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Psychologically one should not plan for the future at all, but that does not mean that practically you should not plan. The difference is great, and has to be understood. If you are going to travel, if you are going to the Himalayas, you will have to go to the railway station and book your ticket a few days ahead. That’s simply practical. You cannot say ’When the idea arises to go to the Himalayas I will simply go.’ It will be difficult: you may not get a ticket on the train or on the plane. Don’t be foolish.

But psychologically, yes, don’t plan for the future. What is the meaning of psychological? You are here, and in your mind’s eye you start trekking in the Himalayas, and you start enjoying– just in fantasy. You are already there where you are not. This is psychological. This has to be dropped. But practical things are perfectly okay. Don’t live psychologically in the past or in the future.

But practically, sometimes you will have to remember past things. You will have to remember your name, and you will have to remember your wife. You cannot come home every day and ask ’Who are you? Let us introduce ourselves.’ You will have to remember the past for practical purposes. But don’t live there; the past is gone. The memory is there, use it whenever it is needed, but don’t start living in those memories. Don’t waste time, because if you live in your memories, who is going to live in the present? Then the present is wasted. And living in the memory is just a dream, it is not real life; it is pseudo, it is false.

And don’t live in the future. People live in the future. They are always planning to go to Kashmir or to Switzerland. And they are living there already! They dream, they think, they fantasise what they are going to do there, how they will enjoy the life there. And remember, when they reach Switzerland they will not be there, because by that time they will start planning how to come back home... and the business, and the family, and everything. They are never at the place they are in; they go on missing. They are always rushing and never arriving. Don’t live in the future, don’t live in the past. But that doesn’t mean don’t think of practical things.

A man was on a holiday in Ireland. One day he was driving along a little-used road when he came across a pretty young girl trying to hitch a lift. So he offered her a lift. After a few minutes he asked if he could hold her hand.
’To be sure’ came the reply.
A little further on, he asked if he could kiss her.
’To be sure’ she replied.
A few miles later, they passed through a village. The girl asked him to stop at the chemist’s shop.
’Why?’ asked the man.
’To be sure’ replied the girl.

This much practicalness is allowed. More than that is not needed.