We Never Cease Being What We Already Are

Experience changes; what is aware of experience remains the same and is ever-present. Take a step back; understand and feel yourself as that which is aware of experience. Its nature is peace. When thoughts and feelings take us away from ourself, ask, ‘What is aware of my thoughts and feelings?’ We go back to the fact of being where there is no agitation or sorrow. Eventually, we come to the end of our search for happiness, peace, enlightenment or God. We can never cease being what we already are. This is the way of recognition. In the midst of dramas, with the slightest shift of attention, we recognise ‘I am’ the one peaceful being, ending decades of sorrow and revealing our innate happiness and peace.

A man shares that he gets stuck when doing yoga meditations. Rupert asks him to close his eyes and leads him in an enquiry of his current direct experience of the body, exploring what the felt sense of the body is without referring to thought or memory. What is that experience made of?

A man asks if there is any difference between consciousness and its activity. Rupert suggests that there isn't. However, that is why he sometimes uses the word ‘knowing’ instead of ‘awareness’ because awareness isn't an activity – it's neither a noun or a verb. It is more accurate to describe consciousness or awareness as knowing.

A woman says that relationships take her away from her being. Rupert suggests it's not wrong to use the energy of relationship or love to override lethargy, but it's a risky policy because it overrides, but doesn't uproot, the lethargy. If you fall out of love, lethargy will still be there. Eventually you realise that your relationships aren't satisfactory because it isn't about love but about escaping from uncomfortable feelings. Explore the inertia in relationship rather than the relationship to find the peace for which you seek. The discussion includes the recognition of gunas – tamas, rajas and sattva.

A man shares a poem then asks about how to talk about the understanding with a Christian friend. Rupert suggests that he read Ramana Maharshi to her and that she read Meister Eckhart to him – then you will both be hard pressed to find a difference in understanding. This way, you will both be sharing the heart of your understanding.

A woman asks how to unblock resistance to writing a teaching memoir. Rupert suggests that she make sure her motivation comes from an impersonal motivation as resistance comes from personalising the the memoir. There's nothing personal about writing a memoir. Write on behalf of love, truth, God or whatever your sense of purpose. It's not about your personal story but about truth.

A man asks if world conflict would end if everyone had the understanding. Rupert suggests we don't go to war with people we love; we go to war with people we hate. Everyone, to some degree, has an innate intuition that the other is our self. The two principles of the understanding – peace and happiness are the nature of our being and we share our being – should be the cornerstone of any civilization.

A woman describes an out-of-body experience she had during a meeting in which she felt as if another being was telling her what to say. Rupert asks if the meeting went well, to which she responds 'Yes'. He suggests that if we can agree that each of our minds are not separate but are localisations of the one infinite consciousness, then the intensity and stress of the question caused the mind to expand and information not normally available came to you.

A woman asks about how to rest in being after trauma. Rupert suggests that the void she felt was a result of dissociating because of the trauma. Being is on the other side of the trauma, so we need to go deeply into ourself through the layers of stored trauma to the fact of simply being, the pure experience of ‘I am’.

A man says that during meditation issues from the Four Noble Truths were resolved and suffering disappeared. He asks if the feeling of happiness increases over time. Rupert responds that the peace gets deeper and deeper.

A first time attendee asks about language. Rupert says that he uses the words ‘awareness’ and ‘consciousness’ identically, and ‘knowing’ and ‘being’ are also used.

A woman asks about distinctions and divisions and why and how they exist. Rupert suggests that John Smith and King Lear are the same person. There aren't two people. John Smith knows that he is playing the part of King Lear, but King Lear has forgotten that he is John Smith.

A woman asks if energy and the content of experience are the same. Rupert suggests that when he refers to the content of experience it refers to everything within – thoughts, feelings and sensations – and without, the world. Consciousness or awareness would be the subject and everything else would be the objective content of experience. We become tangled up with them and seem to become a separate self or person.

A man, who has been on the spiritual path for a long time, shares that he has doubts about the validity of these paths because he has barely had any enlightenment experience. He asks how to know if one is up to the task. Rupert responds that everyone is qualified and up to the task simply by virtue of the fact that you are, that you are aware. Resistance may come from having the understanding while intuiting you're not doing the right practice.

A woman asks about how to overcome resistance to returning to her being. Rupert leads her to see that she is the awareness of tiredness, for example, when she says ‘I am tired’. That is the experience of being. The experience of being is not exotic. We have always been being, whilst everything else comes and goes.

A woman asks about how to act from being and not from a sense of separation. Rupert suggests that we notice if we’ve allowed our happiness to be held hostage to any situation.

A woman asks about a documentary film she saw about veterans finding relief from trauma using psychedelics. She asks if this is a valid use or understanding. Rupert responds that he has no doubt that certain psychedelics can be very effective in healing trauma.

A man asks if a resurgence of anxiety is a side effect of a recent retreat or is it a permanent fixture. Rupert suggests that it could be old residual trauma bubbling up as a result of the deepening experienced at the retreat. Simply allow it, welcome it. There is nothing to do about it. It may last or it may resolve.

A man describes his experiences and asks if he is headed in the right direction. He feels that he can abide as being throughout experience. Rupert affirms and encourages him to understand and feel that the being he essentially is is without limits and is the same being that everyone and everything essentially is. There's only one being. See and know their being and know that as love.

A man talks about welcoming and suffering. Rupert suggests that like the screen behind the movie, being is not harmed by any experience in the movie. Take suffering as a warning light that you are taking yourself to be a temporary, finite, separate self and go back to your being. He mentions the Orthodox Christian tradition of ‘praying without ceasing’, which is not about reciting words but remaining in touch with your being, God's being, irrespective of experience.

Experience changes; what is aware of experience remains the same and is ever-present. Take a step back; understand and feel yourself as that which is aware of experience. Its nature is peace. When thoughts and feelings take us away from ourself, ask, ‘What is aware of my thoughts and feelings?’ We go back to the fact of being where there is no agitation or sorrow. Eventually, we come to the end of our search for happiness, peace, enlightenment or God. We can never cease being what we already are. This is the way of recognition. In the midst of dramas, with the slightest shift of attention, we recognise ‘I am’ the one peaceful being, ending decades of sorrow and revealing our innate happiness and peace.

A man shares that he gets stuck when doing yoga meditations. Rupert asks him to close his eyes and leads him in an enquiry of his current direct experience of the body, exploring what the felt sense of the body is without referring to thought or memory. What is that experience made of?

A man asks if there is any difference between consciousness and its activity. Rupert suggests that there isn't. However, that is why he sometimes uses the word ‘knowing’ instead of ‘awareness’ because awareness isn't an activity – it's neither a noun or a verb. It is more accurate to describe consciousness or awareness as knowing.

A woman says that relationships take her away from her being. Rupert suggests it's not wrong to use the energy of relationship or love to override lethargy, but it's a risky policy because it overrides, but doesn't uproot, the lethargy. If you fall out of love, lethargy will still be there. Eventually you realise that your relationships aren't satisfactory because it isn't about love but about escaping from uncomfortable feelings. Explore the inertia in relationship rather than the relationship to find the peace for which you seek. The discussion includes the recognition of gunas – tamas, rajas and sattva.

A man shares a poem then asks about how to talk about the understanding with a Christian friend. Rupert suggests that he read Ramana Maharshi to her and that she read Meister Eckhart to him – then you will both be hard pressed to find a difference in understanding. This way, you will both be sharing the heart of your understanding.

A woman asks how to unblock resistance to writing a teaching memoir. Rupert suggests that she make sure her motivation comes from an impersonal motivation as resistance comes from personalising the the memoir. There's nothing personal about writing a memoir. Write on behalf of love, truth, God or whatever your sense of purpose. It's not about your personal story but about truth.

A man asks if world conflict would end if everyone had the understanding. Rupert suggests we don't go to war with people we love; we go to war with people we hate. Everyone, to some degree, has an innate intuition that the other is our self. The two principles of the understanding – peace and happiness are the nature of our being and we share our being – should be the cornerstone of any civilization.

A woman describes an out-of-body experience she had during a meeting in which she felt as if another being was telling her what to say. Rupert asks if the meeting went well, to which she responds 'Yes'. He suggests that if we can agree that each of our minds are not separate but are localisations of the one infinite consciousness, then the intensity and stress of the question caused the mind to expand and information not normally available came to you.

A woman asks about how to rest in being after trauma. Rupert suggests that the void she felt was a result of dissociating because of the trauma. Being is on the other side of the trauma, so we need to go deeply into ourself through the layers of stored trauma to the fact of simply being, the pure experience of ‘I am’.

A man says that during meditation issues from the Four Noble Truths were resolved and suffering disappeared. He asks if the feeling of happiness increases over time. Rupert responds that the peace gets deeper and deeper.

A first time attendee asks about language. Rupert says that he uses the words ‘awareness’ and ‘consciousness’ identically, and ‘knowing’ and ‘being’ are also used.

A woman asks about distinctions and divisions and why and how they exist. Rupert suggests that John Smith and King Lear are the same person. There aren't two people. John Smith knows that he is playing the part of King Lear, but King Lear has forgotten that he is John Smith.

A woman asks if energy and the content of experience are the same. Rupert suggests that when he refers to the content of experience it refers to everything within – thoughts, feelings and sensations – and without, the world. Consciousness or awareness would be the subject and everything else would be the objective content of experience. We become tangled up with them and seem to become a separate self or person.

A man, who has been on the spiritual path for a long time, shares that he has doubts about the validity of these paths because he has barely had any enlightenment experience. He asks how to know if one is up to the task. Rupert responds that everyone is qualified and up to the task simply by virtue of the fact that you are, that you are aware. Resistance may come from having the understanding while intuiting you're not doing the right practice.

A woman asks about how to overcome resistance to returning to her being. Rupert leads her to see that she is the awareness of tiredness, for example, when she says ‘I am tired’. That is the experience of being. The experience of being is not exotic. We have always been being, whilst everything else comes and goes.

A woman asks about how to act from being and not from a sense of separation. Rupert suggests that we notice if we’ve allowed our happiness to be held hostage to any situation.

A woman asks about a documentary film she saw about veterans finding relief from trauma using psychedelics. She asks if this is a valid use or understanding. Rupert responds that he has no doubt that certain psychedelics can be very effective in healing trauma.

A man asks if a resurgence of anxiety is a side effect of a recent retreat or is it a permanent fixture. Rupert suggests that it could be old residual trauma bubbling up as a result of the deepening experienced at the retreat. Simply allow it, welcome it. There is nothing to do about it. It may last or it may resolve.

A man describes his experiences and asks if he is headed in the right direction. He feels that he can abide as being throughout experience. Rupert affirms and encourages him to understand and feel that the being he essentially is is without limits and is the same being that everyone and everything essentially is. There's only one being. See and know their being and know that as love.

A man talks about welcoming and suffering. Rupert suggests that like the screen behind the movie, being is not harmed by any experience in the movie. Take suffering as a warning light that you are taking yourself to be a temporary, finite, separate self and go back to your being. He mentions the Orthodox Christian tradition of ‘praying without ceasing’, which is not about reciting words but remaining in touch with your being, God's being, irrespective of experience.