Spiritual Bypassing and the Direct Path

A question is asked about spiritual bypassing, specifically with respect to the destruction of the planet. A man says he feels privileged to be at retreat, but his mind is preoccupied with what is his position, and what is real? How do awakening and the destruction of the planet fit together? Rupert addresses the idea of spiritual bypassing, which is often directed towards this kind of teaching. With the appearance of Ramana Maharshi, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and Atmananda Krishna Menon, the Direct Path became more prevalent and seemed an avoidance of dealing with worldly affairs. In this teaching, we do bypass the content of experience – because your true nature, the 'I am', is always immediately available. All the world's problems come from the belief in separation.

What do we do with the sheer number of people who don't recognise this understanding in regard to the escalating degradation of the planet? Is there a tipping point for understanding? Rupert responds that our interest in the truth isn't something we earned; through no choice of our own, we simply found ourself interested. The understanding of shared being, our sacred duty to this understanding, requires that we have compassion for everybody, even political figures.

A man is confused by the teaching being 'a movement'. He asks about free will. How does an illusory self bring about that which already is? Rupert suggests investigating the reality of the apparently separated me. The apparent separate self always feels the need to do something. See if you can actually find that self. That is the answer to the question, 'what should we do?'

A man asks how to investigate the existence of the separate self. Rupert guides him in self-enquiry to directly experience the nature of the self and what is and is not present there. You are more substantial than anything else that is experienced. What remains when all attributes and labels, such as 'father', etc., are removed from the 'I'?

A short discussion on Jesus and spiritual bypassing.

A woman describes in various ways the loss of identity, and says she feels as if going through an existential crisis. Rupert suggests that the crisis is the loss of activities in which you invested your separate self, which cannot stand without identifying with something. When all activities and relationships are removed, it feels threatened, and will die.

A question is asked about the energy in love. It's as if the body cannot contain the energy of it. How can we contain it? Rupert responds that love is the feeling that being is shared, that being is unlimited and is therefore much bigger than the body. Yes, it feels uncontainable, so you need to do something to express it through intimate relationships, friendships, creativity, or sometimes just in pure devotion to God. Love is too big to contain.

A man describes all the ways he's sought experience – drugs, sex and so on – and when those stopped working there was an expansive experience of being. He asks about going to a neutral, rather than expansive, place. Rupert replies that the experience of just being is neutral and therefore, in comparison, seems lacking somehow. Does being ever ask, 'Is this insufficient?' Being never says, 'I want more.' Rupert guides him in self-enquiry to discover the nature of his being. Say 'I am' once and go to what it refers to experientially.

A man describes an extraordinary, expansive experience he had at the last retreat. Rupert suggests that it won't always be that big of an experience; that it is often a very quiet, barely recognisable experience.

A man says that simply looking for the one who is suffering is not always sufficient. The conditioning of the body that happens in response to experience seems to be blended with 'I', which makes it difficult to investigate the nature of being. Rupert suggests that there are physical and emotional experiences that merit their own investigation. For instance, you may require getting more relative help, such as therapy, in order to release stored trauma. But your true nature can be explored at the same time – they're not mutually exclusive.

Is it damaging to investigate physical experiences, conditioned trauma, in the body? Rupert suggests that it is the right thing, keep exploring. It doesn't interfere with the investigation of your true nature.

A woman found herself homeless upon moving back to her country but then noticed that that feeling made her feel free and happy. Rupert suggests that this was an occasional experience when 'everything is taken away' – those experiences you invest your identity in – and so you felt liberated from the localisation of the separate self. Having said that, he encouraged her not get attached to ecstatic experiences.

A woman discusses her difficulties with times when thoughts are very loud. Rupert suggests that if the thoughts are valid, then listen to them. If not, you know the Direct Path to the peace of your being. Going back there weakens the power of the mind to take you away from yourself, and you find yourself established in this peace.

Rupert tells the story of losing his pottery studio to fire, and how he had no choice but to let go. The moment he let go, the background of peace shined through. He discusses the experience of saying 'yes' or saying 'no' to whatever is happening.

A question is asked about spiritual bypassing, specifically with respect to the destruction of the planet. A man says he feels privileged to be at retreat, but his mind is preoccupied with what is his position, and what is real? How do awakening and the destruction of the planet fit together? Rupert addresses the idea of spiritual bypassing, which is often directed towards this kind of teaching. With the appearance of Ramana Maharshi, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj and Atmananda Krishna Menon, the Direct Path became more prevalent and seemed an avoidance of dealing with worldly affairs. In this teaching, we do bypass the content of experience – because your true nature, the 'I am', is always immediately available. All the world's problems come from the belief in separation.

What do we do with the sheer number of people who don't recognise this understanding in regard to the escalating degradation of the planet? Is there a tipping point for understanding? Rupert responds that our interest in the truth isn't something we earned; through no choice of our own, we simply found ourself interested. The understanding of shared being, our sacred duty to this understanding, requires that we have compassion for everybody, even political figures.

A man is confused by the teaching being 'a movement'. He asks about free will. How does an illusory self bring about that which already is? Rupert suggests investigating the reality of the apparently separated me. The apparent separate self always feels the need to do something. See if you can actually find that self. That is the answer to the question, 'what should we do?'

A man asks how to investigate the existence of the separate self. Rupert guides him in self-enquiry to directly experience the nature of the self and what is and is not present there. You are more substantial than anything else that is experienced. What remains when all attributes and labels, such as 'father', etc., are removed from the 'I'?

A short discussion on Jesus and spiritual bypassing.

A woman describes in various ways the loss of identity, and says she feels as if going through an existential crisis. Rupert suggests that the crisis is the loss of activities in which you invested your separate self, which cannot stand without identifying with something. When all activities and relationships are removed, it feels threatened, and will die.

A question is asked about the energy in love. It's as if the body cannot contain the energy of it. How can we contain it? Rupert responds that love is the feeling that being is shared, that being is unlimited and is therefore much bigger than the body. Yes, it feels uncontainable, so you need to do something to express it through intimate relationships, friendships, creativity, or sometimes just in pure devotion to God. Love is too big to contain.

A man describes all the ways he's sought experience – drugs, sex and so on – and when those stopped working there was an expansive experience of being. He asks about going to a neutral, rather than expansive, place. Rupert replies that the experience of just being is neutral and therefore, in comparison, seems lacking somehow. Does being ever ask, 'Is this insufficient?' Being never says, 'I want more.' Rupert guides him in self-enquiry to discover the nature of his being. Say 'I am' once and go to what it refers to experientially.

A man describes an extraordinary, expansive experience he had at the last retreat. Rupert suggests that it won't always be that big of an experience; that it is often a very quiet, barely recognisable experience.

A man says that simply looking for the one who is suffering is not always sufficient. The conditioning of the body that happens in response to experience seems to be blended with 'I', which makes it difficult to investigate the nature of being. Rupert suggests that there are physical and emotional experiences that merit their own investigation. For instance, you may require getting more relative help, such as therapy, in order to release stored trauma. But your true nature can be explored at the same time – they're not mutually exclusive.

Is it damaging to investigate physical experiences, conditioned trauma, in the body? Rupert suggests that it is the right thing, keep exploring. It doesn't interfere with the investigation of your true nature.

A woman found herself homeless upon moving back to her country but then noticed that that feeling made her feel free and happy. Rupert suggests that this was an occasional experience when 'everything is taken away' – those experiences you invest your identity in – and so you felt liberated from the localisation of the separate self. Having said that, he encouraged her not get attached to ecstatic experiences.

A woman discusses her difficulties with times when thoughts are very loud. Rupert suggests that if the thoughts are valid, then listen to them. If not, you know the Direct Path to the peace of your being. Going back there weakens the power of the mind to take you away from yourself, and you find yourself established in this peace.

Rupert tells the story of losing his pottery studio to fire, and how he had no choice but to let go. The moment he let go, the background of peace shined through. He discusses the experience of saying 'yes' or saying 'no' to whatever is happening.