Time is the awareness of change

Time is the awareness of change

05 Jan 2025

We often think of time as a linear progression, a journey from the past to the future, as if the past is a fixed location we leave behind and the future is a destination we move toward. This perspective shapes much of how we live, planning for what lies ahead or reflecting on what has already occurred. Yet, when we pause and truly examine our experience, we see that the past and future are constructs of thought, existing only as memories or projections. All that truly exists is this present moment—a dynamic, ever-changing reality. This moment is not static; it is in a state of constant transformation, where everything flows seamlessly into the next, much like the endless curve of a circle. In this realization, the notion of time as a straight line begins to dissolve, revealing instead a fluid and interconnected dance of change.

But what is time, if not the awareness of change itself? Imagine if nothing in your experience were shifting—no movement of thought, no sensations arising or fading, no external changes. In the absence of change, there would be no sense of time passing. This is the essence of timelessness often described in states of deep meditation. When the mind becomes utterly still, free from the habitual flow of thoughts and concepts, the perception of time dissolves, leaving only the pure awareness of being. It is in this timeless space that we come to understand the deeper truth: time is not a force acting upon us but a way we measure and interpret change. By transcending the linear view of time, we can anchor ourselves in the eternal now, where life unfolds in its fullness, unbound by the constraints of past and future. In this awareness, we glimpse the infinite nature of existence—a circle with no beginning or end.