The Nature of Not Knowing

A woman shares a story about mistakenly entering a teacher’s room during a retreat, which led to a misunderstanding, hurtful accusations, and her exclusion from future retreats. She expresses unresolved feelings and questions her reaction. Rupert reassures her that she is a trustworthy and lovely person. He suggests that the teacher’s misperception of her is the teacher’s loss, not hers, and encourages her not to dwell on it. He reminds her that everyone makes mistakes and advises her to move on.

A man, who works as a therapist or coach, asks Rupert about the integration of the Vedantic and Tantric paths in healing trauma. He shares his personal journey with mystical experiences and struggles with anxiety and depression, and how somatic therapy has been helpful. Rupert affirms that this age is ripe for the Direct Path approach but respects those who find a progressive approach more suitable.

A woman asks if, given that time and space are not inherent in reality, abilities such as teleportation should not only be possible but natural. Rupert replies that teleportation might be possible, but the human mind is in its infancy and would need to be in a much more evolved state. He adds that while all minds have this capacity in potential, most are dominated by the materialistic paradigm, which precludes such experiences.

A man shares a life-changing experience he underwent from a psilocybin session, where he felt present simultaneously in different time periods and places, including medieval Egypt and at World War II. Rupert explains that the psychedelic altered his mind, relaxing the usual boundaries of time and space. He adds that psilocybin is not a physical substance but a powerful idea, and that what we perceive as a substance is actually the form an idea takes from the second-person perspective.

A man questions whether sensations are made of knowing or something solid. And what causes shifts in perception? Rupert invites him to imagine being a newborn infant without thoughts and helps him to realise that all his experience is made of pure knowing.

A man asks about the nature of not knowing. Rupert replies that the mind cannot know anything that is true, and he uses the analogy of the eyes being unable to see themselves and the finger unable to touch its own tip to illustrate the subject-object relationship. He explains that for pure knowing, what is knowing is not knowing for the mind.

A woman expresses her struggle with family members who support a war. Rupert tells her she doesn’t have to understand their ideas, but she does have to love them. He explains that the belief in separation arises from the subject-object relationship, which gives rise to the sense of being a separate self, making it understandable why people hold such views.

A woman shares that she feels like there is a war inside her and is struggling with her spiritual ego, noticing herself judging others and comparing herself to them. Rupert says that her mind is rebelling as it senses its core identity is being challenged. He suggests this battle is a good sign, as her ideas and beliefs are now being questioned, and he encourages her to continue participating.

A man asks about his experience of shifting his relationship with pain during meditation. Rupert explains that his guided meditations could be considered a subtle or homeopathic form of yoga, where the only posture is the Shiva asana, the posture of pure being. He suggests that even conventional yoga, such as hatha, can be done from the inside by focusing on raw sensations rather than imposing discipline from the outside.

A man asks how to make a positive impact in the world through co-creation. Rupert suggests that when we return home, without provoking resistance, we should share love and understanding in ways appropriate to those around us, tailoring the understanding to each person’s perspective.

A woman shares that during a meditation earlier in the day, in which participants imagined themselves as newborn infants, grief arose, reflecting a lifelong struggle with hating her body. She asks how to reconcile this, knowing the body isn’t truly real. Rupert guides her through another round of the newborn infant meditation, inviting her to focus on the essence of her body experience – tingling, vibrating raw sensation. He advises her to return to this direct experience again and again, until she recognises that there is nothing unlovable about the body.

A man asks how mystics can help scientists connect their discoveries in quantum physics to spirituality. Rupert replies that he is not qualified to speak for scientists, but he knows that there are some, like Donald Hoffman and Bernardo Kastrup, who are exploring such matters. He adds that most scientists focus on how experience works rather than on its true nature.

A woman asks how to reconcile her understanding of unity, as experienced in meditation, with her work in marketing, which focuses on competition and differentiation. Rupert shares the example of pro tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, whose rivalry brought out the best in one another. Rupert suggests she consider that her competitors are on her side, helping her refine her skills, and that she is not really selling a product per se, but rather she is marketing excellence and taking people to their true nature.

A woman shares a story about mistakenly entering a teacher’s room during a retreat, which led to a misunderstanding, hurtful accusations, and her exclusion from future retreats. She expresses unresolved feelings and questions her reaction. Rupert reassures her that she is a trustworthy and lovely person. He suggests that the teacher’s misperception of her is the teacher’s loss, not hers, and encourages her not to dwell on it. He reminds her that everyone makes mistakes and advises her to move on.

A man, who works as a therapist or coach, asks Rupert about the integration of the Vedantic and Tantric paths in healing trauma. He shares his personal journey with mystical experiences and struggles with anxiety and depression, and how somatic therapy has been helpful. Rupert affirms that this age is ripe for the Direct Path approach but respects those who find a progressive approach more suitable.

A woman asks if, given that time and space are not inherent in reality, abilities such as teleportation should not only be possible but natural. Rupert replies that teleportation might be possible, but the human mind is in its infancy and would need to be in a much more evolved state. He adds that while all minds have this capacity in potential, most are dominated by the materialistic paradigm, which precludes such experiences.

A man shares a life-changing experience he underwent from a psilocybin session, where he felt present simultaneously in different time periods and places, including medieval Egypt and at World War II. Rupert explains that the psychedelic altered his mind, relaxing the usual boundaries of time and space. He adds that psilocybin is not a physical substance but a powerful idea, and that what we perceive as a substance is actually the form an idea takes from the second-person perspective.

A man questions whether sensations are made of knowing or something solid. And what causes shifts in perception? Rupert invites him to imagine being a newborn infant without thoughts and helps him to realise that all his experience is made of pure knowing.

A man asks about the nature of not knowing. Rupert replies that the mind cannot know anything that is true, and he uses the analogy of the eyes being unable to see themselves and the finger unable to touch its own tip to illustrate the subject-object relationship. He explains that for pure knowing, what is knowing is not knowing for the mind.

A woman expresses her struggle with family members who support a war. Rupert tells her she doesn’t have to understand their ideas, but she does have to love them. He explains that the belief in separation arises from the subject-object relationship, which gives rise to the sense of being a separate self, making it understandable why people hold such views.

A woman shares that she feels like there is a war inside her and is struggling with her spiritual ego, noticing herself judging others and comparing herself to them. Rupert says that her mind is rebelling as it senses its core identity is being challenged. He suggests this battle is a good sign, as her ideas and beliefs are now being questioned, and he encourages her to continue participating.

A man asks about his experience of shifting his relationship with pain during meditation. Rupert explains that his guided meditations could be considered a subtle or homeopathic form of yoga, where the only posture is the Shiva asana, the posture of pure being. He suggests that even conventional yoga, such as hatha, can be done from the inside by focusing on raw sensations rather than imposing discipline from the outside.

A man asks how to make a positive impact in the world through co-creation. Rupert suggests that when we return home, without provoking resistance, we should share love and understanding in ways appropriate to those around us, tailoring the understanding to each person’s perspective.

A woman shares that during a meditation earlier in the day, in which participants imagined themselves as newborn infants, grief arose, reflecting a lifelong struggle with hating her body. She asks how to reconcile this, knowing the body isn’t truly real. Rupert guides her through another round of the newborn infant meditation, inviting her to focus on the essence of her body experience – tingling, vibrating raw sensation. He advises her to return to this direct experience again and again, until she recognises that there is nothing unlovable about the body.

A man asks how mystics can help scientists connect their discoveries in quantum physics to spirituality. Rupert replies that he is not qualified to speak for scientists, but he knows that there are some, like Donald Hoffman and Bernardo Kastrup, who are exploring such matters. He adds that most scientists focus on how experience works rather than on its true nature.

A woman asks how to reconcile her understanding of unity, as experienced in meditation, with her work in marketing, which focuses on competition and differentiation. Rupert shares the example of pro tennis greats Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, whose rivalry brought out the best in one another. Rupert suggests she consider that her competitors are on her side, helping her refine her skills, and that she is not really selling a product per se, but rather she is marketing excellence and taking people to their true nature.