This talk explores the central question: Are you present, or are you distracted? Presence is not something reserved for retreats, meditation halls, or silent forests, but is revealed in the very fabric of ordinary life—washing the dishes, driving, speaking with a partner, or even sitting in discomfort.
Unresolved emotions, impatience, expectation, and the “low-grade noise” of inner turbulence often obscure our capacity to rest in presence. True presence is not a forced stance of personality, but a silent awareness that underlies thought, activity, and noise. Silence informs presence, and presence informs silence.
Spirituality is tested and embodied not in grand gestures, but in the ordinary, the mundane, the domestic. The invitation is simple yet radical: notice when you are absent, and let even that noticing become the doorway back to presence. This is not about fixing yourself, but about being with what is—noise, silence, sorrow, joy, chores, relationships—all equally included.
Ultimately, the one who is present is rooted in the timeless and eternal, living with a certain grace amidst life’s waves.
Thanks for watching.
