Movement of Love for the Sake of Beauty
- Duration: Video: 2 hours, 1 minutes, and 42 seconds / Audio: 2 hours, 1 minutes, and 42 seconds
- Recorded on: Jul 3, 2024
- Event: Webinar – Wednesday, 3 July
Be completely open to your current experience without resistance and without focusing on any aspect. Become aware of the fact of being that lies in the background of experience. In everyday life, we prioritise experience over being. In meditation or prayer, we emphasise being over experience. We don’t reject or try to change experience; we just cease giving it love and attention, and it fades naturally and effortlessly into the background. Being emerges into the foreground, and at some point, the distinction between foreground and background blurs; the distinction between everyday life and meditation, or prayer, diminishes. Experience content, which had veiled our being, becomes increasingly transparent to being, and as a result, we feel our being shines amidst experience, not just in its absence. Whatever we still choose to do or not do, we remain in being, as being.
A man enquires about the subconscious mind. Rupert explains that our emotional life mostly resides below the threshold of the waking-state mind, influencing reactions without our awareness. He suggests that deep exploration of the body through yoga meditations can dissolve these unprocessed residual patterns from childhood and traumas.
A man asks Rupert about the difference between the Feldenkrais method and Tantric yoga meditations for chronic pain. He has explored both deeply, noting Feldenkrais’s focus on anatomy. Rupert explains that yoga meditations view everything as a vibration of consciousness. He emphasises effectiveness over accuracy, sharing a lesson from his music teacher, and concludes, ‘If it works, do it’.
A man, living in a Zen monastery, asks Rupert about the connection among energy, consciousness, and breath in meditation. Rupert explains that focusing on the breath can serve as an entry point to being. Though the breath is a subtle physical sensation, it is transparent and effortless, mimicking the ever-presence of being. Using the breath as a stepping stone is legitimate and effective, as it helps transition from breath awareness to being established in the peace of pure being.
A man, enthusiastic to speak with Rupert, discusses the challenge of living the understanding of non-duality. Rupert acknowledges two modes: one of inward focus during meditation or study, and the other of outward focus in daily activities. He explains that the goal is to integrate these modes, allowing one’s deepest understanding to inform all actions. This integration is a never-ending process of continually asking how our deepest love and understanding can be expressed in each moment, bringing the peace of being into every aspect of life.
A woman asks Rupert how to discern if her desire for a relationship comes from lack or fullness. Rupert advises her to ask, ‘Would I mind if my desire were not fulfilled?’ He explains that a desire arising from fullness is about sharing joy, not filling a void. If the desire remains unfulfilled, one should still feel complete and sufficient. He suggests going deeply into oneself to find the true ‘I am’, which is inherently whole and does not need anything.
A woman discusses her struggle with body acceptance and restrictive eating. She realises that the problem is not food but her lack of acceptance of her body. Rupert advises that to be at peace with the body and the world, one must first be at peace with oneself. This requires knowing who or what oneself truly is. He guides her inward, leading her to the realisation ‘I am beautiful’, and he encourages her to return to this feeling whenever she feels body rejection, as it will heal her relationship with her body.
A woman shares her struggle over accepting abusive behaviour from others, including family, and that she feels God is asking her to accept these hardships. Rupert suggests that God is instead pointing her to recognise the place inside that is already free and untouched by any abuse. He reminds her of Meister Eckhart’s teaching about the place within that has never been touched by sorrow, and he encourages her to find and be that pristine, innocent being. Then, from this place of inner freedom, she can approach her family and work on healing those relationships.
A man asks Rupert about a passage from ‘Ibn Arabi that expresses that manifestation is a movement of love for the sake of beauty. Rupert explains that ‘existence’ refers to that which stands out from the background of being, like a movie from a screen. Love is the nature of being, and everything that exists is an expression of this love. Beauty is experienced when the subject–object relationship collapses, revealing the unity of being. Thus, manifestation is the movement of love, with beauty as a hint to guide us back to our true nature.
Be completely open to your current experience without resistance and without focusing on any aspect. Become aware of the fact of being that lies in the background of experience. In everyday life, we prioritise experience over being. In meditation or prayer, we emphasise being over experience. We don’t reject or try to change experience; we just cease giving it love and attention, and it fades naturally and effortlessly into the background. Being emerges into the foreground, and at some point, the distinction between foreground and background blurs; the distinction between everyday life and meditation, or prayer, diminishes. Experience content, which had veiled our being, becomes increasingly transparent to being, and as a result, we feel our being shines amidst experience, not just in its absence. Whatever we still choose to do or not do, we remain in being, as being.
A man enquires about the subconscious mind. Rupert explains that our emotional life mostly resides below the threshold of the waking-state mind, influencing reactions without our awareness. He suggests that deep exploration of the body through yoga meditations can dissolve these unprocessed residual patterns from childhood and traumas.
A man asks Rupert about the difference between the Feldenkrais method and Tantric yoga meditations for chronic pain. He has explored both deeply, noting Feldenkrais’s focus on anatomy. Rupert explains that yoga meditations view everything as a vibration of consciousness. He emphasises effectiveness over accuracy, sharing a lesson from his music teacher, and concludes, ‘If it works, do it’.
A man, living in a Zen monastery, asks Rupert about the connection among energy, consciousness, and breath in meditation. Rupert explains that focusing on the breath can serve as an entry point to being. Though the breath is a subtle physical sensation, it is transparent and effortless, mimicking the ever-presence of being. Using the breath as a stepping stone is legitimate and effective, as it helps transition from breath awareness to being established in the peace of pure being.
A man, enthusiastic to speak with Rupert, discusses the challenge of living the understanding of non-duality. Rupert acknowledges two modes: one of inward focus during meditation or study, and the other of outward focus in daily activities. He explains that the goal is to integrate these modes, allowing one’s deepest understanding to inform all actions. This integration is a never-ending process of continually asking how our deepest love and understanding can be expressed in each moment, bringing the peace of being into every aspect of life.
A woman asks Rupert how to discern if her desire for a relationship comes from lack or fullness. Rupert advises her to ask, ‘Would I mind if my desire were not fulfilled?’ He explains that a desire arising from fullness is about sharing joy, not filling a void. If the desire remains unfulfilled, one should still feel complete and sufficient. He suggests going deeply into oneself to find the true ‘I am’, which is inherently whole and does not need anything.
A woman discusses her struggle with body acceptance and restrictive eating. She realises that the problem is not food but her lack of acceptance of her body. Rupert advises that to be at peace with the body and the world, one must first be at peace with oneself. This requires knowing who or what oneself truly is. He guides her inward, leading her to the realisation ‘I am beautiful’, and he encourages her to return to this feeling whenever she feels body rejection, as it will heal her relationship with her body.
A woman shares her struggle over accepting abusive behaviour from others, including family, and that she feels God is asking her to accept these hardships. Rupert suggests that God is instead pointing her to recognise the place inside that is already free and untouched by any abuse. He reminds her of Meister Eckhart’s teaching about the place within that has never been touched by sorrow, and he encourages her to find and be that pristine, innocent being. Then, from this place of inner freedom, she can approach her family and work on healing those relationships.
A man asks Rupert about a passage from ‘Ibn Arabi that expresses that manifestation is a movement of love for the sake of beauty. Rupert explains that ‘existence’ refers to that which stands out from the background of being, like a movie from a screen. Love is the nature of being, and everything that exists is an expression of this love. Beauty is experienced when the subject–object relationship collapses, revealing the unity of being. Thus, manifestation is the movement of love, with beauty as a hint to guide us back to our true nature.