Fear Not of Death, But the Dying Process from the media The Hum of God
A woman asks about the dying process. She says she fears not death but the dying process. Rupert replies that the best preparation for death is resting as being in life. There's nothing to practice, simply rest in being, the one thing that doesn't change at death. 'Die now' means to know yourself as that which eternally is.
- Duration: 12 minutes and 50 seconds
- Recorded on: Oct 10, 2023
- Event: Seven Day Retreat at Garrison Institute – 8th to 15th October
A woman asks about the dying process. She says she fears not death but the dying process. Rupert replies that the best preparation for death is resting as being in life. There's nothing to practice, simply rest in being, the one thing that doesn't change at death. 'Die now' means to know yourself as that which eternally is.
A woman asks about the statement, 'we are required to love everyone, but not required to like everyone'. Rupert responds that loving someone and liking them are two different things. We dislike people's behaviour, their actions, not their being.
A man, who suffered childhood sexual abuse, asks about suffering and its association with the belief in separation, as he's confused by the idea of creating one's own suffering, and the idea of complete acceptance. Rupert asks if the man can stand as the space of awareness and face those memories with complete openness. The man responds 'yes'. Acceptance doesn't come from the mind, but from the open space of awareness that rejects nothing.
A woman speaks of clicking with Brother Lawrence's The Practice of the Presence of God, but she doesn't know how to take action in the world and feels like she lives in a cave. Rupert responds that working and caring for your family is where to start, and he encourages her to lead a peaceful life, even if it's in a cave.
Does being have intention or will toward manifestation? And what does 'Thy will be done' mean? Rupert says there is no will to manifest, otherwise that will would exist prior to being. Will emerges in being. 'Thy will be done' is encouragement to the separate self to see that its being is God's being.
A man asks about Rupert's comments about his mentioning that his partner is his greatest teacher. Rupert responds that he sees his partner as the first face of God. His love for God and the love for his partner is indistinguishable.
A woman asks about Rupert Sheldrake's concept of morphic resonance, and if that is the same as being. Rupert says he's not sure that Sheldrake is speaking in the same way about being; rather, Sheldrake seems to refer to two beings at a distance whose minds are connected through morphic resonance. Each mind, Rupert (Spira) counters, is a localisation, but all are connected because they're all the same consciousness at the same frequency.
A woman contributes to the discussion on morphic resonance by comparing it to quantum entanglement – what Einstein calls 'spooky action at a distance'. Rupert agrees with her observations and further expounds that while morphic resonance has to do with thoughts and feelings, and entanglement has more to do with objects, what he speaks of here refers to the connectedness of being.
A woman asks for clarification in regard to the terms 'infinite' and 'finite'. Rupert guides her in self-enquiry to help her experience the peace of infinite being, her true nature.
A question is asked about collective consciousness. Rupert responds that it's a Jungian concept of that aspect of our minds that we share, which we discuss here as the consciousness that underlies all of us, the shared consciousness or shared being.
When you pause before answering a question, what technique are you using? Rupert replies that it is not a technique. He pauses because he doesn't immediately have an answer, and sometimes because he is deeply touched. There are no techniques; he simply offers his mind to God before he arrives at the event. He listens to the questions with his heart.
A man asks about a hum that he hears whilst abiding in awareness. He calls it the hum of God, which he can hear anywhere. Rupert asks the man why his cat will often start purring; it's because it's so grateful for your attention. Regarding the hum you hear, God is purring when you give your love.
A woman says her grandson asked 'Why are we alive?'. When she asked him that question back, he said, 'Because our mind wants us to be.' She turns the question over to Rupert. Rupert responds that there are two reasons to be alive. The first is to discover our true life, which affects our inner life. The second reason is to express that truth, which affects our outer life. He suggests that her grandson was correct – the impulse to return to source, which he was expressing without realising it.
A woman asks, 'Where does a thought come from and why we all have different thought?'. Rupert responds that there is no separate you to think or not to think. There are thoughts but no individual thinker. The thinker is just another thought. Much more important is the question 'Why do thoughts arise at all?' The place from which they arise is prior to thought. What is that placeless place? As for why specific thoughts arise, Rupert responds that he doesn't know.
A man asks how to carry out in the world the sense of community he finds here? Rupert suggests not making a distinction between non-dual and dualistic people. He confesses he doesn't like 'spiritual people', specifically non-dual people, but prefers ordinary people and relates to them all the same.
What do we do if someone lies to us, and we feel hurt? Rupert suggests the first thing would be to ask: 'Who is it that has been hurt?' Has awareness been hurt? No. So notice any area that is not completely in alignment with this understanding, and if needed, address the issue to see where it comes from. There's no reason to feel aggrandised when praised nor hurt when criticised.
A woman, who has been meditating for years, describes her practice of moving in meditation and says she is having a hard time sitting for long periods. Rupert suggests she take her mat to the back of the room and move around if needed, as long as she doesn't disturb people. Feel free within reason to move around.
A woman asks about the idea of loving what you do, rather than feeling as if you are doing something you think you should be doing. Are we under no obligation? Rupert responds that what you do is motivated by love. You may not enjoy the actual activity all the time, but you're doing what you're doing out of love. It's like your sacred duty.
A woman says she finds her way into being by dropping into the body. Rupert replies that it is fine to go into being from a bodily sensation. Normally, our experience of the world is very dense, and since sensations are quite transparent then go from there to the space of awareness. From something relatively coarse, you then go to something even subtler, and then a small step back to the spaceless place of awareness.
A woman says she wants to find a partner for a relationship of the same high quality with which Rupert speaks of his own relationship. Rupert suggests she aspire to nothing less. You won't be satisfied with anything less. Ask God, out loud if you prefer, 'Please send me a companion to share my love.'
A woman asks about the habit of falling asleep whilst meditating. She is concerned this is a way of avoiding intensity. Rupert responds that the highest form of meditation, the ultimate prayer, is to fall asleep whilst remaining awake. He describes what that is like.
A man says he thinks of the mind as a room full of objects to which we direct our attention. Or, he asks, does a thought just arise from awareness? Rupert responds that all experience refers to consciousness, which is a first step. But there is no distance between awareness and a thought, so we recognise that awareness is that in which our thoughts appear and dissolves back into. And finally there is the recognition that a thought is made of nothing but awareness.
A woman asks about the dying process. She says she fears not death but the dying process. Rupert replies that the best preparation for death is resting as being in life. There's nothing to practice, simply rest in being, the one thing that doesn't change at death. 'Die now' means to know yourself as that which eternally is.
A woman asks about the statement, 'we are required to love everyone, but not required to like everyone'. Rupert responds that loving someone and liking them are two different things. We dislike people's behaviour, their actions, not their being.
A man, who suffered childhood sexual abuse, asks about suffering and its association with the belief in separation, as he's confused by the idea of creating one's own suffering, and the idea of complete acceptance. Rupert asks if the man can stand as the space of awareness and face those memories with complete openness. The man responds 'yes'. Acceptance doesn't come from the mind, but from the open space of awareness that rejects nothing.
A woman speaks of clicking with Brother Lawrence's The Practice of the Presence of God, but she doesn't know how to take action in the world and feels like she lives in a cave. Rupert responds that working and caring for your family is where to start, and he encourages her to lead a peaceful life, even if it's in a cave.
Does being have intention or will toward manifestation? And what does 'Thy will be done' mean? Rupert says there is no will to manifest, otherwise that will would exist prior to being. Will emerges in being. 'Thy will be done' is encouragement to the separate self to see that its being is God's being.
A man asks about Rupert's comments about his mentioning that his partner is his greatest teacher. Rupert responds that he sees his partner as the first face of God. His love for God and the love for his partner is indistinguishable.
A woman asks about Rupert Sheldrake's concept of morphic resonance, and if that is the same as being. Rupert says he's not sure that Sheldrake is speaking in the same way about being; rather, Sheldrake seems to refer to two beings at a distance whose minds are connected through morphic resonance. Each mind, Rupert (Spira) counters, is a localisation, but all are connected because they're all the same consciousness at the same frequency.
A woman contributes to the discussion on morphic resonance by comparing it to quantum entanglement – what Einstein calls 'spooky action at a distance'. Rupert agrees with her observations and further expounds that while morphic resonance has to do with thoughts and feelings, and entanglement has more to do with objects, what he speaks of here refers to the connectedness of being.
A woman asks for clarification in regard to the terms 'infinite' and 'finite'. Rupert guides her in self-enquiry to help her experience the peace of infinite being, her true nature.
A question is asked about collective consciousness. Rupert responds that it's a Jungian concept of that aspect of our minds that we share, which we discuss here as the consciousness that underlies all of us, the shared consciousness or shared being.
When you pause before answering a question, what technique are you using? Rupert replies that it is not a technique. He pauses because he doesn't immediately have an answer, and sometimes because he is deeply touched. There are no techniques; he simply offers his mind to God before he arrives at the event. He listens to the questions with his heart.
A man asks about a hum that he hears whilst abiding in awareness. He calls it the hum of God, which he can hear anywhere. Rupert asks the man why his cat will often start purring; it's because it's so grateful for your attention. Regarding the hum you hear, God is purring when you give your love.
A woman says her grandson asked 'Why are we alive?'. When she asked him that question back, he said, 'Because our mind wants us to be.' She turns the question over to Rupert. Rupert responds that there are two reasons to be alive. The first is to discover our true life, which affects our inner life. The second reason is to express that truth, which affects our outer life. He suggests that her grandson was correct – the impulse to return to source, which he was expressing without realising it.
A woman asks, 'Where does a thought come from and why we all have different thought?'. Rupert responds that there is no separate you to think or not to think. There are thoughts but no individual thinker. The thinker is just another thought. Much more important is the question 'Why do thoughts arise at all?' The place from which they arise is prior to thought. What is that placeless place? As for why specific thoughts arise, Rupert responds that he doesn't know.
A man asks how to carry out in the world the sense of community he finds here? Rupert suggests not making a distinction between non-dual and dualistic people. He confesses he doesn't like 'spiritual people', specifically non-dual people, but prefers ordinary people and relates to them all the same.
What do we do if someone lies to us, and we feel hurt? Rupert suggests the first thing would be to ask: 'Who is it that has been hurt?' Has awareness been hurt? No. So notice any area that is not completely in alignment with this understanding, and if needed, address the issue to see where it comes from. There's no reason to feel aggrandised when praised nor hurt when criticised.
A woman, who has been meditating for years, describes her practice of moving in meditation and says she is having a hard time sitting for long periods. Rupert suggests she take her mat to the back of the room and move around if needed, as long as she doesn't disturb people. Feel free within reason to move around.
A woman asks about the idea of loving what you do, rather than feeling as if you are doing something you think you should be doing. Are we under no obligation? Rupert responds that what you do is motivated by love. You may not enjoy the actual activity all the time, but you're doing what you're doing out of love. It's like your sacred duty.
A woman says she finds her way into being by dropping into the body. Rupert replies that it is fine to go into being from a bodily sensation. Normally, our experience of the world is very dense, and since sensations are quite transparent then go from there to the space of awareness. From something relatively coarse, you then go to something even subtler, and then a small step back to the spaceless place of awareness.
A woman says she wants to find a partner for a relationship of the same high quality with which Rupert speaks of his own relationship. Rupert suggests she aspire to nothing less. You won't be satisfied with anything less. Ask God, out loud if you prefer, 'Please send me a companion to share my love.'
A woman asks about the habit of falling asleep whilst meditating. She is concerned this is a way of avoiding intensity. Rupert responds that the highest form of meditation, the ultimate prayer, is to fall asleep whilst remaining awake. He describes what that is like.
A man says he thinks of the mind as a room full of objects to which we direct our attention. Or, he asks, does a thought just arise from awareness? Rupert responds that all experience refers to consciousness, which is a first step. But there is no distance between awareness and a thought, so we recognise that awareness is that in which our thoughts appear and dissolves back into. And finally there is the recognition that a thought is made of nothing but awareness.