The Most Important Thing
I have recently read a powerful book by Adyashanti, and since then I start most of my meditations with the question, "What is the most important thing right now?" And I have found that it's a really powerful practice. He says:
You could apply this concept to any moment and ask, What is the most important thing right now? Not the thing that comes from your head or even from your heart, but from deep down in your gut. What is it?
As a spiritual teacher, I have seen that to define the most important thing is the most important thing. It is the first step. Until you do, your life does not even belong to you.
— The Most Important Thing: Discovering Truth at the Heart of Life (Adyashanti)
Don't immediately accept the easy answers
If you ask this question, then all kinds of thoughts and answers might pop into your head for it. But don't be satisfied with just the first answer that pops into your head. The question is really more important than the answer. And the answer doesn't have to come so clearly that you have to write it down.
I find that for me generally the answer is silence. And you sit with that silence. But then you get a nice feeling, an inspiration that, "Oh, hey, maybe I should just do this for a while. Maybe I should do that." It's more like a wordless prompt that's coming out of silence than a clear, well-formed answer.
Be really honest with yourself
There are all kinds of answers that might pop into your head that come from society, from your friends, from your parents, and so on. The most important thing is X because society tells me that should be the way it is. Try to let go of these kinds of answers because they are not really authentic. What is the most important thing right now to you? It could be something really simple and really small, like, "Okay, I really need to get moving today. I really need to do a run." Generally, the feeling of wanting to do something will come first before being formulated like a thought in your mind.
Keep it simple
It is important to remind you that we are talking about the single most important thing right now. Not about a top 10 list or even a top 3 list. Not a to-do list. Just choose one thing. In any case, the truth is that you can only do one thing at a time. And the answer for what that thing is might shift actually even multiple times per day. Until eventually, as you keep sitting with this question, you also get kind of like a big-picture answer. What is the guiding principle for your life? What is the most important thing in your life? But it is important to also apply it with just the day-to-day things, like what is the most important thing for me today or in this hour. You will find that sitting with this question is a really good experience.
