Peace Behind the Pain

A man asks Rupert to share his daily prayer. Rupert recites a prayer he has said nightly for 48 years, expressing the recognition that one’s whole being, mind, life force, and all activities are part of the divine, eliminating any sense of duality in union with the self.

A man describes a profound experience of self-dissolving and seeing all lifetimes simultaneously. Rupert clarifies that temporary experiences, however profound, should be let go of in favour of what is ever-present – one’s being itself.

A woman describes her profound experiences in Tibet and subsequent practices. Rupert explains that any state that comes and goes is not what we’re seeking here, emphasising the Direct Path to recognising what is ever-present.

A man explores challenges of integrating understanding in daily life. Rupert explains that the marketplace is where understanding gets tested and stabilised, suggesting to welcome challenges as opportunities to deepen recognition.

A man asks about balancing contentment with practical pursuits. Rupert explains that desires should come from contentment rather than seeking it, distinguishing between practical needs and the search for happiness.

A woman describes difficulty with past maternal trauma. Rupert demonstrates through direct experience how being remains untouched by experience, even while responding appropriately to life’s challenges.

A woman describes profound existential fear unlike other fears. Rupert explains this as the core fear of the apparently separate self, suggesting not to do anything about it but rather make deeper contact with being.

A woman expresses that returning to awareness feels like abandoning her humanity. Rupert explains that turning away from experience is only a preliminary stage, with the ultimate goal being to return informed by being’s qualities.

A woman explores awareness and states of consciousness. Rupert guides her to recognise awareness as the prerequisite for all experience, independent of states that come and go.

A man describes finding peace regardless of uncomfortable sensations. Rupert affirms this discovery, explaining that not doing anything about suffering can allow tension to naturally diminish.

A woman explores questions of autonomy and free will. Rupert explains that the question of free will is moot as there is no separate entity, using the analogy of an actor playing King Lear.

A woman asks about Rupert’s own experience and recognition. Rupert describes how questioning about being ceases while exploration of understanding continues, using the analogy of waves returning to the ocean.

A woman questions why infinite consciousness contracts into finite experience. Rupert explains there is no reason – it is simply its nature to do so, using the analogy of space in a room.

A man struggles with the seeming reality of physical touch. Through careful guided investigation, Rupert helps him discover experientially that all experience appears in the same field of awareness.