Enlightenment Is Turning Back Towards Being

Just as the screen lies behind and pervades the movie, the fact of simply being lies behind and pervades all experience irrespective of its content. When we let go of the content of experience, we recognise our being, which we were always knowing without realising it. The awareness of being was obscured by the awareness of experience. In meditation or prayer, awareness of being outshines awareness of experience. We recognise the ‘I am’ that shines brightly in all experience. When we give love and attention to the ‘I am’, God's being, infinite being bestows its qualities of peace and joy on us. Just as the earth turns away from the sun and is enshrouded in darkness, we turn away from our being, so the light of our being is veiled, or endarkened, by experience. To be enlightened is to turn back towards the light of being that shines in us as the knowledge ‘I am’.

A woman shares that she feels ‘addicted’ to moments of peace. Rupert suggests that the ego can only exist by holding onto or resisting something. In between thoughts and feelings, there is nothing for it to hold onto, so it can’t exist. It subsides into its source, and so it manufactures drama to perpetuate itself. Using the analogy of the screen and image, he describes this activity. The remedy is to go back to being.

A man describes the challenges of living with an injury to his hand which seems to obscure his being with suffering and layers of emotions. Rupert asks if he is getting medical help, and if he has tried the Alexander approach, and suggests listening to yoga meditations that may help to release some of the deep feelings, or pain, in the body to be released.

A woman, who is reading Rupert’s work, asks what his vision was for these books. Rupert suggests that the Light of Pure Knowing consists of mostly inward-facing self-inquiry meditations with some yoga meditations. Transparent Body, Luminous World consists of outward-facing or yoga meditations – the goal is to feel the body and perceive the world in a way that is consistent with our new understanding discovered on the inward-facing path.

A man speaks of the recognition that the being or presence of God is 'me'. He asks if being is awareness present to itself. Rupert responds that the words 'awareness' and 'being' are used synonymously in this teaching. 'I am' refers to our being, and we can say that because we know that we are. Being is self-aware. We all know our being, but not everybody knows the pure 'I am' because being is mixed up with the content of experience.

A man, who says he has tried lots of meditations, asks about the Direct Path. Rupert suggests that his previous meditation practice prepared the way for his understanding – which was the neti-neti path. However, the recognition of what we aren’t is not the recognition of what we are. Focus now on what you are and on the nature of what you are.

A man, who is inspired by the path, is switching from consulting to teaching and research and asks about the role of mind. Rupert suggests that the research on what we are not is done with the mind, the research into what we are is done by awareness. When we research what we are not, we look at objects. These are all activities we do with the mind, but we cannot enquire into what we are with the mind; that is between awareness and itself, which is self-abidance, self-resting.

A woman asks, 'How do I know that awareness is timeless and eternal' in an effort to help her deal with the fear of death. Rupert leads her in self-enquiry to discover the qualities of awareness which are not found in the past or future, or in time.

A woman asks about understanding and the mind and whether understanding is an evolution. Rupert suggests that understanding doesn’t take place in the mind. It is that which stands under the mind. Awareness plunges into awareness in understanding. He uses the analogy of a joke and laughter. Understanding doesn't take place in the mind but in the gaps between objects.

A woman asks, ‘How do I remain in my true being?’ Rupert responds that the best way is to practise remaining in our being when circumstances are not demanding, such as during retreats and online meetings where our attention is not required by the world. The second way of remembering is through friendship, by gathering with people who share our love of truth.

A woman asks about how to forgive. Rupert suggests trying to see through the surface of the person we resent, see through their conditioned character to their true nature. See that we were hurt by something in conditioning, not by their being. Make contact with that being, their true nature. Rupert describes a Tantric practice that helps with learning to forgive another.

A woman asks about the model of reality and consciousness. Rupert suggests that not everything that appears in consciousness is conscious. In the consciousness-only model, the reality of the universe is consciousness. We are each a viewpoint from which consciousness views itself. Everything we view in the world, however, is not a point of view. Thoughts are made of the substance of your mind. What is the mind made of? Consciousness. But the thought itself is not conscious. Like trees and rocks, they are made of consciousness but not themselves conscious.

A man describes his practice of sitting with feelings for long periods of time and the feelings disappeared, but now more subtle feelings are arising, and he asks for another practice. Rupert says that sometimes practices can be a kind of avoidance, of working on feelings with a desire to get rid of them. He suggests not doing anything but facing the feeling as it arises without wanting to do anything about it. Just be the open space of awareness with no attitude or practice, just allowing, which can be a very intense kind of non-practice.

A man, who is new to non-duality, wonders if he is aware of being before he is aware of anything. Rupert affirms that everyone has the awareness of being. It is our primary and constant experience. Awareness of being is awareness’s primary and constant experience, although in most cases it's mixed up with the awareness of experience.

A man who has a desire to achieve and earn money wonders if it conflicts with non-duality. Rupert suggests that when we align these desires with our love of truth, it’s quite possible for a desire to earn a living, and then then if you have an excess of wealth, you can do something with it.

A man asks about habits. Rupert suggests that some habits are very strong because we've been rehearsing them for so many years. Countering that habit with self-enquiry isn't enough; we may need put some intermediary practice in place.

Just as the screen lies behind and pervades the movie, the fact of simply being lies behind and pervades all experience irrespective of its content. When we let go of the content of experience, we recognise our being, which we were always knowing without realising it. The awareness of being was obscured by the awareness of experience. In meditation or prayer, awareness of being outshines awareness of experience. We recognise the ‘I am’ that shines brightly in all experience. When we give love and attention to the ‘I am’, God's being, infinite being bestows its qualities of peace and joy on us. Just as the earth turns away from the sun and is enshrouded in darkness, we turn away from our being, so the light of our being is veiled, or endarkened, by experience. To be enlightened is to turn back towards the light of being that shines in us as the knowledge ‘I am’.

A woman shares that she feels ‘addicted’ to moments of peace. Rupert suggests that the ego can only exist by holding onto or resisting something. In between thoughts and feelings, there is nothing for it to hold onto, so it can’t exist. It subsides into its source, and so it manufactures drama to perpetuate itself. Using the analogy of the screen and image, he describes this activity. The remedy is to go back to being.

A man describes the challenges of living with an injury to his hand which seems to obscure his being with suffering and layers of emotions. Rupert asks if he is getting medical help, and if he has tried the Alexander approach, and suggests listening to yoga meditations that may help to release some of the deep feelings, or pain, in the body to be released.

A woman, who is reading Rupert’s work, asks what his vision was for these books. Rupert suggests that the Light of Pure Knowing consists of mostly inward-facing self-inquiry meditations with some yoga meditations. Transparent Body, Luminous World consists of outward-facing or yoga meditations – the goal is to feel the body and perceive the world in a way that is consistent with our new understanding discovered on the inward-facing path.

A man speaks of the recognition that the being or presence of God is 'me'. He asks if being is awareness present to itself. Rupert responds that the words 'awareness' and 'being' are used synonymously in this teaching. 'I am' refers to our being, and we can say that because we know that we are. Being is self-aware. We all know our being, but not everybody knows the pure 'I am' because being is mixed up with the content of experience.

A man, who says he has tried lots of meditations, asks about the Direct Path. Rupert suggests that his previous meditation practice prepared the way for his understanding – which was the neti-neti path. However, the recognition of what we aren’t is not the recognition of what we are. Focus now on what you are and on the nature of what you are.

A man, who is inspired by the path, is switching from consulting to teaching and research and asks about the role of mind. Rupert suggests that the research on what we are not is done with the mind, the research into what we are is done by awareness. When we research what we are not, we look at objects. These are all activities we do with the mind, but we cannot enquire into what we are with the mind; that is between awareness and itself, which is self-abidance, self-resting.

A woman asks, 'How do I know that awareness is timeless and eternal' in an effort to help her deal with the fear of death. Rupert leads her in self-enquiry to discover the qualities of awareness which are not found in the past or future, or in time.

A woman asks about understanding and the mind and whether understanding is an evolution. Rupert suggests that understanding doesn’t take place in the mind. It is that which stands under the mind. Awareness plunges into awareness in understanding. He uses the analogy of a joke and laughter. Understanding doesn't take place in the mind but in the gaps between objects.

A woman asks, ‘How do I remain in my true being?’ Rupert responds that the best way is to practise remaining in our being when circumstances are not demanding, such as during retreats and online meetings where our attention is not required by the world. The second way of remembering is through friendship, by gathering with people who share our love of truth.

A woman asks about how to forgive. Rupert suggests trying to see through the surface of the person we resent, see through their conditioned character to their true nature. See that we were hurt by something in conditioning, not by their being. Make contact with that being, their true nature. Rupert describes a Tantric practice that helps with learning to forgive another.

A woman asks about the model of reality and consciousness. Rupert suggests that not everything that appears in consciousness is conscious. In the consciousness-only model, the reality of the universe is consciousness. We are each a viewpoint from which consciousness views itself. Everything we view in the world, however, is not a point of view. Thoughts are made of the substance of your mind. What is the mind made of? Consciousness. But the thought itself is not conscious. Like trees and rocks, they are made of consciousness but not themselves conscious.

A man describes his practice of sitting with feelings for long periods of time and the feelings disappeared, but now more subtle feelings are arising, and he asks for another practice. Rupert says that sometimes practices can be a kind of avoidance, of working on feelings with a desire to get rid of them. He suggests not doing anything but facing the feeling as it arises without wanting to do anything about it. Just be the open space of awareness with no attitude or practice, just allowing, which can be a very intense kind of non-practice.

A man, who is new to non-duality, wonders if he is aware of being before he is aware of anything. Rupert affirms that everyone has the awareness of being. It is our primary and constant experience. Awareness of being is awareness’s primary and constant experience, although in most cases it's mixed up with the awareness of experience.

A man who has a desire to achieve and earn money wonders if it conflicts with non-duality. Rupert suggests that when we align these desires with our love of truth, it’s quite possible for a desire to earn a living, and then then if you have an excess of wealth, you can do something with it.

A man asks about habits. Rupert suggests that some habits are very strong because we've been rehearsing them for so many years. Countering that habit with self-enquiry isn't enough; we may need put some intermediary practice in place.