Swinging maniacally from the past to the future, from reveries and regrets to fears and fantasies, our thoughts obscure the present with a thick cloud of fog. Little wonder then, that our customary state resembles that of a zombie.

We are often locked into the past by many events that continue to bother us. A troubled childhood, divorced parents, a handicap, create worries and fears that we project into the future. Suma Varughese shows the way to shed our emotional baggage and live in the vibrant present.

No matter how preoccupied we are with the fuss and flurry of ordinary life, the turn of the year awakens in most of us an awareness of the passage of time. We momentarily introspect, assess our dreams and goals and evaluate our present progress. We resolve to take life more seriously, to develop the skills we have long put off and try to shed some of our bad habits. For the first few days of the year, we strive to live consciously, aware of the crisp newness of the moment and take great care that we do not spoil it with our customary carelessness and indifference. Bedspreads are carefully folded, the toothpaste cap is scrupulously screwed back on and the front door is gently closed instead of banged shut.

However, our attentiveness dissolves before the week is out and we return to our complacent selves, slaves to custom and habit. For the seeker, though, the goal is to live consciously moment to moment, recreating the newness with every breath. Her goal is to dissolve every last hold of habit and absentmindedness, so that she can keep her sights steadily fixed on the present. How lofty such a goal is becomes clear when we realise that in order to stay serenely and peacefully in the present, we must transcend all thoughts, for our thoughts compulsorily come between ourselves and the reality of the present. Swinging maniacally from the past to the future, from reveries and regrets to fears and fantasies, our thoughts obscure the present with a thick cloud of fog. Little wonder then, that our customary state resembles that of a zombie. It explains why the Buddha, with his face glowing with the light of enlightenment, was asked by dazzled villagers whether he was a God. "No," he replied with supreme gravity, "I am awake."

It is this state of wakefulness, extreme alertness, and a deep and unshakeable equanimity that the seeker hopes to attain through enlightenment.

What might such a state be?

Everything simply is: The mind's habitual pattern is to judge and dissect. Its two primary positions are craving and aversion. We cling to the people, objects and situations we like, while repulsing those we dislike. The very thought of an overseas holiday makes us weak with longing. Mention examinations, though and our stomachs tighten with fear and revulsion. Thoughts of your lover send the blood coursing through your veins, while contemplation about your colleague who recently got the promotion you wanted, creates anger and hostility.

However, in the enlightened stage, the mind's movements are stilled. Instead of judging, analysing, dissecting, drawing close to or distancing, it simply observes the given situation with no preference whatsoever. Everything simply is. If it rains, it rains; if the sun shines, it shines. If we make a fortune, we make one; if we lose a fortune, we lose one. There is simply no drama about any of this, no rapture, no anguish, no resistance, no attachment. This is known as the witness stage, sakshi bhava.

In this stage we are supremely competent and capable of right action. Unmoved by emotional responses and personal preferences, we act as we must, not as we wish to.

Still your mind's compulsory swing: In the enlightened stage, the mind's compulsory swing between the past and the future is stilled. How does this happen? Through de-conditioning. We are locked into the past by the many events and situations that we have not reconciled to and subsequently been scarred by. These in turn create fears and worries that we project into the future. A bad childhood, divorced parents, a handicap, wrong college, bad marriage, whatever.

All of us gather baggage in the process of living, which we must shed before enlightenment is won. All spiritual practices are oriented towards shining light into the dim and obscure parts of our minds where traumas and tragedies lurk; where fear and worry hide. The light of awareness itself is healing and when we add acceptance of all that we become aware of, the treatment is complete. When we are healed of the past and the present, the oscillations of the mind become less compulsory and extreme. Gradually, over time, the mind becomes still, rooted in the present. Here, no memory has emotional traces - mention of your ex-boyfriend won't send you into an emotional dive and memories of your wonderful holiday in Australia won't have you longing for more. None of these will matter as much as the vibrant present, for these events are dead and gone and are therefore not reality.

Dissolve your ego: Our notorious ego, chief villain in the enlightenment game, is what stops us from being our true selves, a state that will lead to pure bliss and happiness. The ego is the false centre created by the illusion that we are separate beings; it is governed by insecurity and scarcity. The ego's need to survive pits it against the rest of humanity and the world, and therefore it is the embodiment of selfishness and self-centredness. We are all instinctively for number one, first and foremost. The seeker after enlightenment must, therefore, strive to go beyond his natural urge to take the biggest slice of cake, to push into the suburban train regardless of who he hurts, to destroy the environment in order to make a fortune in industry, and so on.

The Buddha calls this battle against the ego 'swimming upstream' and so it is. Gradually, however, through awareness and acceptance, we go beyond all need and desire. We learn to give as much priority to the welfare of others as to our own. We consciously focus on putting others first. At some point or other, this becomes our natural state and we discover that we have dissolved the ego. There is no longer that squealing, squawking nuisance inside, screaming, 'Me first, me first'. There is, in fact, no me, for the dissolution of the ego reveals the truth that you are not separate from the world. You are in everything and everything is in you.

In the enlightened stage, every moment is freshly minted, and no two are alike. Free of conditioning, each time we look at a flower we see it afresh, and not through the filter of memory. Each time we meet a person we will experience him completely and not through the data processor that assesses a person on the basis of money, upbringing or community and caste. Each moment is new and each day, a new day.

Suma Varughese, a regular Verve contributor, is the managing editor of Life Positive magazine. Readers, with a spiritual bent, may write in to soul@verveonline.com.