Step Out of the Mind

The presence of awareness is intimately one with the content of all experience and yet is not implicated by it in any way, just as the screen is one with the movie but not affected by it. Awareness never negotiates experience. It simply allows whatever appears to appear, whatever exists to exist, and allows all experience to disappear in its own time. Awareness does not seek, hold on to or reject any experience. Simply understand, but more importantly, feel yourself as that. Likes and dislikes, attraction and aversion, seeking and resistance – all of these are for the mind, not for awareness. Step out of the mind, out of the bundle of thoughts and feelings that we normally consider to be ourself. Be the space in which they appear. Nothing needs to be practised in order to recognise ourself as the presence of awareness. It is the first thing we do, not the last thing we do.

A man asks about the body and whether there is anything to do with sensations and contractions other than say ‘yes’. Rupert suggests that the contraction is a counterpart in the body to the belief that we are a separate self. Until we release the belief in separation, the contraction will go on. There is no certainty through the mind because it is limited. Awareness is not known through the mind. Awareness is known by awareness. Rupert recommends yoga meditations.

A man asks about transmission from teacher to student, such as with Ramana Maharshi. Is there a benefit to being in the physical presence of a master? Rupert responds that a so-called sage is one who recognises his true nature. This is not happening to a person, sage or student but is being with being. Something happens when we are together in retreat, but Rupert is reluctant to qualify it.

A man says he sees there is no seeker and is now suffering. Rupert suggests that the understanding that there is no individual seeker may relieve him from the belief in the seeker, but it hasn't yet relieved him of the belief in a separate self. A seeker is one aspect of the separate self. How do we know that something is an illusion? Using the example of the the snake, we see that its reality is the rope.

How does awareness become entangled with the content experience yet not affected by it? Rupert uses the John Smith and King Lear analogy to explain that John Smith is not affected by King Lear, but whilst he is involved as the character he seems to be modified by that experience.

Referencing the analogy of Mary and Jane, a woman says she has had the experience of not being a character in a dream and asks if it is possible for awareness to experience itself without a point of view. Rupert replies by asking her from where she experiences her dreams, and determines that point of view is necessary to experience the dream.

A man asks, ‘Do you think that it would be efficacious to pray for another person who is ill or dying?’ Rupert suggests that if one were to do that, the highest prayer for anybody who is sick, ill or dying would be that they recognise their true nature and for you, the one praying, to acknowledge that you share your being.

A man asks, ‘Do you think that would be efficacious to pray for another person who was ill or dying?’ Rupert suggests that if one were to do that, the highest prayer for anybody who is sick, ill or dying would be that they recognise their true nature, and that you share your being.

A man comments on the process of asking questions and receiving answers whereby the answers do seem to come. A lingering question for him has to do with an experience he has during meditation where he gets fearful and feels he is going to disappear. Rupert responds that this is the fear of the moth just before it reaches the flame. The separate self contracts itself in the fear of death, of dissolution.

A man who says he has a song repeating in his mind asks for help in getting rid of it. Rupert suggests that this type of repetitive, meaningless thinking is a reasonably efficient way of avoiding feeling difficult emotions. Turn toward it, embrace and welcome them. The yoga meditation is the experiential answer to his question.

Are all contractions related to belief in the separate self and if so, does the realisation of oneness help one to relax and deal with other tensions such as a migraine? Rupert says yes, there could be other causes, such as illness, that arises on behalf of the safety of the body. If you realise you are the space of awareness in which the contraction arises, then the contraction will begin to dissipate.

A man shares that he has been in crisis with anxiety after feeling out of control and wonders if the non-dual path can help relieve suffering. Rupert suggests that the Direct Path brings us to our being, which is happiness. Rupert says we must find our way back to the space of awareness. We may lose the understanding, but we can't lose our experience of the self.

A woman wonders if the situations, people and family members that come our way are fate. She describes her relationship with her sister who suffers from dissociative identity disorder and asks if she should or could actually be helpful. She judges herself for her protective behaviour towards herself. Rupert responds that her reaction is completely natural, and that it is inevitable that she would be adversely affected by it. Don't think of it as a failure of your understanding, and similarly, don't judge her sister. Guilt is the way the ego asserts itself, so is not helpful or true.

A man asks about stabilising in the here and now. What is the role of discipline in staying in awareness, and is it necessary? Rupert suggests that we don't impose a discipline on ourself – that would be pushing from the outside, which implies we don't want to do it but should. This approach is like an inner pull, out of love and understanding. To begin with, we move in and out of the understanding.

A woman describes the path she had been on with con-artist teachers. She got out of the situation, but has shut down and fears getting lost again. She expresses her gratitude to Rupert, because during the Vedanta livestream she found she could trust again. Rupert expresses admiration for extricating herself from the cult and assures her that she will never be asked by anyone to do anything contrary to her own intelligence and integrity.

The presence of awareness is intimately one with the content of all experience and yet is not implicated by it in any way, just as the screen is one with the movie but not affected by it. Awareness never negotiates experience. It simply allows whatever appears to appear, whatever exists to exist, and allows all experience to disappear in its own time. Awareness does not seek, hold on to or reject any experience. Simply understand, but more importantly, feel yourself as that. Likes and dislikes, attraction and aversion, seeking and resistance – all of these are for the mind, not for awareness. Step out of the mind, out of the bundle of thoughts and feelings that we normally consider to be ourself. Be the space in which they appear. Nothing needs to be practised in order to recognise ourself as the presence of awareness. It is the first thing we do, not the last thing we do.

A man asks about the body and whether there is anything to do with sensations and contractions other than say ‘yes’. Rupert suggests that the contraction is a counterpart in the body to the belief that we are a separate self. Until we release the belief in separation, the contraction will go on. There is no certainty through the mind because it is limited. Awareness is not known through the mind. Awareness is known by awareness. Rupert recommends yoga meditations.

A man asks about transmission from teacher to student, such as with Ramana Maharshi. Is there a benefit to being in the physical presence of a master? Rupert responds that a so-called sage is one who recognises his true nature. This is not happening to a person, sage or student but is being with being. Something happens when we are together in retreat, but Rupert is reluctant to qualify it.

A man says he sees there is no seeker and is now suffering. Rupert suggests that the understanding that there is no individual seeker may relieve him from the belief in the seeker, but it hasn't yet relieved him of the belief in a separate self. A seeker is one aspect of the separate self. How do we know that something is an illusion? Using the example of the the snake, we see that its reality is the rope.

How does awareness become entangled with the content experience yet not affected by it? Rupert uses the John Smith and King Lear analogy to explain that John Smith is not affected by King Lear, but whilst he is involved as the character he seems to be modified by that experience.

Referencing the analogy of Mary and Jane, a woman says she has had the experience of not being a character in a dream and asks if it is possible for awareness to experience itself without a point of view. Rupert replies by asking her from where she experiences her dreams, and determines that point of view is necessary to experience the dream.

A man asks, ‘Do you think that it would be efficacious to pray for another person who is ill or dying?’ Rupert suggests that if one were to do that, the highest prayer for anybody who is sick, ill or dying would be that they recognise their true nature and for you, the one praying, to acknowledge that you share your being.

A man asks, ‘Do you think that would be efficacious to pray for another person who was ill or dying?’ Rupert suggests that if one were to do that, the highest prayer for anybody who is sick, ill or dying would be that they recognise their true nature, and that you share your being.

A man comments on the process of asking questions and receiving answers whereby the answers do seem to come. A lingering question for him has to do with an experience he has during meditation where he gets fearful and feels he is going to disappear. Rupert responds that this is the fear of the moth just before it reaches the flame. The separate self contracts itself in the fear of death, of dissolution.

A man who says he has a song repeating in his mind asks for help in getting rid of it. Rupert suggests that this type of repetitive, meaningless thinking is a reasonably efficient way of avoiding feeling difficult emotions. Turn toward it, embrace and welcome them. The yoga meditation is the experiential answer to his question.

Are all contractions related to belief in the separate self and if so, does the realisation of oneness help one to relax and deal with other tensions such as a migraine? Rupert says yes, there could be other causes, such as illness, that arises on behalf of the safety of the body. If you realise you are the space of awareness in which the contraction arises, then the contraction will begin to dissipate.

A man shares that he has been in crisis with anxiety after feeling out of control and wonders if the non-dual path can help relieve suffering. Rupert suggests that the Direct Path brings us to our being, which is happiness. Rupert says we must find our way back to the space of awareness. We may lose the understanding, but we can't lose our experience of the self.

A woman wonders if the situations, people and family members that come our way are fate. She describes her relationship with her sister who suffers from dissociative identity disorder and asks if she should or could actually be helpful. She judges herself for her protective behaviour towards herself. Rupert responds that her reaction is completely natural, and that it is inevitable that she would be adversely affected by it. Don't think of it as a failure of your understanding, and similarly, don't judge her sister. Guilt is the way the ego asserts itself, so is not helpful or true.

A man asks about stabilising in the here and now. What is the role of discipline in staying in awareness, and is it necessary? Rupert suggests that we don't impose a discipline on ourself – that would be pushing from the outside, which implies we don't want to do it but should. This approach is like an inner pull, out of love and understanding. To begin with, we move in and out of the understanding.

A woman describes the path she had been on with con-artist teachers. She got out of the situation, but has shut down and fears getting lost again. She expresses her gratitude to Rupert, because during the Vedanta livestream she found she could trust again. Rupert expresses admiration for extricating herself from the cult and assures her that she will never be asked by anyone to do anything contrary to her own intelligence and integrity.