Most of us are uninterested in confronting emptiness. It can be scary and make us uncomfortable. However, the Buddha pointed out to us that the path to happiness is to observe and accept what we are experiencing now. That is where the wisdom comes from. When what we are observing is something that we don’t like, how do we overcome that?
Our tool to take these steps through difficulty is our present moment awareness. With each moment of awareness, we can see that, for that brief instant, in the present moment, we are actually ok. By contrast, whenever the mind strays into the future or into the past, even for a brief instant, then during those moments we will experience unpleasantness.
Therefore, if we train the mind to keep coming back to the present moment, then more of the moments we experience will be good. Apart from engendering our internal wellbeing, our present moment awareness will also lead to good results externally.
We can rely on or take refuge in these truisms because it is simply the operation of cause and effect that good begets good. There could be no better argument for insight meditation, which is a comprehensive method for training in mindfulness. By devoting our time to practicing the subtlety of mindfulness, we are overcoming the feeling of emptiness and we are making wise investments in our long-term happiness.