Remaining in Being While Acting in the World

I’ve been reading I Am That by Nisargadatta and feel the need to go deeper. Yesterday you guided us back to the self and then out again, saying eventually it’s not necessary to lose contact with the self. But I wonder: is there a risk that trying to maintain both – contact with being and attention to the world – might weaken or divide the mind? Rupert says: ‘No, I don’t think there’s a risk. It’s necessary to give your mind to the content of experience – to your body, to anyone in your care, to your work. What weakens the mind is if it obsessively goes from one object to another when not necessary, instead of coming back to rest in being. A mind not continually refreshed in being becomes exhausted. But a mind accustomed to refreshing itself in being goes out into the world with clarity, power and effectiveness. It’s possible to remain in touch with being in the absence of experience but also in the midst of experience. This is what the Orthodox tradition calls “praying without ceasing”. It gives you dignity, composure, peace, clarity, power, compassion and kindness. If you’re driving your car while stable in your being, you’ll drive much more safely – quiet clarity of attention, focused but not stressed.’

From event 12 - 14 December, 2025 The Shining of Being – Online Weekend Retreat at Home, 12–14 December

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