Giving Up the Devotee and the Beloved from the media I Am Always I
A man, who had been a Hindu monk, asks how to transpose the worshipful paradigm to the non-dual Vedantic paradigm. Rupert suggests that this is both the path of knowledge and the path of devotion. If we remain only as being, then there is no room for a personal self. This is the practice of the presence of God. It is the ultimate surrender. The hardest thing to give up on the path of devotion is to give up the one they are – the devotee – and the one to whom they are devoted - the beloved.
- Duration: 10 minutes and 48 seconds
- Recorded on: Jun 4, 2023
- Event: Seven Day Retreat at The Vedanta – 3rd to 10th June 2023
Rupert reads from his new book, 'I Am Always I'.
A man asks if Rupert is enlightened. Rupert suggests that being is enlightened, not a person. Being is the light of the self and it shines equally brightly in all people.
A man relays three identity-deaths to his personal story recently and wonders about what is next. Rupuert suggests that these are deaths of the separate self. As that separate self is dying, it is crying out, ‘What’s next?’ in order to substantiate itself. That question must remain unanswered. God has taken everything away from you.
A woman describes being restless during meditation, sometimes sleepy. She asks what to do about this. Rupert responds that if sleepy, you can stand up during the meditation, or just fall asleep.
A man, who had been a Hindu monk, asks how to transpose the worshipful paradigm to the non-dual Vedantic paradigm. Rupert suggests that this is both the path of knowledge and the path of devotion. If we remain only as being, then there is no room for a personal self. This is the practice of the presence of God. It is the ultimate surrender. The hardest thing to give up on the path of devotion is to give up the one they are – the devotee – and the one to whom they are devoted - the beloved.
A man says after feeling love and bliss, he told himself not to get attached, and then experienced resistance to meditation. Rupert suggests that the teacher and the teaching should be the final disappointment. His disappointment in meditation is a good sign. Never invest your happiness in anyone or anything; it's a setup for disappointment.
A woman asks why universal consciousness localises into the billions of us. Rupert suggests that it doesn’t do it for a reason; it is just its nature to do so. Consciousness is prior to thinking and perceiving, so what would any purpose be made of if it is prior to thinking and perceiving?
A woman, whose heart area sometimes feels open or constricted during meditation, asks if she is getting attached to warm feelings. Rupert suggests the heart area is the main location of being a separate self, which can either contract or expand.
A woman asks about the energetic component in the body that is tied to the separate self. Rupert responds that the body is released of the contraction, the tension of the sense of separation, which returns to its natural condition of relaxation.
A man, who underwent a heart implant, asks about the physical and psychological aspects of the opening of the heart. Rupert suggests that the body is actually the activity of mind as it appears to sense perceptions. The body and mind are two different views of the same thing.
A woman asks about the relationship between being the witness and resting in being. Rupert elaborates that in witnessing we stand as the subject of our objective experience. This is a first step,which allows us to step back from objective experience. Eventually the witness and the witnessed merge together. We start being involved in experience, next we step back and witness experience, and finally we turn awareness around to be aware of being aware. The subject and object merge and there is no distinction between witness or witnessed. All that remains is awareness.
A woman wonders if there is a value in exploring our desires and our behaviour. Rupert suggests there is a value in such investigation, but it doesn't lead to understanding your true nature. For that you have to go to your self.
A woman asks about the impact of thoughts and feelings on the physical self. Rupert suggests that the aspects of the physical body that are caused by thoughts and feelings will change as thoughts and feelings change, and thoughts and feelings change to the extent that we know our self. The tension in our muscles, the way we move and so on, can change. The sense of separation has a tremendous impact on the body.
A woman asks about what she experiences in meditation. Rupert highlights how she uses the word ‘I’ all the time and asks, ‘What does ‘I’ refer to?’. Her self. We are always experiencing our self, but we overlook it because we concern ourself with our thoughts and feelings, but the ‘I’ is interwoven in all experience.
A man asks about the words 'I am that I am' and 'I am that awareness' and wonders if they are related to the three steps. Rupert responds that the second step is the realisation that I am always I, which is the culmination of the Vedantic approach. The Tantric approach emphasises what I am in relation to what the world essentially is, as the world is not expressed in 'I am that I am' or 'I am only I'.
Rupert reads from his new book, 'I Am Always I'.
A man asks if Rupert is enlightened. Rupert suggests that being is enlightened, not a person. Being is the light of the self and it shines equally brightly in all people.
A man relays three identity-deaths to his personal story recently and wonders about what is next. Rupuert suggests that these are deaths of the separate self. As that separate self is dying, it is crying out, ‘What’s next?’ in order to substantiate itself. That question must remain unanswered. God has taken everything away from you.
A woman describes being restless during meditation, sometimes sleepy. She asks what to do about this. Rupert responds that if sleepy, you can stand up during the meditation, or just fall asleep.
A man, who had been a Hindu monk, asks how to transpose the worshipful paradigm to the non-dual Vedantic paradigm. Rupert suggests that this is both the path of knowledge and the path of devotion. If we remain only as being, then there is no room for a personal self. This is the practice of the presence of God. It is the ultimate surrender. The hardest thing to give up on the path of devotion is to give up the one they are – the devotee – and the one to whom they are devoted - the beloved.
A man says after feeling love and bliss, he told himself not to get attached, and then experienced resistance to meditation. Rupert suggests that the teacher and the teaching should be the final disappointment. His disappointment in meditation is a good sign. Never invest your happiness in anyone or anything; it's a setup for disappointment.
A woman asks why universal consciousness localises into the billions of us. Rupert suggests that it doesn’t do it for a reason; it is just its nature to do so. Consciousness is prior to thinking and perceiving, so what would any purpose be made of if it is prior to thinking and perceiving?
A woman, whose heart area sometimes feels open or constricted during meditation, asks if she is getting attached to warm feelings. Rupert suggests the heart area is the main location of being a separate self, which can either contract or expand.
A woman asks about the energetic component in the body that is tied to the separate self. Rupert responds that the body is released of the contraction, the tension of the sense of separation, which returns to its natural condition of relaxation.
A man, who underwent a heart implant, asks about the physical and psychological aspects of the opening of the heart. Rupert suggests that the body is actually the activity of mind as it appears to sense perceptions. The body and mind are two different views of the same thing.
A woman asks about the relationship between being the witness and resting in being. Rupert elaborates that in witnessing we stand as the subject of our objective experience. This is a first step,which allows us to step back from objective experience. Eventually the witness and the witnessed merge together. We start being involved in experience, next we step back and witness experience, and finally we turn awareness around to be aware of being aware. The subject and object merge and there is no distinction between witness or witnessed. All that remains is awareness.
A woman wonders if there is a value in exploring our desires and our behaviour. Rupert suggests there is a value in such investigation, but it doesn't lead to understanding your true nature. For that you have to go to your self.
A woman asks about the impact of thoughts and feelings on the physical self. Rupert suggests that the aspects of the physical body that are caused by thoughts and feelings will change as thoughts and feelings change, and thoughts and feelings change to the extent that we know our self. The tension in our muscles, the way we move and so on, can change. The sense of separation has a tremendous impact on the body.
A woman asks about what she experiences in meditation. Rupert highlights how she uses the word ‘I’ all the time and asks, ‘What does ‘I’ refer to?’. Her self. We are always experiencing our self, but we overlook it because we concern ourself with our thoughts and feelings, but the ‘I’ is interwoven in all experience.
A man asks about the words 'I am that I am' and 'I am that awareness' and wonders if they are related to the three steps. Rupert responds that the second step is the realisation that I am always I, which is the culmination of the Vedantic approach. The Tantric approach emphasises what I am in relation to what the world essentially is, as the world is not expressed in 'I am that I am' or 'I am only I'.