Accessing Peace and Joy in Prayer and Meditation

Normally, we are aware of objects – thoughts, feelings, perceptions. In meditation or prayer, we are simply aware of being, which cannot be an object of awareness. We are our being. In meditation, we relinquish the focus of attention from objects and come back to the simple awareness of being. Thoughts, sensations and perceptions are finite and have form and location. Being is without form, without finite qualities and shares none of the limitations that characterise experience. At the deepest level, we are not human beings, we are simply being. Nor can we be separate beings, for having no form there is nothing that divides one being from another. Sound the divine name ‘I’ once and be drawn into its referent. The essence of meditation, the art of prayer, is awareness of being, the practice of the presence of God. Peace and joy are accessed by sinking deeply into being, into silence, into the heart.

Rupert suggests that we give our attention to being in response to a man who asks about how to deal with emotions when practising self-abidance. Rupert suggests that we not deal with them – that we neither surrender nor ignore them. Just give our attention to being. Using the analogy of traffic, Rupert says that sometimes the traffic outside is quiet and calm and sometimes it is loud and busy. Nevertheless, we just sit in our room at home in the peace of our being and let the traffic be.

Rupert suggests asking, ‘What is the nature of being now?’ when a man asks about the personal god. Rupert suggests that the personal god is referred to as a compassionate concession to the one who believes they are a separate self. When the man asks how to incorporate this as a practice, Rupert suggests spending time each day with this contemplation, not rigidly or mechanically but tailored to our life circumstances, as well as giving our attention to this in the midst of activities.

A question is asked about consciousness in deep sleep and death. Rupert responds that being, or consciousness, is like the space in the room; it exists the same now as it always has, whether the room is there or not.

A man asks if thoughts and decisions just come and go like the weather. Rupert asks him if that thought came to him spontaneously or whether he chose it. He reiterates that there are choices, but they are not made by a person because the person doesn’t exist. It is not a question of an individual self who has free will to be free or not free. There is freedom from the self not for the self.

A woman expresses her gratitude for this teaching and says that she feels as though we have somehow manifested Rupert to express it. Rupert suggests that the older he gets, the more he realises that he knows nothing. In fact, the teaching is manifested by all of us. It is an interaction between all our minds. It doesn’t belong to a person or come from a person.

Feel free to express your understanding, suggests Rupert in response to a woman who is writing a memoir. She shares that she is coming to the part of her book when she encounters this teaching and is nervous about how to share it without being misleading. Rupert says she doesn’t need to worry about that; it will inhibit the free flow.

A man asks for clarification of the term ‘world culture’ and asks why war exists. Rupert responds that war is initiated and perpetuated by those who do not know the nature of their self or their being – whether that conflict is between individuals, communities or nations. Rupert refers to culture as the expression of understanding, love and beauty in human activities and relationships. Ultimately, there are no individual people, but we can link these two levels: true culture comes from the intuition of the invisible and unlimited reality.

A woman speaks of her fear of reprisal in sharing the teaching after awakening and being teased and rejected for sharing what she knew. This resulted in her sometimes forgetting the realisation. Rupert responds that he had a similar experience and encourages her not to worry about any residues of separation but continue to sink more deeply into the silence of her being, and the shell, or residue of self, will dissolve.

'Stand in your being', suggests Rupert to a man who experiences discomfort in his legs, which makes him feel awkward when he is talking with others. Rupert suggests that there are some sensations that rise in the body that are counterparts to the separate self, others are functional, while others are due to a problem with your body – in this case, the man’s legs. It is natural to avoid pain and to have it checked out by a doctor. Regarding the feeling of awkwardness when relating with others, this comes from losing touch with our being. When we stand in our being, we remain open and undefended. There is no need to impress as all our interactions are informed by our being. Rupert suggests that the man gives himself fully to the conversation, just as he is doing in this exchange.

Does the craving to understand come from the mind? Rupert suggests it comes from the love of truth but that will not be understood by the mind. However, the need to articulate the truth is different than the desire to understand; that need comes from love of truth but is tainted by the ego. Pure desire to articulate the truth is an overflowing of your love of truth.

The tension or seeking relaxes, suggests Rupert in response to a man who asks if the seeking mechanisms ever drops away. Rupert explains that the process of seeking involves attention, which is the stretching towards something – an object, substance or even a more refined object like enlightenment. As our understanding deepens, this stretching tension diminishes.

A woman who says 'I don't know anything' asks about what love is in relation to consciousness. Rupert says she knows for certain that she is, and love is the recognition that we share our being with everything and everyone. All made of consciousness, which is the ultimate reality.

A woman asks what is meant by 'Everything is inside us?' Rupert responds that it means everything is inside us not as individual selves, but as consciousness. Everything exists in, and as, God's being, which is what we are.

Recognising one’s true nature is not enough to put an end to dysfunctional behaviour, suggests Rupert. The habits of the separate self run very deep, below the waking-state mind. We may have glimpses of it, but we will still display behaviour that expresses residues of the sense of separation. We don’t just give up habits because that does nothing to impulse. It supresses the behaviour, but when the discipline of suppression is lifted the habit comes back with a vengeance. We don’t discipline the habit or impulse, we explore it.

Normally, we are aware of objects – thoughts, feelings, perceptions. In meditation or prayer, we are simply aware of being, which cannot be an object of awareness. We are our being. In meditation, we relinquish the focus of attention from objects and come back to the simple awareness of being. Thoughts, sensations and perceptions are finite and have form and location. Being is without form, without finite qualities and shares none of the limitations that characterise experience. At the deepest level, we are not human beings, we are simply being. Nor can we be separate beings, for having no form there is nothing that divides one being from another. Sound the divine name ‘I’ once and be drawn into its referent. The essence of meditation, the art of prayer, is awareness of being, the practice of the presence of God. Peace and joy are accessed by sinking deeply into being, into silence, into the heart.

Rupert suggests that we give our attention to being in response to a man who asks about how to deal with emotions when practising self-abidance. Rupert suggests that we not deal with them – that we neither surrender nor ignore them. Just give our attention to being. Using the analogy of traffic, Rupert says that sometimes the traffic outside is quiet and calm and sometimes it is loud and busy. Nevertheless, we just sit in our room at home in the peace of our being and let the traffic be.

Rupert suggests asking, ‘What is the nature of being now?’ when a man asks about the personal god. Rupert suggests that the personal god is referred to as a compassionate concession to the one who believes they are a separate self. When the man asks how to incorporate this as a practice, Rupert suggests spending time each day with this contemplation, not rigidly or mechanically but tailored to our life circumstances, as well as giving our attention to this in the midst of activities.

A question is asked about consciousness in deep sleep and death. Rupert responds that being, or consciousness, is like the space in the room; it exists the same now as it always has, whether the room is there or not.

A man asks if thoughts and decisions just come and go like the weather. Rupert asks him if that thought came to him spontaneously or whether he chose it. He reiterates that there are choices, but they are not made by a person because the person doesn’t exist. It is not a question of an individual self who has free will to be free or not free. There is freedom from the self not for the self.

A woman expresses her gratitude for this teaching and says that she feels as though we have somehow manifested Rupert to express it. Rupert suggests that the older he gets, the more he realises that he knows nothing. In fact, the teaching is manifested by all of us. It is an interaction between all our minds. It doesn’t belong to a person or come from a person.

Feel free to express your understanding, suggests Rupert in response to a woman who is writing a memoir. She shares that she is coming to the part of her book when she encounters this teaching and is nervous about how to share it without being misleading. Rupert says she doesn’t need to worry about that; it will inhibit the free flow.

A man asks for clarification of the term ‘world culture’ and asks why war exists. Rupert responds that war is initiated and perpetuated by those who do not know the nature of their self or their being – whether that conflict is between individuals, communities or nations. Rupert refers to culture as the expression of understanding, love and beauty in human activities and relationships. Ultimately, there are no individual people, but we can link these two levels: true culture comes from the intuition of the invisible and unlimited reality.

A woman speaks of her fear of reprisal in sharing the teaching after awakening and being teased and rejected for sharing what she knew. This resulted in her sometimes forgetting the realisation. Rupert responds that he had a similar experience and encourages her not to worry about any residues of separation but continue to sink more deeply into the silence of her being, and the shell, or residue of self, will dissolve.

'Stand in your being', suggests Rupert to a man who experiences discomfort in his legs, which makes him feel awkward when he is talking with others. Rupert suggests that there are some sensations that rise in the body that are counterparts to the separate self, others are functional, while others are due to a problem with your body – in this case, the man’s legs. It is natural to avoid pain and to have it checked out by a doctor. Regarding the feeling of awkwardness when relating with others, this comes from losing touch with our being. When we stand in our being, we remain open and undefended. There is no need to impress as all our interactions are informed by our being. Rupert suggests that the man gives himself fully to the conversation, just as he is doing in this exchange.

Does the craving to understand come from the mind? Rupert suggests it comes from the love of truth but that will not be understood by the mind. However, the need to articulate the truth is different than the desire to understand; that need comes from love of truth but is tainted by the ego. Pure desire to articulate the truth is an overflowing of your love of truth.

The tension or seeking relaxes, suggests Rupert in response to a man who asks if the seeking mechanisms ever drops away. Rupert explains that the process of seeking involves attention, which is the stretching towards something – an object, substance or even a more refined object like enlightenment. As our understanding deepens, this stretching tension diminishes.

A woman who says 'I don't know anything' asks about what love is in relation to consciousness. Rupert says she knows for certain that she is, and love is the recognition that we share our being with everything and everyone. All made of consciousness, which is the ultimate reality.

A woman asks what is meant by 'Everything is inside us?' Rupert responds that it means everything is inside us not as individual selves, but as consciousness. Everything exists in, and as, God's being, which is what we are.

Recognising one’s true nature is not enough to put an end to dysfunctional behaviour, suggests Rupert. The habits of the separate self run very deep, below the waking-state mind. We may have glimpses of it, but we will still display behaviour that expresses residues of the sense of separation. We don’t just give up habits because that does nothing to impulse. It supresses the behaviour, but when the discipline of suppression is lifted the habit comes back with a vengeance. We don’t discipline the habit or impulse, we explore it.