A Buddhist View of Time

This mindful shift in perspective can free you from the torment of the ticking clock

Time doesn’t exist, does it?

It’s simply a concept consolidated into the form of a calendar and a clock, originating thousands of years ago.

Change happens. It’s a constant. The sun rises and sets. Days of sunny weather turn into a period of rain and, depending on where you live, a season of snow.

But change itself is not time, is it?

The concept of time is a convenience. And yet it’s an inconvenience too.

Time can create a sense of pressure. Time can produce stress, fatigue, and burnout when we spend too much of it in turned-on mode.

For many of us, time has come to terrorize our lives. We feel chained to the clock and driven by the calendar, wondering if the constant demands will ever stop.

What’s the alternative?

Let’s consider the Buddhist view of time.

How Do Buddhists See Time?

Buddhism isn’t one teaching. It includes three main approaches called “vehicles”—specifically known as the Hinayana, Mahayana, and Vajrayana. Different schools of thought exist within each of those vehicles as well.

In this discussion, we’ll look at time through the lens of Dzogchen, which is considered one of the advanced forms of Buddhist practice.

From a Dzogchen perspective, past, future, and present are merely concepts with no inherent existence:

The past no longer exists. At most, it’s a memory, a thought, an interpretation. Your concept of the past is even subject to change should you acquire new information.
The future has yet to appear. Any ideas you have about the future are just thoughts as well. They’re also subject to change as you shift from one future fantasy to another.
The present moment is a constantly shifting phenomenon too. As soon as you think of “now,” that instant has passed and no longer exists. Phrases like “be here now” or “present moment awareness” are used to help us be more mindful. But we can never catch now.

There’s no past or future or even present. There’s just awareness.

Dzogchen refers to the non-conceptual state of awareness, meaning without thoughts of the past, present, or future, as the “fourth time.” It’s traditionally explained as the “forth time devoid of three,” referring to past, present, and future.

This is timelessness.

You perceive. You know. But you don’t hold onto anything your experience or anything that passes through your mind. In other words, you don’t make concepts or ideas about your experience or your thoughts.

Let’s look at how you can enter the fourth time.

“Timelessness in Buddhism has to do with the dissolving of conceptual mind, letting go of concepts. In the moment of letting go of concepts, you are already in timelessness.”—Tsoknyi Rinpoche

How to Enter Timelessness

How do you enter this timeless state?

In Buddhism, it begins with the practice of mindfulness.

You already have the capacity to be aware in the “present moment.” But, more often than not, you’re lost in thoughts and emotions.

Mindfulness helps you shift the balance away from conceptual thoughts towards more present moment awareness.

However, the practice of mindfulness remains within the conceptual realm rather than the fourth time.

Why?

The practice of mindfulness typically involves the use of an object like the breath, the senses, or a form like a statue or a flower as an anchor for your attention. When you notice you’re distracted, you bring your mind back to the anchor.

This constant return to the anchor and thus the present moment, helps you cultivate mindfulness. But, it retains a sense of a you as separate from the object, which keeps you in the world of duality.

You can practice mindfulness without an object by simply staying aware in the present moment. But then “nowness” can become a subtle object and so once again, you remain within the conceptual frame.

Mindfulness, however, can be an important first step.

Through the practice of mindfulness, the grasping tendency of the mind gradually dissolves. As this occurs, you can slip into moments of insight, known as “Clear Seeing” or “Vipashyana.” The conceptual mind falls away and you abide in awareness, in the fourth time.

But entering into the fourth time is not a free pass to disregard conventional time.

The conventional reality of time and the absolute reality of timelessness aren’t opposite ends of a spectrum. Rather, they coexist as two inseparable aspects of the nature of mind and reality.

You recognize the timeless nature of reality, but you still show up for your dentist appointment on time.

“Everything actually has to be brought into the present moment. In Buddhist practice, bring everything, whatever it is, from all directions, into the present moment, then drop the present. Then time vanishes.”—Tsoknyi Rinpoche

Relax Your View of Time

How can adopting a Buddhist view of time free you from its tyranny?

It might help you:

Spend less time in the past and present and thus more fully experience each moment as it slips by.
Feel less anxious because you’re not overthinking the future.
Dwell less in guilt about your part in past events. You might feel more inclined to make amends (if appropriate) and move on.
Focus in the moment and thus increase your productivity.
Rearrange your priorities so you have less to do and are therefore less subject to “time” pressure.
Commit to spend more time in the fourth time.

Wouldn’t that be a more relaxing and fulfilling way to live?

And of course, beyond the practical benefits, this is the way to spiritual awakening.

Concluding Thoughts

Time is a convenient concept that can bring people together in an agreed upon place at an agreed upon hour. It can motivate you to tick off the next item on your to-do list.

But your relationship to time can feel toxic as well.

The feeling of “time pressure” or “not enough time” can contribute to overwhelm, stress, and exhaustion. It can make you want to give up altogether.

But there’s another way to understand time.

Buddhism speaks of a “fourth time.” The fourth time refers to moments when we move beyond the conceptual mind and thoughts of the past, present, and future. You can learn to enter into this timeless state through the practice of meditation and insight.

The experience of the fourth time won’t obliterate conceptual time. But it can transform your perspective about time so it no longer tyrannizes you.

Wouldn’t that be a better way to live?