When the Buddha talks about being in the present, it’s in the context of the teaching of karma, both in terms of the motivation of why you want to be in the present moment and what you’re looking for in the present moment.

"One of the complaints you often hear about the Buddha’s teachings on karma is that they’re all about past and future, whereas the real practice is in the present — the implication here being that the teachings on karma are a distraction from where the real work is.

But that’s not the case. When the Buddha talks about being in the present, it’s in the context of the teaching of karma, both in terms of the motivation of why you want to be in the present moment and what you’re looking for in the present moment. Your motivation is that there’s work to be done here and if you don’t do it now, you don’t know how much longer you’ll have the chance to do the work.

Remember the Buddha’s contemplation of when you see the sun set that this may be your last sunset, or when you see the sun rise that this may be your last sunrise. Are you ready to go? And a large part of the mind will say No. So there’s work to be done. There are things in the mind that will weigh you down or pull you back if you had to go. So you want to work on those, clear them away as best you can, right now.

In the Bhaddekaratta Sutta the Buddha says, “Don’t chase after the future. Don’t chase after the past. Be aware of what’s arising right now, right now. Because there’s work to be done and you don’t know if you’re going to be here tomorrow.”

So that’s your motivation: Make the most of the opportunity for practice that the present moment provides.

And what are you going to find in the present moment? You’re going to find karma: in the choices you’re making right now, in the results of choices you’ve made in the past, and the results of choices you’re making right now. These are three things you want to look for.

And you have to believe in the power of your choice. If you examine the fact that you are making choices right now and you learn how to expand the range of your choices, you’re going to be a lot more skillful."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "Choices"

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