Bypassing the Need to Control the Mind

A woman asks about the necessity of ‘tuning out’ the senses to better be aware of awareness. Rupert explains this isn’t his approach – he doesn’t tell King Lear to tune out experience to recognise he’s John Smith. Instead, he directly asks, ‘When you say “I am”, who are you referring to?’ This direct approach bypasses the need to control the mind or tune out sensations. Rather than saying ‘get rid of the snake’, he suggests ‘see the rope’, which takes care of the snake as a by-product. The woman expresses concern about only being able to sustain awareness of being aware for brief moments due to sensory distractions. Rupert emphasises that trying to control thoughts leads to decades of struggle, whereas Ramana Maharshi and Atmananda Krishna Menon’s great gift was showing we can go directly to our true nature. When asked if this approach is scary, Rupert acknowledges it may be frightening for the illusory character (King Lear) whose existence is threatened, but asks, ‘Are you interested in truth or not?’

From event 09 - 16 March, 2025 Seven-Day Retreat at Mercy Center, 9–16 March 2025

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