Falling Asleep Whilst Remaining Awake

A woman, who is a mother, asks about gender, and if as awareness, we are neither female or male. She has a six-year-old son whose mind is not limited to male or female. Why would God localise itself wanting to be another? Rupert leads her in self-enquiry to help discover the answer to this question, that our primary experience is not even of being a human, and that there's no experience of gender.

A woman asks about how thoughts originate. She is fond of the analogy of infinite consciousness as a stream and the finite mind as a whirlpool. Rupert uses the Mary and Jane metaphor to illustrate that Jane's mind is a subset of Mary's mind; Jane's thoughts, which seem to appear in Jane's mind, actually appear in Mary's mind. Jane's thoughts don't appear in Mary's mind until she falls asleep.

In reference to Bernardo Kastrups's whirlpool analogy: does it matter whether thoughts come from within the whirlpool or from the stream itself? Rupert responds that it does not, because the question is predicated on the assumption of separation.

A woman describes the experience of being light, and she asks for some help to understand it. Rupert suggests that the sun is emblematic of the light within, although the light referred to in this understanding is not light in the way that we usually think of it. Luminosity is metaphorical. The sun illuminates the world to make it visible. The knowing light of consciousness makes it knowable.

A man asks about dream yoga, where the goal is to fall asleep consciously. He describes experiences he's had during such lucid dreams and asks if this is helpful along this path of understanding. Rupert responds that what we do here is deep sleep yoga. We practice deeply being asleep whilst remaining awake.

A man asks if the witnessing of light in dream yoga is just another experience. Rupert says it's interesting but irrelevant to what we do here; it's a relevant as a cup of tea. It's just as valid as being interested in what happens in your waking life.

A man asks about his experience during meditation, which was a blankness but not sleeping. Rupert replies that the meditation was pointing at ever-present consciousness, so there was no missing anything, and time stopped because thought stopped. The man was already where the meditation was pointing to.

A question is asked about an extraordinary meditation experience in which being seemed to go up and out and everywhere. Rupert suggests that the experience of vastness is the mind's way of describing being free of it's finite limitations. And he speaks of the way in which thoughts and perception come back, everything gets smaller and smaller, and objects emerge.

A woman says that as being comes more into the foreground, more identities keep coming up, and she wonders if it's a bottomless pit. Rupert suggest that even when identites do come up, they do not define who you really are. You are always the pure 'I am.'

A woman is concerned about criticism of others that arises in her mind and seems to have a grip on her. Rupert suggests that if she is aware of it, then it doesn't have power over her. Don't try to get rid of it, just stand back and watch it without judging yourself or following it.

A man asks about the idea of 'Thy will, not mine' in prayer and shares sometimes, like when praying for the world, he feels he's being dualistic. Rupert says he doesn't recommend talking to God as that's a kind of elementary level of prayer. Prayer is being only being, knowing only being, loving only being. There is no connection with God; there is no separation from God.

A man asks about the term 'falling asleep whilst remaining awake'. Rupert responds that the purpose of this phrase referring to being is that all our perceptions and thoughts leave us, which is similar to what happens in sleep, but we can remain as being in the absence of thoughts and perceptions.

A woman asks about boredom, and about trusting the recognition as she hears other people asking for validation for their experience. Rupert responds that where we previously found happiness in objects out in the world, they no longer serve that purpose, and then we are attracted to subtler, more spiritual objects, until eventually it becomes clear that it is impossible to find happiness in the external world. Trust comes from your experience of being, which is its own evidence.

A man asks for clarification on the whirlpool and ripple analogy and on the origin of thought. Rupert responds that, in light of the analogy, there are no thoughts in the current; there is only water. He also speaks of certain unavoidable conditoning. These are the ideas that will influence your mind.

A woman asks about describing the experience of being asleep, which is unlike being aware of being. In his explanation, Rupert elaborates on how there is no mind between the question 'are you aware?' and the answer. It is a powerful question whereby the mind brings itself to a mind. The mind arises to answer 'yes' and speaks on behalf of consciousness.

A question is asked about free will, in that there seems to be free will from the perspective of consciousness. Referencing two of his frequent analogies – Mary and Jane; and King Lear and John Smith – Rupert elaborates that Jane is right when she feels free in Mary's dream but wrong in attributing that freedom herself as an individual. And the freedom that King Lear feels is really the freedom of John Smith. The sense that we are free comes from a deep intuition of our true nature and the freedom of being.

A woman, who is a mother, asks about gender, and if as awareness, we are neither female or male. She has a six-year-old son whose mind is not limited to male or female. Why would God localise itself wanting to be another? Rupert leads her in self-enquiry to help discover the answer to this question, that our primary experience is not even of being a human, and that there's no experience of gender.

A woman asks about how thoughts originate. She is fond of the analogy of infinite consciousness as a stream and the finite mind as a whirlpool. Rupert uses the Mary and Jane metaphor to illustrate that Jane's mind is a subset of Mary's mind; Jane's thoughts, which seem to appear in Jane's mind, actually appear in Mary's mind. Jane's thoughts don't appear in Mary's mind until she falls asleep.

In reference to Bernardo Kastrups's whirlpool analogy: does it matter whether thoughts come from within the whirlpool or from the stream itself? Rupert responds that it does not, because the question is predicated on the assumption of separation.

A woman describes the experience of being light, and she asks for some help to understand it. Rupert suggests that the sun is emblematic of the light within, although the light referred to in this understanding is not light in the way that we usually think of it. Luminosity is metaphorical. The sun illuminates the world to make it visible. The knowing light of consciousness makes it knowable.

A man asks about dream yoga, where the goal is to fall asleep consciously. He describes experiences he's had during such lucid dreams and asks if this is helpful along this path of understanding. Rupert responds that what we do here is deep sleep yoga. We practice deeply being asleep whilst remaining awake.

A man asks if the witnessing of light in dream yoga is just another experience. Rupert says it's interesting but irrelevant to what we do here; it's a relevant as a cup of tea. It's just as valid as being interested in what happens in your waking life.

A man asks about his experience during meditation, which was a blankness but not sleeping. Rupert replies that the meditation was pointing at ever-present consciousness, so there was no missing anything, and time stopped because thought stopped. The man was already where the meditation was pointing to.

A question is asked about an extraordinary meditation experience in which being seemed to go up and out and everywhere. Rupert suggests that the experience of vastness is the mind's way of describing being free of it's finite limitations. And he speaks of the way in which thoughts and perception come back, everything gets smaller and smaller, and objects emerge.

A woman says that as being comes more into the foreground, more identities keep coming up, and she wonders if it's a bottomless pit. Rupert suggest that even when identites do come up, they do not define who you really are. You are always the pure 'I am.'

A woman is concerned about criticism of others that arises in her mind and seems to have a grip on her. Rupert suggests that if she is aware of it, then it doesn't have power over her. Don't try to get rid of it, just stand back and watch it without judging yourself or following it.

A man asks about the idea of 'Thy will, not mine' in prayer and shares sometimes, like when praying for the world, he feels he's being dualistic. Rupert says he doesn't recommend talking to God as that's a kind of elementary level of prayer. Prayer is being only being, knowing only being, loving only being. There is no connection with God; there is no separation from God.

A man asks about the term 'falling asleep whilst remaining awake'. Rupert responds that the purpose of this phrase referring to being is that all our perceptions and thoughts leave us, which is similar to what happens in sleep, but we can remain as being in the absence of thoughts and perceptions.

A woman asks about boredom, and about trusting the recognition as she hears other people asking for validation for their experience. Rupert responds that where we previously found happiness in objects out in the world, they no longer serve that purpose, and then we are attracted to subtler, more spiritual objects, until eventually it becomes clear that it is impossible to find happiness in the external world. Trust comes from your experience of being, which is its own evidence.

A man asks for clarification on the whirlpool and ripple analogy and on the origin of thought. Rupert responds that, in light of the analogy, there are no thoughts in the current; there is only water. He also speaks of certain unavoidable conditoning. These are the ideas that will influence your mind.

A woman asks about describing the experience of being asleep, which is unlike being aware of being. In his explanation, Rupert elaborates on how there is no mind between the question 'are you aware?' and the answer. It is a powerful question whereby the mind brings itself to a mind. The mind arises to answer 'yes' and speaks on behalf of consciousness.

A question is asked about free will, in that there seems to be free will from the perspective of consciousness. Referencing two of his frequent analogies – Mary and Jane; and King Lear and John Smith – Rupert elaborates that Jane is right when she feels free in Mary's dream but wrong in attributing that freedom herself as an individual. And the freedom that King Lear feels is really the freedom of John Smith. The sense that we are free comes from a deep intuition of our true nature and the freedom of being.