"To be in the moment." We tend to kick that phrase around here, and not in the good way usually. I'm gonna kick it some more, sort of.

Many times when I do something "in the moment" it is not a good thing to do, but I excuse myself by saying it felt right in that moment. As in, I was swept up in the moment, which sounds kind of like being at one with the moment. This is delusion, I think. It is seeing myself and the moment as this finite piece of self/time/place.

On the other hand, when I do something "in the MOMENT" it is often a very good thing to do. No excuse is needed, and its sense of feeling "right" is very different from above. I won't go as far as to say this type of MOMENT is reality, but I think it is less delusional.

The moment is closed and restricting because I see my actions only in the here and now. In the moment I can be guided by anger, greed, and ignorance, I am not fully aware, and thus I lack free will. I am sort of a victim of karma, and that's generally bad.

The MOMENT, on the other hand, is open and expansive because I see the past, present, and future in relation to my (and others) actions all at once. In the MOMENT I am guided by the precepts, even if they don't feel good ("right") at the time because sometimes the right thing to do is the difficult thing to do. In the MOMENT I am aware, and thus I have free will (maybe the MOMENT is Nishijima's razor's edge fully realized). The MOMENT creates good karma rather than reacting to past karma, good or bad.

For me, being in the moment is about me being me, but being in the MOMENT is about me waking up to Oneness and acting accordingly. For me, being in the MOMENT helps me avoid being in the moment.

Finally, realistically speaking, unless we are the Buddha, the best we can expect of our actions in life is to be in the MoMeNt. Right?

PS: I am anticipating the common comment around here about how being too in the moment is liable to have you step in front of a moving bus. Obviously, I agree . My point is that if you are in the MOMENT you would know about the bus and stay on the curb.