The Razor's Edge

A metaphor that many mystics have used to describe the state of present moment awareness is "the razor's edge." And quite frankly, at first glance, this seems to be a rather...well, it's a kind of scary thing to envision, isn't it?

I mean, wouldn't a soft, fluffy cloud or gentle meadow in spring seem to be a more pleasant image? A razor's edge seems rather daunting; almost threatening in a way. It implies that if we fall from the slender tight-rope of the razor's edge, we'll slice ourselves apart!

I honestly don't think that the mystics intended to conjure up this scary aspect of the metaphor; I feel that they just wanted to pick something that was very, very thin -- and in "those days" a razor's edge was something most people could relate to.

So in light of this, we can focus on the thin-ness of a razor's edge, rather than the sliced consequences of falling off of one!

Reflecting on the thin-ness of a razor's edge helps us understand that, in life, we are called to awareness at all times. We are invited to walk upon the edge of awareness -- to arrive in the present moment -- at EVERY time. And that means right now.

Imagine, for example, that God -- or whoever you want to say 'created' the universe -- was sitting RIGHT next to you as you read this. Or, if you aren't comfortable with imagining God sitting next to you, think of someone who you have an immense amount of respect and admiration for -- perhaps a mystic or spiritual teacher, or anyone -- even someone historical. Imagine that they were sitting right beside you right now.

Obviously, if that were to happen -- something inside you would change. You would not be worrying about tomorrow or yesterday; you would not be focused on some other "moment" -- you would be totally present, because you were with someone that you, in the simplest terms, want to be present to. After all, they may leave in a few minutes -- so you give them your full attention and honor the moment with all of your heart.

That is every moment for the mystics on the razor's edge. To them, they are always in that state -- always present. They aren't waiting for some event to happen tomorrow, to which they'll "wake up to." They're present now, because now is all that there is.

Are you present now?

If not...why not?