The Meaning of Ananda from the media The Oneness of Awareness
A man asks if the blissful aspect of being is present but left unspoken to avoid creating expectations. Rupert, explaining that the Sanskrit term ananda had been mistranslated, says that he avoids the word ‘bliss’ because of its exotic connotation. Ananda, he clarifies, refers not to an extraordinary experience, but to the quiet joy or imperturbable peace that is ever-present and accessible to all.
- Duration: 26 minutes and 7 seconds
- Recorded on: Sep 9, 2024
- Event: Seven-Day Meditation Retreat at Mandali – 7 to 14 September 2024
A woman asks if Rupert can recommend a translation of the Mandukya Upanishad. He promises to get back to her on her request.
A woman asks about the intensification in family relationships as her understanding deepens and how to reconcile with kindness the falling away of old patterns. Rupert explains that as understanding deepens, relationships evolve. Some friendships may fall away, while others transform. But family doesn’t fall away, as everyone has their role, yet changes can upset the family dynamic. He shares his experience after his mother, the matriarch of the family, died, causing a shift where everyone had to readjust.
A woman relates her love for the body and the desire to care for it through nurturing and awe at its functions. Rupert recalls for her the Shankaracharya’s prayer, ‘My body is the temple in which I worship You’, and he speaks of caring for the body through diet, exercise and sleep. In this tradition, he explains, there is no conflict among taking care of the body, enjoying sensory experience, and the recognition of our true nature.
A woman relates a confusing experience from thirty years ago involving a vision of her deceased father and a sense of being formless. She feels as though her father was trying to put an end to her fear of death. Rupert suggests that the essence of her father’s message is the same as what is being explored in the retreat: the recognition of her deathless eternal being.
A man asks if the blissful aspect of being is present but left unspoken to avoid creating expectations. Rupert, explaining that the Sanskrit term ananda had been mistranslated, says that he avoids the word ‘bliss’ because of its exotic connotation. Ananda, he clarifies, refers not to an extraordinary experience, but to the quiet joy or imperturbable peace that is ever-present and accessible to all.
A woman shares that she often cannot sleep during retreats and asks if there is a way to deal with this other than medication. Rupert suggests breathing slowly and deeply, and observing how many breaths can be counted before the mind gets distracted. This exercise steadies the mind and nervous system, helping the body to relax and potentially fall asleep. He also advises lying awake as the space of awareness, allowing sensations and thoughts to pass through without resistance, until there is no concern about whether sleep comes or not.
A woman asks about the possibility of parallel realities and whether a finite mind can experience multiple lifetimes simultaneously. Rupert acknowledges the possibility of parallel timelines but explains that there is only one ultimate reality, the experience ‘I am’. Time and space are appearances shaped by the limitations of the finite mind. Reality is eternal and dimensionless, and different timelines might appear if the mind’s configuration changes through substances or meditation.
A woman, new to the teaching, asks about the three recognitions of awareness. She understands the first two: that awareness is the witness of experience, and that awareness is the space in which all experience arises, but struggles with the third, that awareness is one with – the very substance of – all experience. Rupert explains the three recognitions using the analogies of the sun shining on all things, the space within which everything appears, and the ocean being one with its waves. They also discuss the fear that arises with the third recognition, which Rupert says comes from the ego’s resistance to dissolving into the oneness of awareness.
A man asks Rupert to explain a distinction he made earlier – that the world is the result of infinite consciousness, and that the body is the result of the finite mind. Rupert explains that the world is how infinite consciousness appears from a finite mind perspective. When we close our eyes, we experience ourselves as a bundle of thoughts, sensations and perceptions. However, from a second-person point of view, this mind appears as a body. He clarifies that both body and mind are localised activities of infinite consciousness.
A woman shares how people keep appearing in her life who seem to be an opposite type than she is, and she wonders if this is an invitation to embody non-duality in all relationships. Rupert says it’s an invitation to love unconditionally and to see if we’re unconsciously colluding with the traits we find difficult. He advises her to just live her truth without judging or trying to correct others.
A woman asks if Rupert can recommend a translation of the Mandukya Upanishad. He promises to get back to her on her request.
A woman asks about the intensification in family relationships as her understanding deepens and how to reconcile with kindness the falling away of old patterns. Rupert explains that as understanding deepens, relationships evolve. Some friendships may fall away, while others transform. But family doesn’t fall away, as everyone has their role, yet changes can upset the family dynamic. He shares his experience after his mother, the matriarch of the family, died, causing a shift where everyone had to readjust.
A woman relates her love for the body and the desire to care for it through nurturing and awe at its functions. Rupert recalls for her the Shankaracharya’s prayer, ‘My body is the temple in which I worship You’, and he speaks of caring for the body through diet, exercise and sleep. In this tradition, he explains, there is no conflict among taking care of the body, enjoying sensory experience, and the recognition of our true nature.
A woman relates a confusing experience from thirty years ago involving a vision of her deceased father and a sense of being formless. She feels as though her father was trying to put an end to her fear of death. Rupert suggests that the essence of her father’s message is the same as what is being explored in the retreat: the recognition of her deathless eternal being.
A man asks if the blissful aspect of being is present but left unspoken to avoid creating expectations. Rupert, explaining that the Sanskrit term ananda had been mistranslated, says that he avoids the word ‘bliss’ because of its exotic connotation. Ananda, he clarifies, refers not to an extraordinary experience, but to the quiet joy or imperturbable peace that is ever-present and accessible to all.
A woman shares that she often cannot sleep during retreats and asks if there is a way to deal with this other than medication. Rupert suggests breathing slowly and deeply, and observing how many breaths can be counted before the mind gets distracted. This exercise steadies the mind and nervous system, helping the body to relax and potentially fall asleep. He also advises lying awake as the space of awareness, allowing sensations and thoughts to pass through without resistance, until there is no concern about whether sleep comes or not.
A woman asks about the possibility of parallel realities and whether a finite mind can experience multiple lifetimes simultaneously. Rupert acknowledges the possibility of parallel timelines but explains that there is only one ultimate reality, the experience ‘I am’. Time and space are appearances shaped by the limitations of the finite mind. Reality is eternal and dimensionless, and different timelines might appear if the mind’s configuration changes through substances or meditation.
A woman, new to the teaching, asks about the three recognitions of awareness. She understands the first two: that awareness is the witness of experience, and that awareness is the space in which all experience arises, but struggles with the third, that awareness is one with – the very substance of – all experience. Rupert explains the three recognitions using the analogies of the sun shining on all things, the space within which everything appears, and the ocean being one with its waves. They also discuss the fear that arises with the third recognition, which Rupert says comes from the ego’s resistance to dissolving into the oneness of awareness.
A man asks Rupert to explain a distinction he made earlier – that the world is the result of infinite consciousness, and that the body is the result of the finite mind. Rupert explains that the world is how infinite consciousness appears from a finite mind perspective. When we close our eyes, we experience ourselves as a bundle of thoughts, sensations and perceptions. However, from a second-person point of view, this mind appears as a body. He clarifies that both body and mind are localised activities of infinite consciousness.
A woman shares how people keep appearing in her life who seem to be an opposite type than she is, and she wonders if this is an invitation to embody non-duality in all relationships. Rupert says it’s an invitation to love unconditionally and to see if we’re unconsciously colluding with the traits we find difficult. He advises her to just live her truth without judging or trying to correct others.