Emotion as Sensation Plus Narrative

"I heard you say suffering comes from moving away from what we’re experiencing. But this morning I felt crushed, full of anxiety. I don’t see that the suffering comes from resistance – it just feels present in my body, in my heart. Rupert says: ‘Without referring to your thoughts or memories, is there any emotional turmoil in you now? What’s present is a sensation – neutral, like the sensation of your feet on the floor. It’s not an emotion because it has no narrative attached. You feel there’s an emotion because you’re not yet looking clearly. There’s a sensation, and onto it you’re projecting a narrative drawn from memory. There’s no contraction in your heart – just a mild sensation onto which you superimpose the idea of upset. Pleasant sensations have the power to gather your attention from past and future and bring it into the now. That cuts off thought and memory, and you taste the innate happiness of your true nature. If you’re in emotional turmoil, it’s because you’re referring to the past, not experiencing just the present sensation.’"

From event 21 - 28 November, 2025 Seven-Day Retreat at The Vedanta, 21–28 November 2025

Subscribe or purchase View full event recordings