing, nothing is permanent.
If someone constantly thinks about the past and complains:
“I used to be this, I used to be that, but now it’s no longer like that!”
That person is suffering from the past.
On the other hand, if we look at the past without clinging or sorrow, then we are practicing reflection, free from suffering due to the past.
The Future – Don’t Let It Pull You In
If we live while constantly worrying about the future, we will be pulled by the future and lose peace in the present.
- Excessive worry about tomorrow only makes us anxious.
- But not thinking about the future is also lacking wisdom.
Thus, knowing how to think without fear, knowing how to plan without attachment, this is the right way to live.
The Present – Always Changing, Never Still
What we have today is only temporary.
Because the world is always changing, nothing remains still.
- Wealth, fame, status, health – all change.
- Happiness today could be suffering tomorrow.
- Success today could turn into failure tomorrow.
If we cling to the present, thinking it will always be this way, when change comes, we will inevitably face suffering.
Final Thought
- The past cannot be kept, the future has not yet arrived, and the present is always changing.
- Not clinging to the past, not worrying about the future, not grasping the present – this is the way to live peacefully.
- Living in harmony with the present, understanding the nature of impermanence, we will no longer suffer from what is lost or what is yet to come.
Live fully in the present, with awareness and wisdom, so that each passing moment is meaningful.
This article is compiled based on a sermon by Venerable Thích Pháp Hoà
