Focusing and De-focusing of Attention from the media Seek Not, Resist Not, Know Not
A man comments on Rupert’s ability to seamlessly transition from leading a meditation to answering a question. Rupert explains that in meditation, we de-focus, soften our attention. When our attention is required, we then focus it as appropiate. After a while, focusing our attention no longer detracts from being.
- Duration: 10 minutes and 17 seconds
- Recorded on: Feb 7, 2024
- Event: Webinar – Wednesday, 7 February
Just be present, open and aware, remaining in that placeless place between outer and inner experience. Neither seeking nor resisting any experience. Ask yourself: What is the natural condition of the mind prior to the arising of experience? Go there experientially, not intellectually. Feel the vastness, the silence of the mind prior to the arising of experience. It’s like ceasing to be interested in the objects or people in a room and, as a result, suddenly becoming aware of the space, the openness, the emptiness, the transparency. In fact, we are always aware of the essence of our self, but we overlook it due to our fascination with thoughts, feelings, sensations, etc. If anything is required at all, it’s just the slightest relaxing of attention. Feel yourself as this aware emptiness in which the entirety of your experience is taking place – seeking nothing, wanting nothing, resisting nothing, knowing nothing, understanding nothing.
A man enquires about good and evil within the context of awakening, seeking guidance on how to approach one’s shadow aspects. Rupert suggests welcoming these deeper, darker elements into the light of awareness. He advises letting them be infused with peace and the luminosity of awareness, which acts as a dissolving agent.
A man comments on Rupert’s ability to seamlessly transition from leading a meditation to answering a question. Rupert explains that in meditation, we de-focus, soften our attention. When our attention is required, we then focus it as appropiate. After a while, focusing our attention no longer detracts from being.
A woman, who follows a vegetarian diet, asks Rupert’s opinion on eating meat. Rupert replies that it is not his job to tell anybody what to do; rather, he encourages everyone to live all realms of their life according to their understanding, to the best of their ability. But he shares her beautiful desire not to cause harm to anyone or anything, stating that compassion, love in action are natural implications of non-dual understanding.
A man enquires about spiritual bypassing and whether returning to awareness is always the best response. Rupert explains that the process discussed here involves two steps: discrimination and integration. The first step, an inward-facing path, is about discerning what is essential to us. But there’s a second part, the way of integration, which involves applying this understanding across all realms of experience, such as in challenging life situations. It’s crucial to engage in both pathways.
A woman shares her experience of sitting with her dying husband in hospice, feeling as if the room was like a candle in the wind. Rupert replies that he is reluctant to add anything, because the woman described the experience so beautifully.
A man asks about perception. Rupert replies that what is truly important is that which sees, not what is seen. You can only know something if you are standing apart from it as a separate subject of experience. There is no objective knowledge in the awareness of being.
A woman asks about the desire for an intimate relationship, wondering if it comes from a place of lack or a wish to share love with another person. Rupert says his impression of the woman is that she is at peace with herself and feels love, and it is natural to want to express and share that love.
A man asks about the outward-facing path. Rupert, referencing the King Lear/John Smith analogy, asks the man to imagine he is an actor playing King Lear. Knowledge of our being pervades all of his experiences. No experience fully eclipses the sense of being our self.
A man asks how to remain open instead of contracting during unpleasant experiences. Rupert replies that circumstances don’t cause contraction; it’s something we do internally. We are the ones doing it, and we don’t have to. It is not hard to open our hearts.
A young man asks about the feeling of gratitude. Rupert replies that gratitude is completely natural; it comes with the peace of our being. Gratitude is dynamic; it overflows, pours out into the world, connecting the peace of our being on the inside with the world on the outside. It is an inevitable counterpart of this understanding.
A young woman enquires whether Rupert thinks that, in light of the non-dual understanding, the climate crisis is significant. Rupert gives his opinion that it is important and explains that while awareness remain unaffected by issues like the climate crisis, this doesn’t mean we should ignore them on a practical level. It is very important that we address and care about the climate crisis.
Just be present, open and aware, remaining in that placeless place between outer and inner experience. Neither seeking nor resisting any experience. Ask yourself: What is the natural condition of the mind prior to the arising of experience? Go there experientially, not intellectually. Feel the vastness, the silence of the mind prior to the arising of experience. It’s like ceasing to be interested in the objects or people in a room and, as a result, suddenly becoming aware of the space, the openness, the emptiness, the transparency. In fact, we are always aware of the essence of our self, but we overlook it due to our fascination with thoughts, feelings, sensations, etc. If anything is required at all, it’s just the slightest relaxing of attention. Feel yourself as this aware emptiness in which the entirety of your experience is taking place – seeking nothing, wanting nothing, resisting nothing, knowing nothing, understanding nothing.
A man enquires about good and evil within the context of awakening, seeking guidance on how to approach one’s shadow aspects. Rupert suggests welcoming these deeper, darker elements into the light of awareness. He advises letting them be infused with peace and the luminosity of awareness, which acts as a dissolving agent.
A man comments on Rupert’s ability to seamlessly transition from leading a meditation to answering a question. Rupert explains that in meditation, we de-focus, soften our attention. When our attention is required, we then focus it as appropiate. After a while, focusing our attention no longer detracts from being.
A woman, who follows a vegetarian diet, asks Rupert’s opinion on eating meat. Rupert replies that it is not his job to tell anybody what to do; rather, he encourages everyone to live all realms of their life according to their understanding, to the best of their ability. But he shares her beautiful desire not to cause harm to anyone or anything, stating that compassion, love in action are natural implications of non-dual understanding.
A man enquires about spiritual bypassing and whether returning to awareness is always the best response. Rupert explains that the process discussed here involves two steps: discrimination and integration. The first step, an inward-facing path, is about discerning what is essential to us. But there’s a second part, the way of integration, which involves applying this understanding across all realms of experience, such as in challenging life situations. It’s crucial to engage in both pathways.
A woman shares her experience of sitting with her dying husband in hospice, feeling as if the room was like a candle in the wind. Rupert replies that he is reluctant to add anything, because the woman described the experience so beautifully.
A man asks about perception. Rupert replies that what is truly important is that which sees, not what is seen. You can only know something if you are standing apart from it as a separate subject of experience. There is no objective knowledge in the awareness of being.
A woman asks about the desire for an intimate relationship, wondering if it comes from a place of lack or a wish to share love with another person. Rupert says his impression of the woman is that she is at peace with herself and feels love, and it is natural to want to express and share that love.
A man asks about the outward-facing path. Rupert, referencing the King Lear/John Smith analogy, asks the man to imagine he is an actor playing King Lear. Knowledge of our being pervades all of his experiences. No experience fully eclipses the sense of being our self.
A man asks how to remain open instead of contracting during unpleasant experiences. Rupert replies that circumstances don’t cause contraction; it’s something we do internally. We are the ones doing it, and we don’t have to. It is not hard to open our hearts.
A young man asks about the feeling of gratitude. Rupert replies that gratitude is completely natural; it comes with the peace of our being. Gratitude is dynamic; it overflows, pours out into the world, connecting the peace of our being on the inside with the world on the outside. It is an inevitable counterpart of this understanding.
A young woman enquires whether Rupert thinks that, in light of the non-dual understanding, the climate crisis is significant. Rupert gives his opinion that it is important and explains that while awareness remain unaffected by issues like the climate crisis, this doesn’t mean we should ignore them on a practical level. It is very important that we address and care about the climate crisis.