One aspect of the mind’s workings that I have become aware of is the discontinuous temporal nature of cognition. The feeling is akin to being stoned, of living in a very small slice of now. This seems to quiet the discursive mind and bring about a state of flow, of being in “the zone”. It is also a glitch in the matrix, a reminder that all that we perceive is a simulation in the mind, not reality itself.
I first became aware of the discontinuity of experience during a retreat in March 2007, but it did not last after the retreat. I became aware of it again during my daily practice in the summer of 2019 while exploring the shortest time interval that I can be aware of while scanning a scene. After a couple of weeks of this “nowness” practice, it became effortless and continued on its own throughout the day. Now the sense of discontinuity is much more intense, more pervasive (extending to all senses), and more lasting. I measured the “refresh rate” of consciousness a few times by counting one hundred mind moments and measuring how long that took. The rate varies between 2.2 and 6 mind moments per second.
Some might think that it would be disconcerting to perceive consciousness as continuously pulsing in and out of existence but actually I find it comforting. It is like feeling the heartbeat of the world while being held in the womb.
The advantages of the intense nowness are several. It really helps with remaining mindful of whatever is happening right now, instead of projecting in the past or the future. If any hint of annoyance arises it is possible to let it go before it has time to grow into a full-blown state. It also helps in seeing anatta (no self), as it is easier to see through the illusion of an enduring self if it keeps vanishing and reappearing several times per second.
There is a drawback to living in a small slice of now: you can tend to be forgetful. It is kind of the point, actually. You don’t dwell in the past or project into the future more than is absolutely necessary. I have found this to be a particular problem as there have been times when I have been unprepared (not enough future planning!) or have completely forgotten something I had committed to. To compensate, I have gone back to the usual tools of to-do lists and an appointment calendar. However, once it is written down, I can let go of it - back to the now.