In a single day (and in essence in a single moment as that is what it takes to change direction), I can veer into my own ideas of progress or degeneration, from inspiration to frustration, from a good to a bad day or vice-versa. Such is the way our expectations work. We feel as if things have to go a certain way for it to work, and that time is continuous - that it flows from the past, through the present, and into the future. But time is not continuous - it consists of moments that appear and disappear at superspeed. Because we are unable to fathom this, we feel a gap and hence a separation from time based on the hands of a ticking clock. We feel that life is completely separated from the rest of the universe. We try and make time meaningful for ourselves and expect outcomes instead of living it fully and completely. In truth, every moment is separate and it disappears, constantly cutting off our lives. This is Mujo, the essence of impermanence. In this sense, nothing lasts. As soon as there is relief, there appears another need that requires satisfaction.
Yet at the core of time, there is no gap between our mind and time. We exist as part of time and move together with the universe and all beings in time that is connected with it. When we are still, there is no layering of concept or idea, we can learn to touch the core of our own life without the labels, the ideas or expectations; we can be present in the real stream of time and looking directly at life itself. And then we'll surface again as the next moment carries us away with its promises, concepts, expectations and all their darker counterparts. These two aspects - one that separates us from time, and the other which connects us - constitutes the original nature of time. If we can understand how impermanence works in our life, we can use time to cultivate a way of life beyond the hands of the ticking clock. :)
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