Conflict Between Sharing the Understanding and Needing Solitude from the media Love Expands to Include Everyone and Everything
A woman who is an artist, asks about sharing the teaching. After an illness, she moved to the country and lived as a hermit. She found a constant, quiet happiness regardless of her physical condition and it inspired her art. Now she wants to share this happiness with the world but feels conflicted between going out and sharing and her desire for solitude. Rupert suggests using an agent to represent her art out in the world. Artists often don't feel comfortable with that aspect, so they allow an agent to represent them. He recommends looking at Rembrandt's paintings for understanding.
- Duration: 14 minutes and 47 seconds
- Recorded on: Sep 21, 2022
- Event: Seven Day Retreat at The Vedanta – 17th to 24th September
A man shares that he wakes in the early morning feeling depressed and anxious, a feeling that feels like ghosts. Rupert suggests that at this time of night there are no distractions, and the deeper layers of residual tendencies tend to bubble up. Rupert suggests that he feels himself as the resistanceless space of awareness and allow them to come to the surface.
A woman asks about the clothing of teachers – gowns, button-up shirts – which she describes as being alive. Rupert responds that his shirt has been ironed so many times that it is shiny. Perhaps what she's seeing is a kind of projection, the shine of her own being, and it is an example of the tantric principle of the world shining with its true nature, which is the same for everyone.
A woman asks, ‘Why is there the play?’ Rupert suggests that the form is imperfect only from the localised perspective of the separate self. From the perspective of infinite being, all is perfect. It is simply its nature to do so, which is frustrating for the mind, which likes cause and effect. The why question cannot be answered, it can only be undermined.
A woman describes her fear of insomnia, but since the retreat she has been waking up refreshed. Sometimes thoughts of fear around the well-being of the body arise. Rupert replies that the body does need a certain amount of sleep at night, so concern is warranted if you're not getting enough. Try not to be afraid of not sleeping, but experiment, such as listening to a meditation which could put you to sleep. Or read a book.
A woman, who was a student of A Course in Miracles, asks if it is a non-dual teaching. Rupert suggests that he knows several people familiar with it that express that while the language used is different the understanding is the same. Rupert also suggests that the father, son and holy ghost are three aspects of the one.
A woman who is an artist, asks about sharing the teaching. After an illness, she moved to the country and lived as a hermit. She found a constant, quiet happiness regardless of her physical condition and it inspired her art. Now she wants to share this happiness with the world but feels conflicted between going out and sharing and her desire for solitude. Rupert suggests using an agent to represent her art out in the world. Artists often don't feel comfortable with that aspect, so they allow an agent to represent them. He recommends looking at Rembrandt's paintings for understanding.
A man asks about the relationship between teacher, student and grace. Rupert suggests that he was extremely devoted to his teacher but came to realise that the teacher is a placeholder for our devotion to God or the truth in the early stages of our search. The teacher is a beacon that points you in the right direction, but if you stay with the teacher then you don’t take your full journey. A teacher should never accept our attention or devotion. The teacher is not a person.
A woman describes her ayahuasca experience in Peru, which led her to Rupert. She asks about the porous mind as she feels her heart is closed. Rupert suggests that the best remedy for a closed heart is the community found on retreat.
A woman asks about what to do about her constricted self. Rupert suggests that you don’t have to do anything to your experience. If being were limited, we would have to do something to expand it. This is a way of recognition, not effort.
Rupert suggests the recognition is that our being is not just our personal being but extends beyond the physical body as we sink more into being. Love expands beyond our nearest and dearest until we feel we are the being of everything and everyone. Is-ness is the common factor, the same being of all things, not just the am-ness of your being.
A man shares that he wakes in the early morning feeling depressed and anxious, a feeling that feels like ghosts. Rupert suggests that at this time of night there are no distractions, and the deeper layers of residual tendencies tend to bubble up. Rupert suggests that he feels himself as the resistanceless space of awareness and allow them to come to the surface.
A woman asks about the clothing of teachers – gowns, button-up shirts – which she describes as being alive. Rupert responds that his shirt has been ironed so many times that it is shiny. Perhaps what she's seeing is a kind of projection, the shine of her own being, and it is an example of the tantric principle of the world shining with its true nature, which is the same for everyone.
A woman asks, ‘Why is there the play?’ Rupert suggests that the form is imperfect only from the localised perspective of the separate self. From the perspective of infinite being, all is perfect. It is simply its nature to do so, which is frustrating for the mind, which likes cause and effect. The why question cannot be answered, it can only be undermined.
A woman describes her fear of insomnia, but since the retreat she has been waking up refreshed. Sometimes thoughts of fear around the well-being of the body arise. Rupert replies that the body does need a certain amount of sleep at night, so concern is warranted if you're not getting enough. Try not to be afraid of not sleeping, but experiment, such as listening to a meditation which could put you to sleep. Or read a book.
A woman, who was a student of A Course in Miracles, asks if it is a non-dual teaching. Rupert suggests that he knows several people familiar with it that express that while the language used is different the understanding is the same. Rupert also suggests that the father, son and holy ghost are three aspects of the one.
A woman who is an artist, asks about sharing the teaching. After an illness, she moved to the country and lived as a hermit. She found a constant, quiet happiness regardless of her physical condition and it inspired her art. Now she wants to share this happiness with the world but feels conflicted between going out and sharing and her desire for solitude. Rupert suggests using an agent to represent her art out in the world. Artists often don't feel comfortable with that aspect, so they allow an agent to represent them. He recommends looking at Rembrandt's paintings for understanding.
A man asks about the relationship between teacher, student and grace. Rupert suggests that he was extremely devoted to his teacher but came to realise that the teacher is a placeholder for our devotion to God or the truth in the early stages of our search. The teacher is a beacon that points you in the right direction, but if you stay with the teacher then you don’t take your full journey. A teacher should never accept our attention or devotion. The teacher is not a person.
A woman describes her ayahuasca experience in Peru, which led her to Rupert. She asks about the porous mind as she feels her heart is closed. Rupert suggests that the best remedy for a closed heart is the community found on retreat.
A woman asks about what to do about her constricted self. Rupert suggests that you don’t have to do anything to your experience. If being were limited, we would have to do something to expand it. This is a way of recognition, not effort.
Rupert suggests the recognition is that our being is not just our personal being but extends beyond the physical body as we sink more into being. Love expands beyond our nearest and dearest until we feel we are the being of everything and everyone. Is-ness is the common factor, the same being of all things, not just the am-ness of your being.