Joe tells a Ramana Maharshi story: a man asks whether he should leave his householder life for a monastery. Ramana says no. The man gets angry. Ramana responds: “You should be sitting here asking me a question is what you should be doing.” The freedom you’re looking for is in this moment, not the next one.
The most productive orientation to any moment is: “This is where I’m supposed to be. This is where the opportunity is to learn about myself, to grow, to lean in.” That’s far more productive than “I shouldn’t be here” or “Where should I be?” or “What do I need to get there?”
“The thing that I need to get there is presenting itself to me right now. This moment. Not the next moment.”
This collapses the entire “once I do X, then Y” structure — once I graduate, once I get the job, once I find the partner, once I’ve meditated enough. None of it pans out. The thing you’re looking for has always been right here.
Related Concepts
- Purpose is lived in the present moment
- Nothing is required for freedom
- Searching for purpose avoids it