Why There's So Much Suffering in the World from the media How to Truly Return to Being
A woman, who struggles with the question of why there is so much suffering in the world, asks Rupert for his perspective on the current situation of the planet. Rupert agrees that it is saddening to witness what is happening to humanity, with the extensive sorrow and conflict. He notes that almost all of it originates from the belief in separation, from overlooking our oneness. He believes that the only hope for humanity is a fundamental paradigm shift towards non-duality.
- Duration: 5 minutes and 12 seconds
- Recorded on: Mar 24, 2024
- Event: Seven-Day Retreat at Garrison Institute – 22 to 29 March 2024
A man asks if he will feel alive 24/7 once he becomes realised. Rupert responds that consciousness is always realised, perpetually wide awake, akin to how the sun constantly shines with the same brightness. Your awareness is now active 24/7, irrespective of the mind’s actions. He advises against focusing on becoming realised; the individual never actually becomes realised – awareness is always realised. It doesn’t become enlightened because it was never endarkened.
A woman, who struggles with the question of why there is so much suffering in the world, asks Rupert for his perspective on the current situation of the planet. Rupert agrees that it is saddening to witness what is happening to humanity, with the extensive sorrow and conflict. He notes that almost all of it originates from the belief in separation, from overlooking our oneness. He believes that the only hope for humanity is a fundamental paradigm shift towards non-duality.
A man, who was struck by a quote from Ramana Maharshi: ‘Experience takes place only in the present, and beyond and apart from experience, nothing exists,’ enquires how this is different from solipsism. Rupert replies that in his more radical mood, he might even say, such as during a meditation that morning, ‘Nothing exists, period.’ By ‘exist’, he means ‘to stand out from’; nothing stands out from being with an independent reality. All things, everything, borrow their seeming existence from that which is.
A woman, accustomed to engaging her mind during meditation, is uncertain whether she truly goes back to her being. Rupert says it is more accurate to say ‘be knowingly the presence of awareness’ than ‘to go back to awareness of being.’ He guides her in self-enquiry, asking if her thoughts arise in some kind of space, then to describe this space.
A woman shares her experience of encountering a border she didn’t cross during meditation that morning and asks about trust. Rupert says that there are regions of our experience that are less accessible than others, such as the personal and collective unconscious, which are not available to us during the waking state. She is right to want to trust awareness because awareness is the only trustworthy element of experience; it doesn’t change. She is right not to trust him; he would advise doubting him, as she has to discover it for herself. We have to undertake the exploration ourselves.
A man enquires about health and how to accept a chronic illness. Rupert says that he is right not to simply accept it; he should attend to it and do whatever is necessary to heal it. The ultimate healing, according to Rupert, is seeing the body as pure consciousness, experiencing the wholeness of the body. He recommends doing both: taking care of the body in the conventional sense as best as one can, and also experiencing the ultimate healing.
A woman, who says she doesn’t fully understand the words Rupert uses during meditation, mentions that this lack of understanding has led her to a sense of wonder and asks for guidance. Rupert replies by saying that there are two ways to listen to his meditations: one is analytical and rational, and the other is similar to how one would listen to a poem or a piece of music, allowing the words to bypass the analytical mind. ‘If it leads you to understanding, don’t worry about how it works. Listen to it as if it were poetry,’ he recommends to her.
A man asks if he will feel alive 24/7 once he becomes realised. Rupert responds that consciousness is always realised, perpetually wide awake, akin to how the sun constantly shines with the same brightness. Your awareness is now active 24/7, irrespective of the mind’s actions. He advises against focusing on becoming realised; the individual never actually becomes realised – awareness is always realised. It doesn’t become enlightened because it was never endarkened.
A woman, who struggles with the question of why there is so much suffering in the world, asks Rupert for his perspective on the current situation of the planet. Rupert agrees that it is saddening to witness what is happening to humanity, with the extensive sorrow and conflict. He notes that almost all of it originates from the belief in separation, from overlooking our oneness. He believes that the only hope for humanity is a fundamental paradigm shift towards non-duality.
A man, who was struck by a quote from Ramana Maharshi: ‘Experience takes place only in the present, and beyond and apart from experience, nothing exists,’ enquires how this is different from solipsism. Rupert replies that in his more radical mood, he might even say, such as during a meditation that morning, ‘Nothing exists, period.’ By ‘exist’, he means ‘to stand out from’; nothing stands out from being with an independent reality. All things, everything, borrow their seeming existence from that which is.
A woman, accustomed to engaging her mind during meditation, is uncertain whether she truly goes back to her being. Rupert says it is more accurate to say ‘be knowingly the presence of awareness’ than ‘to go back to awareness of being.’ He guides her in self-enquiry, asking if her thoughts arise in some kind of space, then to describe this space.
A woman shares her experience of encountering a border she didn’t cross during meditation that morning and asks about trust. Rupert says that there are regions of our experience that are less accessible than others, such as the personal and collective unconscious, which are not available to us during the waking state. She is right to want to trust awareness because awareness is the only trustworthy element of experience; it doesn’t change. She is right not to trust him; he would advise doubting him, as she has to discover it for herself. We have to undertake the exploration ourselves.
A man enquires about health and how to accept a chronic illness. Rupert says that he is right not to simply accept it; he should attend to it and do whatever is necessary to heal it. The ultimate healing, according to Rupert, is seeing the body as pure consciousness, experiencing the wholeness of the body. He recommends doing both: taking care of the body in the conventional sense as best as one can, and also experiencing the ultimate healing.
A woman, who says she doesn’t fully understand the words Rupert uses during meditation, mentions that this lack of understanding has led her to a sense of wonder and asks for guidance. Rupert replies by saying that there are two ways to listen to his meditations: one is analytical and rational, and the other is similar to how one would listen to a poem or a piece of music, allowing the words to bypass the analytical mind. ‘If it leads you to understanding, don’t worry about how it works. Listen to it as if it were poetry,’ he recommends to her.