There Is No Personal Self

If we think of meditation as something that we do, either trying to focus the mind, control the mind or still the mind, then we can have successful meditations and unsuccessful meditations. But if we just consider meditation as being, then there's no such thing as success or failure in meditation. Meditation is not something that we do but what we essentially are. Simply being has no goal. It does not require effort. There are no degrees of maturity in just being, but most people's experience of being is clouded by their experience of thoughts, feelings, actions and relationships. Bring the feeling of being out of the background into the foreground. In everyday life, experience clouds being; in meditation, being outshines experience. Remain as being.

A man says he still feels that there is something behind reality. Rupert suggests that in the early stages of the understanding we posit that awareness is behind reality, like a screen behind a movie. The world, as we see time and space, is how the one reality appears to a finite human mind, yet all we experience is the one reality.

A man asks if it matters whether we understand the nature of reality. Rupert suggests that if we don’t see through the appearance to its reality, then we ignore the one and all we see is the many – discretely existing objects and selves – which is a paradigm of separation. This leads to sorrow and conflict.

A man references a yoga meditation and asks about ‘touching the stuff that seeing is made of’. Rupert suggests that if we are seeing, we must be experiencing whatever seeing is made of. Something is there. What are you experiencing? Knowing is the only substance in the experience of seeing.

A man asks about fear and emptiness because he has experienced dark meditations lately. Rupert responds that these are experiences of realms of the mind of which he is not normally aware. There's only one meditative experience: the awareness of being. No other experiences are 'spiritual', nor spiritually significant. If we lose interest in such experiences, they diminish. Rupert recommends getting up and walking to help with these experiences.

A woman references a previous converstaion with Rupert.

A woman, who is bi-polar, shares her experience of going into a manic state and synchronicity. Rupert suggests that it’s true that we tend to notice more synchronicity in our lives as we go deeper into the understanding. However, he suggests the only significant shift is from the content of experience to our being.

A man asks about the not-knowing of the mind, and the knowing of the 'I am'. Rupert elaborates that when it is said, 'Being is unknowable' what is meant is that being is unknowable objectively. The awareness of being is more familiar than any other experience. Pay attention to what is, rather than what is not, as in the case of not-knowing.

A woman, who has to give up music because of arthritis, asks about ageing: ‘What is the point of being here?’ Rupert shares the story of his mother’s dementia and says that to shine as being and awaken that being in another can be done at any time under any circumstance. The falling away of our faculties is synonymous with the ever-increasing shining of being.

A woman says her whole life has been transformed, but there are a few areas that are not, such as her experience of the body. She asks how that relates to the statement, 'There's no one there?' Rupert explains that he means that if you look for the personal self, it cannot be found; not a body but the self. He uses the metaphor of John Smith and King Lear. King Lear has personal thoughts and feelings, but when he looks he never finds King Lear, only infinite being.

A woman says she gets upset when her loved ones express their love for others. Rupert responds that there is an assumption that there is less love for you, but in fact, there is more love as we expand the circle of our love.

A man asks about setting limits around technology with children. Rupert shares that he was permissive with his son within set boundaries. If there was rudeness, there was a consequence. Children often push boundaries to see where the ‘real’ boundary is. However, each child and family is different.

A woman asks about what to do if friends are suffering, even though she knows they will be okay, as it isn't appropriate to say 'You are this awareness’. Rupert suggests that we know what our friends are and that they are okay. It's important to convey that understanding and confidence, which is the healing agent, not the words.

A woman asks what to do if she comes across a child in the street who has no money but wants ice cream. Rupert says it's not so much the ice cream that matters but your own peace of mind. That is the greatest contribution, whether we give them the ice cream or not. Find an appropriate way of sharing being.

A man, who struggles with depression and experienced a self-realised state, asks about how it happened. Rupert suggests that it happened because of an exhaustion that precipitated a letting go. In that surrender, there is an opening, but in time, conditioning comes back.He was given two samples: one, of his true nature, and two, a hint about how to approach it. Be open without purpose.

A man, who had an awakening experience, was astounded by how he had missed it. Now he is wondering what he is missing now that the state is gone. Rupert suggests that he is missing his being. The content of being is so colourful, interesting and absorbing that we spend most of the day involved with it. Just go back to your being.

A question is asked about stages and the idea that there are no differences in maturity between ourself and the Buddha and others who perform miracles. Rupert asks if we asked the Buddha to describe his thoughts and feelings and we then asked you to describe your own, there would be millions of answers. But if we ask the Buddha about his being, and ask you and everyone about their being, all the answers would be the same. It is all the same being. The difference might be that some develop siddhis that have a tangible effect at the physical level, but this capacity has nothing to do with the recognition of true nature.

If we think of meditation as something that we do, either trying to focus the mind, control the mind or still the mind, then we can have successful meditations and unsuccessful meditations. But if we just consider meditation as being, then there's no such thing as success or failure in meditation. Meditation is not something that we do but what we essentially are. Simply being has no goal. It does not require effort. There are no degrees of maturity in just being, but most people's experience of being is clouded by their experience of thoughts, feelings, actions and relationships. Bring the feeling of being out of the background into the foreground. In everyday life, experience clouds being; in meditation, being outshines experience. Remain as being.

A man says he still feels that there is something behind reality. Rupert suggests that in the early stages of the understanding we posit that awareness is behind reality, like a screen behind a movie. The world, as we see time and space, is how the one reality appears to a finite human mind, yet all we experience is the one reality.

A man asks if it matters whether we understand the nature of reality. Rupert suggests that if we don’t see through the appearance to its reality, then we ignore the one and all we see is the many – discretely existing objects and selves – which is a paradigm of separation. This leads to sorrow and conflict.

A man references a yoga meditation and asks about ‘touching the stuff that seeing is made of’. Rupert suggests that if we are seeing, we must be experiencing whatever seeing is made of. Something is there. What are you experiencing? Knowing is the only substance in the experience of seeing.

A man asks about fear and emptiness because he has experienced dark meditations lately. Rupert responds that these are experiences of realms of the mind of which he is not normally aware. There's only one meditative experience: the awareness of being. No other experiences are 'spiritual', nor spiritually significant. If we lose interest in such experiences, they diminish. Rupert recommends getting up and walking to help with these experiences.

A woman references a previous converstaion with Rupert.

A woman, who is bi-polar, shares her experience of going into a manic state and synchronicity. Rupert suggests that it’s true that we tend to notice more synchronicity in our lives as we go deeper into the understanding. However, he suggests the only significant shift is from the content of experience to our being.

A man asks about the not-knowing of the mind, and the knowing of the 'I am'. Rupert elaborates that when it is said, 'Being is unknowable' what is meant is that being is unknowable objectively. The awareness of being is more familiar than any other experience. Pay attention to what is, rather than what is not, as in the case of not-knowing.

A woman, who has to give up music because of arthritis, asks about ageing: ‘What is the point of being here?’ Rupert shares the story of his mother’s dementia and says that to shine as being and awaken that being in another can be done at any time under any circumstance. The falling away of our faculties is synonymous with the ever-increasing shining of being.

A woman says her whole life has been transformed, but there are a few areas that are not, such as her experience of the body. She asks how that relates to the statement, 'There's no one there?' Rupert explains that he means that if you look for the personal self, it cannot be found; not a body but the self. He uses the metaphor of John Smith and King Lear. King Lear has personal thoughts and feelings, but when he looks he never finds King Lear, only infinite being.

A woman says she gets upset when her loved ones express their love for others. Rupert responds that there is an assumption that there is less love for you, but in fact, there is more love as we expand the circle of our love.

A man asks about setting limits around technology with children. Rupert shares that he was permissive with his son within set boundaries. If there was rudeness, there was a consequence. Children often push boundaries to see where the ‘real’ boundary is. However, each child and family is different.

A woman asks about what to do if friends are suffering, even though she knows they will be okay, as it isn't appropriate to say 'You are this awareness’. Rupert suggests that we know what our friends are and that they are okay. It's important to convey that understanding and confidence, which is the healing agent, not the words.

A woman asks what to do if she comes across a child in the street who has no money but wants ice cream. Rupert says it's not so much the ice cream that matters but your own peace of mind. That is the greatest contribution, whether we give them the ice cream or not. Find an appropriate way of sharing being.

A man, who struggles with depression and experienced a self-realised state, asks about how it happened. Rupert suggests that it happened because of an exhaustion that precipitated a letting go. In that surrender, there is an opening, but in time, conditioning comes back.He was given two samples: one, of his true nature, and two, a hint about how to approach it. Be open without purpose.

A man, who had an awakening experience, was astounded by how he had missed it. Now he is wondering what he is missing now that the state is gone. Rupert suggests that he is missing his being. The content of being is so colourful, interesting and absorbing that we spend most of the day involved with it. Just go back to your being.

A question is asked about stages and the idea that there are no differences in maturity between ourself and the Buddha and others who perform miracles. Rupert asks if we asked the Buddha to describe his thoughts and feelings and we then asked you to describe your own, there would be millions of answers. But if we ask the Buddha about his being, and ask you and everyone about their being, all the answers would be the same. It is all the same being. The difference might be that some develop siddhis that have a tangible effect at the physical level, but this capacity has nothing to do with the recognition of true nature.