And My Mind Falls Silent Again
- Duration: Video: 1 hour, 57 minutes, and 27 seconds / Audio: 1 hour, 57 minutes, and 27 seconds
- Recorded on: Mar 29, 2024
- Event: Seven-Day Retreat at Garrison Institute – 22 to 29 March 2024
As I sit here, open, empty, available, words, sentences begin to form in my mind. But this morning, each one is followed by a question. Is it really necessary to say that? Does anything I could say add anything to the peace that is the nature of being on the inside, and love that is the nature of our shared being on the outside? And then Rumi’s words come to me: ‘In the existence of your love, I become non-existent. This non-existence linked to you is better than anything I ever found in existence.’ And my mind falls silent again.
A woman is struggling with the outward-facing path and how to engage with it amidst the climate change crisis. Rupert replies that the outward-facing path is not about adding something to our experience. We can cooperate with this process and ensure that the qualities of our being are consistent with our lives. The capacities of the individual mind remain intact even after the feeling of separation is cleansed from our minds and bodies. With friendship, creativity, and celebration, such a mind is then available to flourish when infused with this understanding.
Conversation about friendship, specifically long-term friendship with people who don’t share this understanding. Rupert recommends staying friends with old friends who have no interest in nonduality. Rupert still has friends from years ago with whom he shares a deep connection, even though they are not interested in nonduality. He also has new friends in Oxfordshire who don’t share their interest in nonduality. Rupert says that, apart from on retreats, he doesn’t frequently talk about nonduality.
A woman asks about the implications of the illusory aspects of time and space. It seems that there will never be a resolution to the conflicts and crises around the world. Does it make sense to solve all the conflicts in the world, or is it an irrelevant take on the world? Is being our true self spiritual bypassing? Rupert says that we have to be really careful. To be able to look at the world and say, ‘I’m completely happy with the isness of the situation’, if misunderstood, can be deemed very offensive and hurtful to some. To rephrase, we can say that someone who wants to help alleviate the suffering in the world comes from the intuition of the unity of being. Because being is the nature of reality, it is present in everybody’s experience.
A woman shares that on this retreat, she experimented with being more open with friends and expresses her gratitude to all the friends. Rupert responds with the quote from Thich Nhat Hanh that the next Buddha is the community of friends who have grown up around this love and understanding. Wherever this understanding arises, in a person or in a group, the community that has gathered around the formulation of the teaching is itself a vehicle for this understanding.
A woman shares that during the last meditation the day before, she finally understood that she can remain in being while being active. She shared a story about Rumi that she heard from Arash, that when Rumi met Shams Tabrizi, he understood the same thing. Rupert replied that we all have to meet our inner Shams Tabrizi. For some, it may be a person, for others, a circumstance that shatters our view of ourselves and how others perceive us. This can be very painful and challenging, but once you have been through this and the pain subsides, you may feel you are something larger than the person you appear to be, most importantly, beyond our spiritual personas.
In a conversation about dealing with unkind people, Rupert suggests thanking God for these individuals. He emphasises that true surrender to God involves letting go of all 'buts' and 'thens'. This means offering an unconditional 'thank you' without seeking reasons or understanding. It's about surrender, not bargaining.
A man wants to thank everybody for the love. He says that he doesn’t need sight for love. ‘It’s so beautiful’, he says, adding that Rupert created a great love potion. Rupert thanks Mani.
A man says that he let go of a desire to be recognised by the teacher and the hope to be special, as layers of his personality left him. What they left him with was the realisation that being is impersonal and infinite. He says that God's being shines in him and he does not need to look for love on the outside. The recognition of our shared being left him astonished.
A woman shares a poem from Hafiz.
As I sit here, open, empty, available, words, sentences begin to form in my mind. But this morning, each one is followed by a question. Is it really necessary to say that? Does anything I could say add anything to the peace that is the nature of being on the inside, and love that is the nature of our shared being on the outside? And then Rumi’s words come to me: ‘In the existence of your love, I become non-existent. This non-existence linked to you is better than anything I ever found in existence.’ And my mind falls silent again.
A woman is struggling with the outward-facing path and how to engage with it amidst the climate change crisis. Rupert replies that the outward-facing path is not about adding something to our experience. We can cooperate with this process and ensure that the qualities of our being are consistent with our lives. The capacities of the individual mind remain intact even after the feeling of separation is cleansed from our minds and bodies. With friendship, creativity, and celebration, such a mind is then available to flourish when infused with this understanding.
Conversation about friendship, specifically long-term friendship with people who don’t share this understanding. Rupert recommends staying friends with old friends who have no interest in nonduality. Rupert still has friends from years ago with whom he shares a deep connection, even though they are not interested in nonduality. He also has new friends in Oxfordshire who don’t share their interest in nonduality. Rupert says that, apart from on retreats, he doesn’t frequently talk about nonduality.
A woman asks about the implications of the illusory aspects of time and space. It seems that there will never be a resolution to the conflicts and crises around the world. Does it make sense to solve all the conflicts in the world, or is it an irrelevant take on the world? Is being our true self spiritual bypassing? Rupert says that we have to be really careful. To be able to look at the world and say, ‘I’m completely happy with the isness of the situation’, if misunderstood, can be deemed very offensive and hurtful to some. To rephrase, we can say that someone who wants to help alleviate the suffering in the world comes from the intuition of the unity of being. Because being is the nature of reality, it is present in everybody’s experience.
A woman shares that on this retreat, she experimented with being more open with friends and expresses her gratitude to all the friends. Rupert responds with the quote from Thich Nhat Hanh that the next Buddha is the community of friends who have grown up around this love and understanding. Wherever this understanding arises, in a person or in a group, the community that has gathered around the formulation of the teaching is itself a vehicle for this understanding.
A woman shares that during the last meditation the day before, she finally understood that she can remain in being while being active. She shared a story about Rumi that she heard from Arash, that when Rumi met Shams Tabrizi, he understood the same thing. Rupert replied that we all have to meet our inner Shams Tabrizi. For some, it may be a person, for others, a circumstance that shatters our view of ourselves and how others perceive us. This can be very painful and challenging, but once you have been through this and the pain subsides, you may feel you are something larger than the person you appear to be, most importantly, beyond our spiritual personas.
In a conversation about dealing with unkind people, Rupert suggests thanking God for these individuals. He emphasises that true surrender to God involves letting go of all 'buts' and 'thens'. This means offering an unconditional 'thank you' without seeking reasons or understanding. It's about surrender, not bargaining.
A man wants to thank everybody for the love. He says that he doesn’t need sight for love. ‘It’s so beautiful’, he says, adding that Rupert created a great love potion. Rupert thanks Mani.
A man says that he let go of a desire to be recognised by the teacher and the hope to be special, as layers of his personality left him. What they left him with was the realisation that being is impersonal and infinite. He says that God's being shines in him and he does not need to look for love on the outside. The recognition of our shared being left him astonished.
A woman shares a poem from Hafiz.