The reality may be that time is merely a construct of our existence

Yeah, Tolle says this exact thing. In a certain sense time doesn't actually exist; instead, it's always now.

And right now, it's still now but a later now than in the previous sentence. However, this doesn't mean that previous now still "exists in the past". It doesn't exist at all. It's gone forever. It only remains as a mental tracing within the brain of a person choosing to trace that pathway.

When you think about the "past", you do it now. And when you plan for the "future", you do it now. But the future never comes. As soon as it does, it's called the present.

It's a gift, so maybe that's how it got its name. :p

The reality may be that time is merely a construct of our existence

Yeah, Tolle says this exact thing. In a certain sense time doesn't actually exist; instead, it's always now.

And right now, it's still now but a later now than in the previous sentence. However, this doesn't mean that previous now still "exists in the past". It doesn't exist at all. It's gone forever. It only remains as a mental tracing within the brain of a person choosing to trace that pathway.

When you think about the "past", you do it now. And when you plan for the "future", you do it now. But the future never comes. As soon as it does, it's called the present. It's a gift, so that's how it got its name. :p