The Art of Life

Ask yourself: what am I in the absence of experience – when no thought, feeling, sensation or perception is arising? All that remains is the fact of being, but not aware of anything. We haven’t suddenly become the fact of being. We are always essentially that but don’t notice it because of our exclusive attention on experience. It’s like getting undressed at night. When we take off everything, our naked body is revealed. We haven’t suddenly become our naked body – we are always that. In the morning, when we dress again, we don’t cease being our naked body. It’s the same when we even imagine taking off the layers of experience – we don’t become our naked being, it is simply revealed. When experience reappears, the great art of life is to remain as we are amidst experience. Meditation or prayer is just to remain as we are knowingly, absent of and amidst experience.

A man asks about translating Rupert’s poem into Chinese and reshuffling verses for better rhythm. Rupert explains the fluid nature of the poem and shares his experiences apprenticing with Michael Cardew and Francis Lucille. He underscores that just as he evolved his style over time, the man should feel free to trust his intuition and take off, as his apprenticeship is over.

A man experiencing unwinding energy and agitated thoughts asks about Rupert’s moth and flame analogy. Rupert explains the moth as the separate self seeking fulfillment and the flame as what is sought. The separate self cannot touch the flame without dissolving. Rupert advises against engaging with agitated thoughts and feelings, suggesting distraction through neutral or positive activities, such as taking a dog out for a walk or exercising, to diminish their power.

A man enquires about Rupert’s self-realisation experience. Rupert recounts practicing mantra meditation for 20 years and exploring the direct path with Francis for 13 years. He describes himself as a slow developer, noting that over time, the nature of his being became clearer, though he doesn’t know exactly how or when it happened. Rupert says that self-realisation can occur through intense suffering, spontaneous surrender, or even a simple moment of relaxation, like sitting in a café, and that the process is different for everyone.

A woman asks if war, like love, is an expression of the infinite mind. Rupert explains that hostility and violence arise from the belief in separation but are still the activity of one consciousness. Even the most perverse actions are driven by the desire for fulfillment and happiness.

A woman shares an experience from 55 years ago. In deep existential despair, she called out to God for help, and her suffering ceased immediately, redirecting her life. She asks what occurs in such moments. Rupert explains that intense suffering can render our usual strategies ineffective, leading us to surrender. In that surrender, the habitual activity of the mind is interrupted, allowing the universe to respond in new, creative ways. This break from the horizontal line of time lets us sink into the vertical dimension of being, inviting miraculous changes.

A man asks Rupert how to remove the belief in being a separate self. He understands the concept of oneness intellectually and feels it in his heart, but struggles to maintain this peace amid the demands of family and work life. Rupert advises dedicating times of quiet meditation to reconnect with the innate peace and joy of being, likening this practice to dipping a cloth into yellow dye to absorb its brilliance.

A woman reflects on Rupert’s statement that God neither loves nor knows us, which troubles her. Rupert explains that from the perspective of the finite self, it is legitimate to feel loved by God, as the relationship between the finite and infinite is closer than close. However, in the realisation of our true nature as infinite being, there is no separate self to be loved.

Ask yourself: what am I in the absence of experience – when no thought, feeling, sensation or perception is arising? All that remains is the fact of being, but not aware of anything. We haven’t suddenly become the fact of being. We are always essentially that but don’t notice it because of our exclusive attention on experience. It’s like getting undressed at night. When we take off everything, our naked body is revealed. We haven’t suddenly become our naked body – we are always that. In the morning, when we dress again, we don’t cease being our naked body. It’s the same when we even imagine taking off the layers of experience – we don’t become our naked being, it is simply revealed. When experience reappears, the great art of life is to remain as we are amidst experience. Meditation or prayer is just to remain as we are knowingly, absent of and amidst experience.

A man asks about translating Rupert’s poem into Chinese and reshuffling verses for better rhythm. Rupert explains the fluid nature of the poem and shares his experiences apprenticing with Michael Cardew and Francis Lucille. He underscores that just as he evolved his style over time, the man should feel free to trust his intuition and take off, as his apprenticeship is over.

A man experiencing unwinding energy and agitated thoughts asks about Rupert’s moth and flame analogy. Rupert explains the moth as the separate self seeking fulfillment and the flame as what is sought. The separate self cannot touch the flame without dissolving. Rupert advises against engaging with agitated thoughts and feelings, suggesting distraction through neutral or positive activities, such as taking a dog out for a walk or exercising, to diminish their power.

A man enquires about Rupert’s self-realisation experience. Rupert recounts practicing mantra meditation for 20 years and exploring the direct path with Francis for 13 years. He describes himself as a slow developer, noting that over time, the nature of his being became clearer, though he doesn’t know exactly how or when it happened. Rupert says that self-realisation can occur through intense suffering, spontaneous surrender, or even a simple moment of relaxation, like sitting in a café, and that the process is different for everyone.

A woman asks if war, like love, is an expression of the infinite mind. Rupert explains that hostility and violence arise from the belief in separation but are still the activity of one consciousness. Even the most perverse actions are driven by the desire for fulfillment and happiness.

A woman shares an experience from 55 years ago. In deep existential despair, she called out to God for help, and her suffering ceased immediately, redirecting her life. She asks what occurs in such moments. Rupert explains that intense suffering can render our usual strategies ineffective, leading us to surrender. In that surrender, the habitual activity of the mind is interrupted, allowing the universe to respond in new, creative ways. This break from the horizontal line of time lets us sink into the vertical dimension of being, inviting miraculous changes.

A man asks Rupert how to remove the belief in being a separate self. He understands the concept of oneness intellectually and feels it in his heart, but struggles to maintain this peace amid the demands of family and work life. Rupert advises dedicating times of quiet meditation to reconnect with the innate peace and joy of being, likening this practice to dipping a cloth into yellow dye to absorb its brilliance.

A woman reflects on Rupert’s statement that God neither loves nor knows us, which troubles her. Rupert explains that from the perspective of the finite self, it is legitimate to feel loved by God, as the relationship between the finite and infinite is closer than close. However, in the realisation of our true nature as infinite being, there is no separate self to be loved.