In Awareness every moment is fresh

 Questioner: When a spectator who is watching a play is completely absorbed in the play, is that the state of total attention?

J. Krishnamurti: You are watching a play, and the play is so interesting that you are completely absorbed.  There is no `you' for the moment, because the play has absorbed you, with all your worries, anxieties, fears.  Now, what is the difference between your absorption, and that of a child who is absorbed by an amusing toy? The child may have been naughty, mischievous, doing all kinds of restless things, but give that child a toy which is very interesting, and he is completely absorbed in it.  The toy is so interesting that he forgets all about his restlessness.  What is the difference between the two?  A play, a book, a church service, an idea, a belief, a piece of music, a picture, or what you will, absorbs you, and you forget yourself.  So what has become important is the picture, the toy, and not the understanding of yourself.  You may be absorbed for an hour by the play, but when you go back to your home you have your old self again.  So if one is absorbed by anything, by propaganda, by nationalistic demands, or if one identifies oneself with something, which is another form of absorption, in that state there is no learning; therefore there is no freedom, and hence no virtue.  A mind that is absorbed by a toy, however gracious, however beautiful, however supposedly important, is obviously escaping from itself.  Such a mind is always in disorder, and its actions produce further disorder, further confusion in the world.

Question and Answers with J. Krishnamurti 

In Awareness every moment is new and fresh. Be self-aware if there is any attachment to the moment at hand or if there is escape. Inquire into who is attached and who is escaping. That’s meditation, or mindfulness, in a nutshell.