Being Is the Same at Birth and at Death

A woman says she falls asleep during meditation, which feels like love and acceptance, but she doesn't feel it in her heart. Rupert says it is perfectly fine to fall asleep during meditation. And he does sit down every morning with a feeling of love towards all present, which is what she feels.

A woman says that when she is asleep she has no experience of awareness. Rupert suggests that saying 'I am asleep' is a misnomer. It is the absence of thinking and perceiving. There is only one 'I', which is always aware. That is the only 'I' that is in you and is present everywhere.

A man asks about the idea of transmission. Rupert responds that the idea of transmission is from an early stage of understanding that assumes the existence of an individual who transmits and another who receives transmission. The way it might be expressed at a retreat is a matter of the teaching being magnified or as a resonanance in the group.

A man describes an experience of transmission he experienced within spending two minutes with Mother Theresa, which discombobulated him for months until it was explained that Mother Theresa experienced everyone she meets as Christ. Rupert is silent, and the man says no response is necessary.

A woman speaks of the way the experience of witnessing has changed, and she asks about a comment about infinity being infinitely vast. Rupert suggests she is on the right path regarding the witness in that the second step, whereby the witness loses its localisation, the mind attempts to make sense of that de-localisation. Infinity is not vast, it has no dimensions at all, not within time and space.

A woman asks about an experience she has of feeling unlocalised, which is similar to experiences she's had in nature and with animals. As soon as she thinks about it, it becomes a subject–object experience. She asks how to approach this differently. Rupert responds that it is a beautiful observation. The experiences referred to in nature and with animals ring true – the mind steps in and attempts to interpret those experiences from its own limitations, which is subject–object. There is no need to get beyond the mind's interpretation, just stay with the experience and only formulate it if the circumstances require that formulation. The experience is true. Understanding does not take place in the mind, it can only be formulated by the mind.

A woman asks about desire, whether it is an obstacle or a portal. Rupert responds that some desires attempt to use the world in service of happiness. And other desires use our happiness in service to the world. There are numerous desires that come from peace, love or happiness that are appropriate to be shared.

A man describes flipping between efforting and effortless silence during meditation. He asks how to come back to the effortlessness. Rupert suggests that the sound of silence is like the screensaver on the screen. It's not all the way but the last object, or experience, before beingness. Take one step back and abide as that. Each time you go back, you are weakening the pull of being drawn to the content of experience.

A question is asked about deep sleep, which is the same as meditation. What is it that is awake? Rupert clarifies that when sleeping, thoughts and perceptions are switched off, which is similar to meditation.

A man tells Rupert that his teachings are so beautiful and helpful that he has come all the way from Mumbai to attend this retreat and expressses his gratitude.

A woman says the differences between meditation and self-abidance are falling away, that she relates this to the Tantric experience, and now she doesn't think of abidance as a practice, rather as a place we like to go. Rupert replies 'yes'. Being doesn't need to be told to abide in itself. The highest teaching would be abide as that which is a minimal suggestion. At a certain stage of understanding, self-abidance is not really a practice, but there is a pull to rest there.

A woman says she used to be distracted by the ego but now she's experiencing 'movies of faces', all kinds of faces arising of everybody she knows and has known. Rupert suggests that it can be used as a practice, such as during a Zoom webinar whilst in gallery view, to realise it's all one screen. These appearances of faces indicate your shared being, the seeing that it's all the same being, and provide an opportunity to love them all equally.

A woman, who serves as a palliative-care chaplain, asks about the right-to-die option people choose because they want to die with dignity. Rupert suggests that there are so many ways the dying process takes place, from gradual and peaceful, to abrupt and violent, it would be hard to say, or to judge, what is natural or preferable, or what is right.

A man asks how to bring the lightness of being to his everyday existence. Rupert responds that it is much easier to do when on retreat because there are very few pulls on your attention. Then you go into the world, and there are more pulls. When you return to being, abiding as being, then fewer and fewer experiences have the power to pull you away.

A man came to the realisation that everythng was knowing, but that perspective disappeared after a few days. He asks how to get back to that clarity. Rupert says he speaks more about being than consciousness these days because it is easier to see being as the fundamental nature of everything.

A man, who has struggled with memory problems, says that he has flashes of memory whilst in meditation. He wonders if he should follow those flashes, or are they a distraction? Rupert suggest they are not a distraction, but you do not need to follow them. These memories, which are pre-trauma, are not normally accessible, and there is not the great need to protect yourself because your being, your true nature, has never been hurt or touched by trauma. So the memories come up, which is good; no need to do anyting with them. The fact that they are coming up is enough.

A man asks how to allow intuition to be more accessible. Rupert says that intuition tends to reside in the deeper layers of our mind and is obscured by the louder aspects of everyday life. To the extent that we are established as being, the tyranny of the mind diminishes, making intuition more prevalent. Keep on being, not trying.

A question is asked about the beginning of beingness. Rupert says it's not just that being has always been, but that there is no actual thing such as time – no time when being wasn't present. Being is eternal. Time is imagined by the mind and being doesn't exist in that imagined time. He uses the Mary-and-Jane analogy to explain further.

A man asks about the qualities of being, specifically the quality of changelessness. Rupert asks the man to imagine he is a newborn infant with the experience of being. 'Describe the qualities you have of being. And then imagine this being at the end of life. Describe it from there. The two experiences, at birth and death, are the same. Being is the same.'

A woman says she falls asleep during meditation, which feels like love and acceptance, but she doesn't feel it in her heart. Rupert says it is perfectly fine to fall asleep during meditation. And he does sit down every morning with a feeling of love towards all present, which is what she feels.

A woman says that when she is asleep she has no experience of awareness. Rupert suggests that saying 'I am asleep' is a misnomer. It is the absence of thinking and perceiving. There is only one 'I', which is always aware. That is the only 'I' that is in you and is present everywhere.

A man asks about the idea of transmission. Rupert responds that the idea of transmission is from an early stage of understanding that assumes the existence of an individual who transmits and another who receives transmission. The way it might be expressed at a retreat is a matter of the teaching being magnified or as a resonanance in the group.

A man describes an experience of transmission he experienced within spending two minutes with Mother Theresa, which discombobulated him for months until it was explained that Mother Theresa experienced everyone she meets as Christ. Rupert is silent, and the man says no response is necessary.

A woman speaks of the way the experience of witnessing has changed, and she asks about a comment about infinity being infinitely vast. Rupert suggests she is on the right path regarding the witness in that the second step, whereby the witness loses its localisation, the mind attempts to make sense of that de-localisation. Infinity is not vast, it has no dimensions at all, not within time and space.

A woman asks about an experience she has of feeling unlocalised, which is similar to experiences she's had in nature and with animals. As soon as she thinks about it, it becomes a subject–object experience. She asks how to approach this differently. Rupert responds that it is a beautiful observation. The experiences referred to in nature and with animals ring true – the mind steps in and attempts to interpret those experiences from its own limitations, which is subject–object. There is no need to get beyond the mind's interpretation, just stay with the experience and only formulate it if the circumstances require that formulation. The experience is true. Understanding does not take place in the mind, it can only be formulated by the mind.

A woman asks about desire, whether it is an obstacle or a portal. Rupert responds that some desires attempt to use the world in service of happiness. And other desires use our happiness in service to the world. There are numerous desires that come from peace, love or happiness that are appropriate to be shared.

A man describes flipping between efforting and effortless silence during meditation. He asks how to come back to the effortlessness. Rupert suggests that the sound of silence is like the screensaver on the screen. It's not all the way but the last object, or experience, before beingness. Take one step back and abide as that. Each time you go back, you are weakening the pull of being drawn to the content of experience.

A question is asked about deep sleep, which is the same as meditation. What is it that is awake? Rupert clarifies that when sleeping, thoughts and perceptions are switched off, which is similar to meditation.

A man tells Rupert that his teachings are so beautiful and helpful that he has come all the way from Mumbai to attend this retreat and expressses his gratitude.

A woman says the differences between meditation and self-abidance are falling away, that she relates this to the Tantric experience, and now she doesn't think of abidance as a practice, rather as a place we like to go. Rupert replies 'yes'. Being doesn't need to be told to abide in itself. The highest teaching would be abide as that which is a minimal suggestion. At a certain stage of understanding, self-abidance is not really a practice, but there is a pull to rest there.

A woman says she used to be distracted by the ego but now she's experiencing 'movies of faces', all kinds of faces arising of everybody she knows and has known. Rupert suggests that it can be used as a practice, such as during a Zoom webinar whilst in gallery view, to realise it's all one screen. These appearances of faces indicate your shared being, the seeing that it's all the same being, and provide an opportunity to love them all equally.

A woman, who serves as a palliative-care chaplain, asks about the right-to-die option people choose because they want to die with dignity. Rupert suggests that there are so many ways the dying process takes place, from gradual and peaceful, to abrupt and violent, it would be hard to say, or to judge, what is natural or preferable, or what is right.

A man asks how to bring the lightness of being to his everyday existence. Rupert responds that it is much easier to do when on retreat because there are very few pulls on your attention. Then you go into the world, and there are more pulls. When you return to being, abiding as being, then fewer and fewer experiences have the power to pull you away.

A man came to the realisation that everythng was knowing, but that perspective disappeared after a few days. He asks how to get back to that clarity. Rupert says he speaks more about being than consciousness these days because it is easier to see being as the fundamental nature of everything.

A man, who has struggled with memory problems, says that he has flashes of memory whilst in meditation. He wonders if he should follow those flashes, or are they a distraction? Rupert suggest they are not a distraction, but you do not need to follow them. These memories, which are pre-trauma, are not normally accessible, and there is not the great need to protect yourself because your being, your true nature, has never been hurt or touched by trauma. So the memories come up, which is good; no need to do anyting with them. The fact that they are coming up is enough.

A man asks how to allow intuition to be more accessible. Rupert says that intuition tends to reside in the deeper layers of our mind and is obscured by the louder aspects of everyday life. To the extent that we are established as being, the tyranny of the mind diminishes, making intuition more prevalent. Keep on being, not trying.

A question is asked about the beginning of beingness. Rupert says it's not just that being has always been, but that there is no actual thing such as time – no time when being wasn't present. Being is eternal. Time is imagined by the mind and being doesn't exist in that imagined time. He uses the Mary-and-Jane analogy to explain further.

A man asks about the qualities of being, specifically the quality of changelessness. Rupert asks the man to imagine he is a newborn infant with the experience of being. 'Describe the qualities you have of being. And then imagine this being at the end of life. Describe it from there. The two experiences, at birth and death, are the same. Being is the same.'