Dying Before You Die
- Duration: Video: 1 hour, 56 minutes, and 41 seconds / Audio: 1 hour, 56 minutes, and 41 seconds
- Recorded on: Feb 22, 2024
- Event: Seven-Day Retreat at The Vedanta – 16 to 23 February 2024
A man, grappling with the concept of the ultimate surrender, asks about the notion of dying before dying. Rupert clarifies that to die before you die involves the dissolution of one’s belief in being a temporary, finite entity distinct from and separate from God’s infinite being. This process signifies the death of the ego, the end of identifying as an apparently separate being.
A man experiencing a sense of dissolution during meditation wonders if the next step involves losing oneself. Rupert replies by saying that anything that disappears must have something it dissolves into; being doesn’t fade into non-existence. Just as a cloud evaporates into the sky, names and forms dissolve into their reality, consciousness.
A woman, concerned about her partner being overly close and intimate with his adult daughter, to the extent of sharing a bed, seeks advice. Rupert, advising the woman against compromising her values, recommends that she should leave the relationship. He suggests telling her partner to consult a mental health professional.
A man wanting to become a teacher asks about Rupert’s origin story, how he started sharing his non-dual understanding. Rupert says he is not a good model because he had no desire to teach. He started writing for himself, producing a couple of essays that turned into a book. Following that, he began to get invited to lead meetings and retreats.
A man studying the Tantric teachings of Kashmir Shaivism asks if the desire to be recognised is inherent in being. Rupert says that although this desire can come from our true nature, it can also be appropriated by the ego. It’s essential to see where that desire comes from.
A man asks if Jesus was conveying the same message as Rupert. Rupert affirms that Jesus’s declaration ‘I and my Father are one’ parallels Rupert’s guidance to ‘go to your being’.
A man shares a personal story about grace.
A woman enquires whether everyone has the potential to develop paranormal powers (siddhis). Rupert replies that all our minds have different tendencies and potential; some minds are more porous and more susceptible to other people’s energies. Everybody’s mind is wired differently.
A woman shares her reasoning regarding the sense of a separate self and difficult emotions that obstruct the path to liberation.
A woman asks about what remains awake during the transition into deep sleep and deep meditation. Rupert clarifies that it is awareness itself that stays awake; deep sleep isn’t an absence of awareness but awareness of absence. The mind shuts down gradually, leaving awareness fully alert on its own. Over time, the perceived darkness of deep sleep lightens up.
A woman asks whether there is any place for goal-setting on the non-dual path. Rupert recommends taking goals, multiplying them tenfold, and making sure they serve all of humanity.
A man asks whether Rupert intends to create more yoga meditations. Rupert explains that, over time, the Tantric and Vedantic paths have merged, blurring the lines between yoga meditation and general meditations. The approach is now a blend of Tantric and Vedantic paths.
A woman, referencing the metaphor of white paper with perforated dots, asks about the Vedantic and Tantric approaches in the context of the metaphor. Rupert replies that in the Vedantic approach, we look at the white paper, and in the Tantric approach, we look at the dots.
A woman enquires about the meaning of ‘the Spirit’ and ‘the Holy Ghost’. Rupert clarifies that Spirit embodies consciousness itself. He draws an analogy: if Spirit were likened to the sun, then the Holy Ghost would be its sunlight, the element that illuminates your mind.
A woman asks Rupert for the five books he would take to a deserted island. His selects: ‘The Practice of the Presence of God’, by Brother Lawrence; ‘Know Thyself: The Unity of Being’, by Balyani, edited by Cecilia Twinch; ‘The Mystical I’, by Joel S. Goldsmith; ‘The Impersonal Life’, by Joseph Sieber Benner; and ‘The Collected Works’, by Meister Eckhart. His favorite movie is ‘Il Postino: The Postman’, which portrays the life of the poet Pablo Neruda.
A former Theravadan monk reflects on his life, the retreat and the teachings of the way of being.
A man, grappling with the concept of the ultimate surrender, asks about the notion of dying before dying. Rupert clarifies that to die before you die involves the dissolution of one’s belief in being a temporary, finite entity distinct from and separate from God’s infinite being. This process signifies the death of the ego, the end of identifying as an apparently separate being.
A man experiencing a sense of dissolution during meditation wonders if the next step involves losing oneself. Rupert replies by saying that anything that disappears must have something it dissolves into; being doesn’t fade into non-existence. Just as a cloud evaporates into the sky, names and forms dissolve into their reality, consciousness.
A woman, concerned about her partner being overly close and intimate with his adult daughter, to the extent of sharing a bed, seeks advice. Rupert, advising the woman against compromising her values, recommends that she should leave the relationship. He suggests telling her partner to consult a mental health professional.
A man wanting to become a teacher asks about Rupert’s origin story, how he started sharing his non-dual understanding. Rupert says he is not a good model because he had no desire to teach. He started writing for himself, producing a couple of essays that turned into a book. Following that, he began to get invited to lead meetings and retreats.
A man studying the Tantric teachings of Kashmir Shaivism asks if the desire to be recognised is inherent in being. Rupert says that although this desire can come from our true nature, it can also be appropriated by the ego. It’s essential to see where that desire comes from.
A man asks if Jesus was conveying the same message as Rupert. Rupert affirms that Jesus’s declaration ‘I and my Father are one’ parallels Rupert’s guidance to ‘go to your being’.
A man shares a personal story about grace.
A woman enquires whether everyone has the potential to develop paranormal powers (siddhis). Rupert replies that all our minds have different tendencies and potential; some minds are more porous and more susceptible to other people’s energies. Everybody’s mind is wired differently.
A woman shares her reasoning regarding the sense of a separate self and difficult emotions that obstruct the path to liberation.
A woman asks about what remains awake during the transition into deep sleep and deep meditation. Rupert clarifies that it is awareness itself that stays awake; deep sleep isn’t an absence of awareness but awareness of absence. The mind shuts down gradually, leaving awareness fully alert on its own. Over time, the perceived darkness of deep sleep lightens up.
A woman asks whether there is any place for goal-setting on the non-dual path. Rupert recommends taking goals, multiplying them tenfold, and making sure they serve all of humanity.
A man asks whether Rupert intends to create more yoga meditations. Rupert explains that, over time, the Tantric and Vedantic paths have merged, blurring the lines between yoga meditation and general meditations. The approach is now a blend of Tantric and Vedantic paths.
A woman, referencing the metaphor of white paper with perforated dots, asks about the Vedantic and Tantric approaches in the context of the metaphor. Rupert replies that in the Vedantic approach, we look at the white paper, and in the Tantric approach, we look at the dots.
A woman enquires about the meaning of ‘the Spirit’ and ‘the Holy Ghost’. Rupert clarifies that Spirit embodies consciousness itself. He draws an analogy: if Spirit were likened to the sun, then the Holy Ghost would be its sunlight, the element that illuminates your mind.
A woman asks Rupert for the five books he would take to a deserted island. His selects: ‘The Practice of the Presence of God’, by Brother Lawrence; ‘Know Thyself: The Unity of Being’, by Balyani, edited by Cecilia Twinch; ‘The Mystical I’, by Joel S. Goldsmith; ‘The Impersonal Life’, by Joseph Sieber Benner; and ‘The Collected Works’, by Meister Eckhart. His favorite movie is ‘Il Postino: The Postman’, which portrays the life of the poet Pablo Neruda.
A former Theravadan monk reflects on his life, the retreat and the teachings of the way of being.