Summary: Gil Fronsdal: One of the first tasks in this practice is to arrive in the present moment. But the mind is busy, spinning out, concerned with the there and then rather than the here and now. In order to arrive in the present, we first need to understand all the ways in which we keep traveling and do not arrive. 'Saṃsāra" literally means wandering. We need to see how fear, anxiety, ill will, doubt, etc. keep us traveling on and on. It can be compassionate to turn towards what's happening now, and this is the movement towards arriving *here* -- settled, composed, grounded. It is exquisite to harness the mind, and far more satisfying than getting back onto the thought-train. We can be more complete when we are fully here and not blinded by our thoughts. It is a radical thing, and really satisfying, to learn to be *here.*
