Knowing and Being – One and the Same

"How does consciousness know itself without there being a subject-object relationship, which seems necessary for all knowing? Rupert says: ‘You’re absolutely right that all objective knowing takes place in subject-object relationship. However, consciousness’s knowing of itself doesn’t take place in subject-object relationship. Consider the sun: it illuminates the moon in subject-object relationship – the sun is the subject, the moon is the object. But the sun’s illumination of itself doesn’t take place in subject-object relationship. The sun illuminates itself simply by being itself. It’s self-luminous. Likewise, consciousness knows or illuminates everything in subject-object relationship, but it knows itself simply by being itself. It’s self-knowing or self-aware. This is what we mean when we say being is aware of itself. There’s no separation between the knowing and the being – they’re one and the same.’"

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

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