Finding the Place of Peace

Be aware of the full spectrum of experience, without preference or aversion for any aspect. Instead of being aware of the content of experience, be aware of being. Come back to yourself – to the simple fact of being – by softening the focus of attention. We don’t go towards being, we sink back into it. Meister Eckhart said there is a place in the soul that has never been wounded – our essential being – that lies in the background but also shines in all experience – the place of peace. Whatever we experience, we are present. Normally the intensity of experience obscures our being. In meditation, we emphasise being at the expense of experience. In everyday life, we emphasise experience at the expense of being. We turn away from experience to recognise our being, and then turn back towards experience and remain in touch with being rather than allow experience to take us away from our self.

A man asks about whether, in the way of openness, we should be focussing on emotion or taking our stand as awareness. Rupert suggests the latter. It’s not about accepting an emotion we don’t like but instead to feel oneself as the open, empty, loving space of awareness, then turning towards whatever you are experiencing. It is your nature to welcome. As we remain as this openness, layers of buried feeling will bubble up into awareness and, in time, dissolve in your loving presence.

A woman describes the experience of her body dissolving which frightened her but brought about the perception of all as one. She asks about the fear that precedes these kinds of dissolution experiences. Rupert responds that there is nothing you're supposed to be feeling or experiencing, which is terrifying because of our identification with the body. The fear is the ego's fear of disappearance, not the body, so when it is felt, go to your being, face the fear and take your stand as the space of awareness. Turn away only if the fear does not pass.

A man says that when he stands as awareness, it feels empty. He asks if that is why we come here – to experience something that isn’t the void. Rupert suggests that from the human being’s perspective, the essential nature of our mind is peace and joy. It doesn’t take place in the finite mind. In fact, the ending of the finite mind is experienced as peace. It’s not blissful. It’s not an experience at all but is the nature of our being. This doesn’t just live in the depths of the self; it is manifest all around us.

A man says that when he’s in deep sleep, there is no experience that is wonderful or not. It’s only when he wakes up and thinks, ‘That was a great sleep’, that it has a quality. Rupert suggests that it's only by contrast with your human experience that you refer to deep sleep as wonderful or peaceful. In other words, if you did not suffer as a human being, it would not be necessary to describe the nature of your being as happiness. The word happiness is only used by way of contrast with our suffering as a person.

A woman, who says she often attempts to help people with their suffering, asks how to deal with the urge to fix and offer support. Rupert responds that you cannot fix other people's suffering, but you can support them by leading them to the peace and joy that is the nature of their being, which requires sensitivity to where someone is, rather than assuming what it is they need. Explore what creates your own discomfort in the presence of others' suffering.

A man asks, ‘Is mind personal?’ Rupert suggests that ultimately, no because there are no persons or individual who owns or is responsible for the phenomenon of mind. The person is, in the ultimate analysis, beliefs in the mind. Thoughts arise in the mind that are concerned specifically with your mind and your body, but if you look for the entity that owns that mind or body, you’ll never find it. Everyone and everything is an apparent part of the one.

A question is asked since everything is a manifestation of consciousness, is it like lucid waking. Rupert responds that lucid waking is being awake within the dream, but it doesn't give you control over everything in the universe. There's no reason for anything to manifest or not manifest; it's not driven by need or necessity but rather an outpouring of love.

A man asks about what to do if stuck in the belief of no free will. Rupert suggests that if we understand that the consciousness that is the essence and nature of our self is completely free, we allow our mind to act in service of that freedom. Use experiences to trace your way back to your being instead of getting lost in intellectual thinking. The mind chooses, its freedom is borrowed from consciousness. Alternatively, we totally surrender, which is an alternative path.

A woman wonders why is ego around at all. Rupert responds that the illusion of separation is very powerful. The suffering that arises from this misperception is a call to remember who you are, to come home. The mind works so much more sanely without the ego. It is a dysfunction, or a virus in the mind.

A man references the cliché ‘everything happens for a reason’ and says he doesn’t agree with it. He then asks, ‘Is Ukraine happening for a reason?’ Rupert says that he doesn’t think God is orchestrating every detail for a predestined result. However, we can use everything that happens to us for the good. Experience is neutral; it has no power to make us happy or miserable unless we give it that power, excluding circumstances where the well-being of the body is compromised.

A woman says she is struggling with her career and finds it hard to distinguish between a job and a career. She wonders what she has to offer the world. She identifies with being an artist but doesn't know how to pursue this as a career. Rupert suggests there is no reason not to make a living as an artist as a by-product of what you love to do. Don't say no to your gift.

A man talks about tracing his way back to being aware of being aware and says he can't find it. Rupert leads him in self-enquiry to explore that which he refers to when he answers, ‘yes’ to the question ‘Are you aware?’. It’s not some extraordinary experience. It is simple. We miss it because we are often exclusively focused on the content of experience.

A woman expresses distress at the idea that the separate self is an illusion. Rupert responds that all illusions have something real about them – a mirage is the illusion of water. The water is the illusion, but light is its reality. The separate self is like that. There is something there, but it's not a finite self. He uses the analogy of John Smith and King Lear in that King Lear does not exist except as John Smith.

Be aware of the full spectrum of experience, without preference or aversion for any aspect. Instead of being aware of the content of experience, be aware of being. Come back to yourself – to the simple fact of being – by softening the focus of attention. We don’t go towards being, we sink back into it. Meister Eckhart said there is a place in the soul that has never been wounded – our essential being – that lies in the background but also shines in all experience – the place of peace. Whatever we experience, we are present. Normally the intensity of experience obscures our being. In meditation, we emphasise being at the expense of experience. In everyday life, we emphasise experience at the expense of being. We turn away from experience to recognise our being, and then turn back towards experience and remain in touch with being rather than allow experience to take us away from our self.

A man asks about whether, in the way of openness, we should be focussing on emotion or taking our stand as awareness. Rupert suggests the latter. It’s not about accepting an emotion we don’t like but instead to feel oneself as the open, empty, loving space of awareness, then turning towards whatever you are experiencing. It is your nature to welcome. As we remain as this openness, layers of buried feeling will bubble up into awareness and, in time, dissolve in your loving presence.

A woman describes the experience of her body dissolving which frightened her but brought about the perception of all as one. She asks about the fear that precedes these kinds of dissolution experiences. Rupert responds that there is nothing you're supposed to be feeling or experiencing, which is terrifying because of our identification with the body. The fear is the ego's fear of disappearance, not the body, so when it is felt, go to your being, face the fear and take your stand as the space of awareness. Turn away only if the fear does not pass.

A man says that when he stands as awareness, it feels empty. He asks if that is why we come here – to experience something that isn’t the void. Rupert suggests that from the human being’s perspective, the essential nature of our mind is peace and joy. It doesn’t take place in the finite mind. In fact, the ending of the finite mind is experienced as peace. It’s not blissful. It’s not an experience at all but is the nature of our being. This doesn’t just live in the depths of the self; it is manifest all around us.

A man says that when he’s in deep sleep, there is no experience that is wonderful or not. It’s only when he wakes up and thinks, ‘That was a great sleep’, that it has a quality. Rupert suggests that it's only by contrast with your human experience that you refer to deep sleep as wonderful or peaceful. In other words, if you did not suffer as a human being, it would not be necessary to describe the nature of your being as happiness. The word happiness is only used by way of contrast with our suffering as a person.

A woman, who says she often attempts to help people with their suffering, asks how to deal with the urge to fix and offer support. Rupert responds that you cannot fix other people's suffering, but you can support them by leading them to the peace and joy that is the nature of their being, which requires sensitivity to where someone is, rather than assuming what it is they need. Explore what creates your own discomfort in the presence of others' suffering.

A man asks, ‘Is mind personal?’ Rupert suggests that ultimately, no because there are no persons or individual who owns or is responsible for the phenomenon of mind. The person is, in the ultimate analysis, beliefs in the mind. Thoughts arise in the mind that are concerned specifically with your mind and your body, but if you look for the entity that owns that mind or body, you’ll never find it. Everyone and everything is an apparent part of the one.

A question is asked since everything is a manifestation of consciousness, is it like lucid waking. Rupert responds that lucid waking is being awake within the dream, but it doesn't give you control over everything in the universe. There's no reason for anything to manifest or not manifest; it's not driven by need or necessity but rather an outpouring of love.

A man asks about what to do if stuck in the belief of no free will. Rupert suggests that if we understand that the consciousness that is the essence and nature of our self is completely free, we allow our mind to act in service of that freedom. Use experiences to trace your way back to your being instead of getting lost in intellectual thinking. The mind chooses, its freedom is borrowed from consciousness. Alternatively, we totally surrender, which is an alternative path.

A woman wonders why is ego around at all. Rupert responds that the illusion of separation is very powerful. The suffering that arises from this misperception is a call to remember who you are, to come home. The mind works so much more sanely without the ego. It is a dysfunction, or a virus in the mind.

A man references the cliché ‘everything happens for a reason’ and says he doesn’t agree with it. He then asks, ‘Is Ukraine happening for a reason?’ Rupert says that he doesn’t think God is orchestrating every detail for a predestined result. However, we can use everything that happens to us for the good. Experience is neutral; it has no power to make us happy or miserable unless we give it that power, excluding circumstances where the well-being of the body is compromised.

A woman says she is struggling with her career and finds it hard to distinguish between a job and a career. She wonders what she has to offer the world. She identifies with being an artist but doesn't know how to pursue this as a career. Rupert suggests there is no reason not to make a living as an artist as a by-product of what you love to do. Don't say no to your gift.

A man talks about tracing his way back to being aware of being aware and says he can't find it. Rupert leads him in self-enquiry to explore that which he refers to when he answers, ‘yes’ to the question ‘Are you aware?’. It’s not some extraordinary experience. It is simple. We miss it because we are often exclusively focused on the content of experience.

A woman expresses distress at the idea that the separate self is an illusion. Rupert responds that all illusions have something real about them – a mirage is the illusion of water. The water is the illusion, but light is its reality. The separate self is like that. There is something there, but it's not a finite self. He uses the analogy of John Smith and King Lear in that King Lear does not exist except as John Smith.