A Discussion on Non-Duality and Science from the media Remain in Contact with Being

Our primary experience is the experience of simply being. Everybody has a sense of being myself. All other experiences arise after the awareness of simply being, and our being seems to acquire qualities, characteristics, limitations and so on. Meditation is simply to return from our involvement in the drama of experience to our essential nature of simply being. In fact, we never leave. Meditation is just the clear seeing of ourself as we essentially are or, more accurately, the clear being of ourself as we essentially are. We can do this in formal periods of meditation or prayer, but it can also be done in the midst of our activities. All that is required is to remain in contact with being. As we sink more deeply into being, our being loses its personal qualities but remains intimate, innermost.

A woman shares that she struggles with how to be with her mother as she transitions to death. Rupert suggests that the best thing she can do is rest in the peace of her being. Not to journey with her, as her mind may go off and come back, but to rest in being. She will feel that quiet presence. Rest in the peace of being.

A woman asks about meaning and how to apply it to her activities in life. She's writing a memoir and studying history but wonders to whom this would be important. Rupert responds that these pursuits do not affect your being. They're for your mind and part of the exploration and recognition of your being.

A man shares that he is struggling as his marriage breaks up. Rupert suggests that he can live in his mind or in his understanding. It is difficult to endure a break up – Rupert uses the analogy of different rooms in the house when deciding where to reside: in being or in mind.

A woman asks if consciousness at rest and consciousness in motion are the same, like the activity of the body and the mind. Rupert responds that the essence of the mind is consciousness and uses the analogy of a circle drawn with a perforated line on white paper. Inside is the finite mind; the white paper is infinite consciousness. He leads the woman in self-enquiry to explore the nature of mind and body.

A woman asks about who is asking the question in self-enquiry. Rupert suggests that the mind is asking the question, ‘Am I aware?’, which is a thought that you, awareness, are aware of. Awareness goes somewhere, but not toward a thought or sensation, pauses, and then the thought, ‘Yes’ arises. In that pause, you recognise your self. You are visiting eternity. This is the awareness of being aware.

A man, who says he is confused about non-dual teachings and psychological healing, asks if it is necessary to explore all one’s trauma. Rupert responds that it's not necessary to recognise your true nature, but living the understanding may require facing prior conditioning. Sometimes therapy is necessary to deal with the trauma because it can continue to hijack the discovery of our true nature. It's fine to ignore the trauma on your way toward your being, but when you come back into the world with this understanding, you have to attend to these issues or they will play havoc, in particular, with relationships.

A woman talks about both the desire to dive deeply in being but also to connect with others physically, not just on zoom. Rupert suggests that there are lots of people who live where she is who gather regularly. There is no need to discipline herself to only go in; sharing your being with others is the same as peace on the inside. When you're sharing your being with people in social situations, you're meditating on being.

How can non-duality inform science? Rupert responds that one way non-duality can inform science is to show that time and space are a convenient fiction, not inherent in the nature of reality, but are mental constructs of the finite mind, making them appear to be part of our reality. He refers to time and space as a 'dumbed down' explanation of how things appear to localised minds.

A woman references a previous conversation she had with Rupert about choosing which objects in her home to keep or let go of. Rupert suggests that she not be too rigid about what she chooses to let go of. Don't be too rigid. Images on the outside are a representation of what is going on in the inside – from facial expression to our home.

A man says it is fairly easy to feel the peaceful nature of his being when doing self-enquiry but it seems neutral. Rupert says it is peaceful and happy only in relation to the sorrow and agitation we generally experience. It would be better not to ascribe any qualities to being. He guides him in exploring the nature of his being.

A woman, who is a homoeopathic doctor, asks about her role in caring for her husband, whose health is deteriorating and who doesn't want to use allopathic medicine. Rupert encourages her to encourage him to go see a doctor and commends her for not being overly attached to a purely homoeopathic approach.

A man asks about Iain Mcgilchrist and Rupert’s interest in people who are doing this work. Rupert responds that he is also touched, over the last year or two, by those outside of the non-dual community who are having these conversations and promoting this understanding, though perhaps not formulated in the same language.

Rupert shares a passage from Meister Eckhart before the Christmas break.

Our primary experience is the experience of simply being. Everybody has a sense of being myself. All other experiences arise after the awareness of simply being, and our being seems to acquire qualities, characteristics, limitations and so on. Meditation is simply to return from our involvement in the drama of experience to our essential nature of simply being. In fact, we never leave. Meditation is just the clear seeing of ourself as we essentially are or, more accurately, the clear being of ourself as we essentially are. We can do this in formal periods of meditation or prayer, but it can also be done in the midst of our activities. All that is required is to remain in contact with being. As we sink more deeply into being, our being loses its personal qualities but remains intimate, innermost.

A woman shares that she struggles with how to be with her mother as she transitions to death. Rupert suggests that the best thing she can do is rest in the peace of her being. Not to journey with her, as her mind may go off and come back, but to rest in being. She will feel that quiet presence. Rest in the peace of being.

A woman asks about meaning and how to apply it to her activities in life. She's writing a memoir and studying history but wonders to whom this would be important. Rupert responds that these pursuits do not affect your being. They're for your mind and part of the exploration and recognition of your being.

A man shares that he is struggling as his marriage breaks up. Rupert suggests that he can live in his mind or in his understanding. It is difficult to endure a break up – Rupert uses the analogy of different rooms in the house when deciding where to reside: in being or in mind.

A woman asks if consciousness at rest and consciousness in motion are the same, like the activity of the body and the mind. Rupert responds that the essence of the mind is consciousness and uses the analogy of a circle drawn with a perforated line on white paper. Inside is the finite mind; the white paper is infinite consciousness. He leads the woman in self-enquiry to explore the nature of mind and body.

A woman asks about who is asking the question in self-enquiry. Rupert suggests that the mind is asking the question, ‘Am I aware?’, which is a thought that you, awareness, are aware of. Awareness goes somewhere, but not toward a thought or sensation, pauses, and then the thought, ‘Yes’ arises. In that pause, you recognise your self. You are visiting eternity. This is the awareness of being aware.

A man, who says he is confused about non-dual teachings and psychological healing, asks if it is necessary to explore all one’s trauma. Rupert responds that it's not necessary to recognise your true nature, but living the understanding may require facing prior conditioning. Sometimes therapy is necessary to deal with the trauma because it can continue to hijack the discovery of our true nature. It's fine to ignore the trauma on your way toward your being, but when you come back into the world with this understanding, you have to attend to these issues or they will play havoc, in particular, with relationships.

A woman talks about both the desire to dive deeply in being but also to connect with others physically, not just on zoom. Rupert suggests that there are lots of people who live where she is who gather regularly. There is no need to discipline herself to only go in; sharing your being with others is the same as peace on the inside. When you're sharing your being with people in social situations, you're meditating on being.

How can non-duality inform science? Rupert responds that one way non-duality can inform science is to show that time and space are a convenient fiction, not inherent in the nature of reality, but are mental constructs of the finite mind, making them appear to be part of our reality. He refers to time and space as a 'dumbed down' explanation of how things appear to localised minds.

A woman references a previous conversation she had with Rupert about choosing which objects in her home to keep or let go of. Rupert suggests that she not be too rigid about what she chooses to let go of. Don't be too rigid. Images on the outside are a representation of what is going on in the inside – from facial expression to our home.

A man says it is fairly easy to feel the peaceful nature of his being when doing self-enquiry but it seems neutral. Rupert says it is peaceful and happy only in relation to the sorrow and agitation we generally experience. It would be better not to ascribe any qualities to being. He guides him in exploring the nature of his being.

A woman, who is a homoeopathic doctor, asks about her role in caring for her husband, whose health is deteriorating and who doesn't want to use allopathic medicine. Rupert encourages her to encourage him to go see a doctor and commends her for not being overly attached to a purely homoeopathic approach.

A man asks about Iain Mcgilchrist and Rupert’s interest in people who are doing this work. Rupert responds that he is also touched, over the last year or two, by those outside of the non-dual community who are having these conversations and promoting this understanding, though perhaps not formulated in the same language.

Rupert shares a passage from Meister Eckhart before the Christmas break.