The Highest Prayer is Simply Just Being from the media The One Substance of All Experience
A woman questions the nature of prayer and who she is speaking to. Rupert explains that while prayer to a distant God is valid, the highest prayer is simply being itself, where there is no separate self speaking to God but only God’s infinite being knowing itself as ‘I am’.
- Duration: 9 minutes and 33 seconds
- Recorded on: Nov 19, 2024
- Event: Seven-Day Retreat at The Vedanta – 15 to 22 November 2024
The participant describes a practice of deepening into ‘I am’ and confusion between awareness and mental knowing. Rupert explains that being aware is not a concept but our most fundamental experience, illustrating through sensing and perception how awareness precedes and pervades all experience. He emphasises that awareness is like a screen on which all experiences appear but remains unchanged by them.
An attendee observes how all questions seem to point to the same truth. Rupert acknowledges this, explaining how the teaching confronts fundamental assumptions of separation that underlie human suffering. He emphasises that understanding unity should be the foundation of all education and human endeavour, particularly in politics and leadership.
A woman explores how to integrate breath awareness with being aware of awareness itself. Rupert explains that while using breath as an initial anchor is fine, one should eventually let go of both the breath and the thought to let go, allowing attention to rest naturally in being. Through gentle persistence, one gradually moves from visiting being to living there.
A man questions the apparent contradiction between seeing different energetic qualities in objects and the understanding of non-dual reality. Rupert explains that while at the absolute level everything is made of consciousness, at the relative level certain objects, like sacred buildings, are specifically designed to reveal reality experientially.
A woman questions the nature of prayer and who she is speaking to. Rupert explains that while prayer to a distant God is valid, the highest prayer is simply being itself, where there is no separate self speaking to God but only God’s infinite being knowing itself as ‘I am’.
A man shares his journey of learning to face rather than turn away from intense experiences. Rupert encourages not using non-dual understanding as a refuge from life but seeing all experiences, however challenging, as consciousness itself. He emphasises that the dissolution of separation can be gentle and that service naturally flows from recognition.
The participant enquires about maintaining integrity in business while dealing with difficult contractors. Rupert shares a personal story about confronting staff at the retreat centre, illustrating how sacred anger and firm boundaries can co-exist with and even serve the understanding of unity, provided they come from an impersonal place rather than ego.
Discussing trauma and healing, the participant questions Rupert’s statement that trauma isn’t stored in the body. He clarifies that this teaching aims to free people from the belief that they are permanently bound by past trauma, emphasising that what we are is inherently whole and free now, like space that remains unchanged by what passes through it.
The participant expresses difficulty in experiencing oneness despite intellectual understanding. Rupert guides him through a contemplation of knowing as the one substance of all experience, explaining how the appearance of multiplicity doesn’t negate the fundamental unity of being.
Reflecting on a film scene, the participant asks about maintaining relationships while deepening in understanding. Rupert describes how relationships either expand to accommodate deeper understanding or naturally dissolve, emphasising that genuine love remains even when forms change.
A participant enquires about how Rupert’s teaching approach has become more direct over time. Rupert explains his growing commitment to sharing the highest understanding with minimal concessions, while acknowledging that different approaches may be appropriate for different people at different times.
The participant describes a practice of deepening into ‘I am’ and confusion between awareness and mental knowing. Rupert explains that being aware is not a concept but our most fundamental experience, illustrating through sensing and perception how awareness precedes and pervades all experience. He emphasises that awareness is like a screen on which all experiences appear but remains unchanged by them.
An attendee observes how all questions seem to point to the same truth. Rupert acknowledges this, explaining how the teaching confronts fundamental assumptions of separation that underlie human suffering. He emphasises that understanding unity should be the foundation of all education and human endeavour, particularly in politics and leadership.
A woman explores how to integrate breath awareness with being aware of awareness itself. Rupert explains that while using breath as an initial anchor is fine, one should eventually let go of both the breath and the thought to let go, allowing attention to rest naturally in being. Through gentle persistence, one gradually moves from visiting being to living there.
A man questions the apparent contradiction between seeing different energetic qualities in objects and the understanding of non-dual reality. Rupert explains that while at the absolute level everything is made of consciousness, at the relative level certain objects, like sacred buildings, are specifically designed to reveal reality experientially.
A woman questions the nature of prayer and who she is speaking to. Rupert explains that while prayer to a distant God is valid, the highest prayer is simply being itself, where there is no separate self speaking to God but only God’s infinite being knowing itself as ‘I am’.
A man shares his journey of learning to face rather than turn away from intense experiences. Rupert encourages not using non-dual understanding as a refuge from life but seeing all experiences, however challenging, as consciousness itself. He emphasises that the dissolution of separation can be gentle and that service naturally flows from recognition.
The participant enquires about maintaining integrity in business while dealing with difficult contractors. Rupert shares a personal story about confronting staff at the retreat centre, illustrating how sacred anger and firm boundaries can co-exist with and even serve the understanding of unity, provided they come from an impersonal place rather than ego.
Discussing trauma and healing, the participant questions Rupert’s statement that trauma isn’t stored in the body. He clarifies that this teaching aims to free people from the belief that they are permanently bound by past trauma, emphasising that what we are is inherently whole and free now, like space that remains unchanged by what passes through it.
The participant expresses difficulty in experiencing oneness despite intellectual understanding. Rupert guides him through a contemplation of knowing as the one substance of all experience, explaining how the appearance of multiplicity doesn’t negate the fundamental unity of being.
Reflecting on a film scene, the participant asks about maintaining relationships while deepening in understanding. Rupert describes how relationships either expand to accommodate deeper understanding or naturally dissolve, emphasising that genuine love remains even when forms change.
A participant enquires about how Rupert’s teaching approach has become more direct over time. Rupert explains his growing commitment to sharing the highest understanding with minimal concessions, while acknowledging that different approaches may be appropriate for different people at different times.