Bridging Understanding and Experience

"How can I bridge the gap between understanding that my being is shared with everyone and everything, and the felt sense of separation that I experience in the finite mind? Rupert says: ‘The felt sense of separation is completely natural. The subject-object relationship is the only way it’s possible to have experience. Buddha sitting next to you would see the world in exactly the same way – lots of apparently separate people. You have to override the apparent evidence of sense perception with your understanding. Don’t expect the way you perceive to miraculously change. You have to make a conscious effort to feel through that sense of separation to the being you both share. Reserve some of your attention for this felt sense of shared being. As you’re listening or speaking, actively feel – don’t wait for it to happen. Allow that to inform the way you relate. Practice with people you like first, then with difficult people. Be grateful for those people – they help you establish this unconditional love.’"

From event 05 - 12 October, 2025 Seven-Day Retreat at Garrison Institute, 5–12 October 2025

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