People often think of Buddhism as being about “being in the now” or the like, but it’s far more radical than that. Even if you accept the radical notion that “it’s always now”, realize that the very concept “now” is only meaningful as a dividing line between a future and a past. To actually see what the Buddha is pointing to, you will have to transcend the entire conceptual structure of time.

Buddhist teacher Rob Burbea:

[A]lthough it can be a helpful way of looking for a while to see that “it’s always the present”, that “only Now exists”, or even that “Being is endlessly Now”, such notions reify and sometimes eternalize ‘the now’. Just as with perceptions of flow, eventually the present needs to be seen through also. ‘Being in the now’ is most certainly not the goal of practice. Realizing the emptiness of all time – past, future, and present – is essential to a more radical liberation. Such insight is accessible through a range of means and will ultimately take us even deeper into the mystery of dependent origination.

Dzogchen Buddhist teacher Tsoknyi Rinpoche:

Most people can give up the past. Some people are able to give up the future too. But rare are those who can give up the present.

The present awareness which experiences right now is resting on this moment. Present mind is dwelling on the present moment, but in a fixated sort of way. According to Dzogchen, that becomes an obstacle for meditation practice. From the viewpoint of another [school], it may not be an obstacle. There are many spiritual paths in this world, and plenty of instructions that say, “Don’t worry, just be here now!” This is basically okay, it can be very helpful—but in the end, you still are stuck with this “Be here now.”

Dzogchen maintains that you must transcend that thought construct as well, making way for openness, unimpededness, in Tibetan called sangtal. This is the point where nowness vanishes, when it is no longer an object remaining. This may sound like it’s all a little above our heads; but on the other hand, it is true. First we need to have some sense of nowness, of being present, and to cultivate it, and afterwards dismantle that as well. But if we have no idea at all of nowness, then what it means to be free of nowness is only crazy talk.