Nonduality, Consciousness, and Ending Suffering — Rupert Spira

Rupert is one of the world’s leading teachers on the nondual understanding of consciousness and its application to improving our everyday quality of life. He gives talks internationally and has written several books, including: Being Myself, The Nature of Consciousness, and You Are The Happiness You Seek. In this conversation, you’ll learn:

— What the nondual understanding is and how it’s at the core of almost every religious or every spiritual tradition

— How understanding this simple idea can transform your felt experience of being in the world; helping you to feel more connected both internally and to everyone and everything in the world around you

— The pitfalls of seeking happiness in external things and why this almost always fails

— The practical implications of nonduality for the individual and society

And more.

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3 Books Rupert Recommends Every Therapist Should Read:

[meditationrelaxingmusick]

it's a really weird feeling looking at youtube comments and everyone is so nice, understanding and peaceful. thank you for this channel existing.

[djh]

I woke up in the night with the word "nonduality" in my mind. I didn't know what that meant and planned I'd look it up in the morning. Of course, come morning, I had forgotten all about it, but I went on YouTube to watch something while my eating breakfast and there was this video. Mr. Spira explained the concept perfectly, and I'm going to the woods now to think about it. Perfect! Thank you.

[tonyhayes]

Roy Schoeman a Jewish convert to Catholicism, describes his spiritual insight while walking in nature one morning and says he received the most spectacular grace of his life when from one moment to the next the curtain between earth and heaven disappeared I found myself knowingly in the presence of God. It was as though the physical world was a painted thin veil over the spiritual world. I was surprised that I could ever have not seen the spiritual world before, because it was so much more real and more concrete and substantial than the physical world that I just couldn't understand how I could ever have been blind to it.'
Ive had similar so can attest to it

[blair]

"Love is the absence of the sense of separation."

[amomentwithlife]

“Before we had this FELT understanding. We use the world in service of our happiness. After we had this understanding we use our Happiness in service of the world”.
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼

[glaight]

Beautifully explained Rupert. May we all wake up for the benefit of all. ♥️🙏

[anavartalitis]

Niall, delightful! Please keep it up. The softness of your voice is hypnotic. "My cup is overflowing", you said. Yours is indeed! I was reminded of the quest for the Holy Grial.
Rupert, thank you for synthesizing Eastern traditions into our Western culture. I had the impression you led me to grasp the Lord's commandment to "Love thy neighbour as thyself". For ever grateful. 😊

[infinisourced]

A few days ago, I experienced peace for about 13 hours. There seemed to be no internal dialogue. This peace stayed with me while driving, practicing musical endeavors, connecting with friends. I was still "me" however this peace was so profound and over the last, maybe 30 minutes it seems I am moving back into it :)

[adams]

The interviewer has few words but direct on point. Thank you for this.

[neelapatel]

"The world is real and also an illusion". I had heard this many a time in spiritual teachings, but Rupert explained it beautifully here.
Thanks to both the gentlemen in this video for moving the needle of raising the collective consciousness 🙏

[KarimaCynthiaClayton]

GREAT INTERVIEWER who distilled many of Rupert’s ideas in this one video. This young man is truly blessed already with knowledge and true understanding.

[rosesize]

Such a great clear & concise video, very important as something to get a hold of in a challenging time, great questions & outstanding Answers from Rupert & boy do we need it 😊

[salmaalami]

Thank you very much Neil for this interview with Mr. Rupert its so profound and excellent. It made me understand more about what is awareness.
Awareness is always the same. what I am aware of the content of the experience, thoughts, and feelings is changing.
The background is not affected by changes.
If one day I am depressed and the next day I am in Love the background stays the same.
Mr. Rupert's teaching is prophetic.
I hope I got some wisdom out of this magical interview.
With appreciation,
Salma

[TriciaPeterson-yjgy]

Seek, and you will discover that you already are, therefore you will no longer desire to seek but now know that I am and that I’ve always been. Namaste 🙏 ❤🙌🏽✨

[TheBhannah]

It great to have people like Rupert point us to the truth of our being !

[willieluncheonette]

" I have heard about Lin Chi, a Zen master. As he was sitting one day in his hut someone came to see him. The man who came was angry. He may have been fighting with his wife or with his boss or something – but he was angry. He pushed open the door in anger, he threw down his shoes in anger and then he came, very respectfully, and bowed down to Lin Chi. Lin Chi said, “First go and ask forgiveness from the door and from the shoes.” The man must have looked at Lin Chi very strangely. There were other people also sitting there and they started laughing. Lin Chi said, “Stop!” and then said to the man, “If you don’t do it then leave. I will have nothing to do with you.” The man said, “It will look crazy to ask forgiveness from the shoes and from the door.” Lin Chi said, “It was not crazy when you expressed anger. Will it now be crazy? Everything has a consciousness. So you go, and unless the door forgives you, I am not going to allow you in.”

The man felt awkward but he had to go. Later on he became a monk himself and became enlightened. When he became enlightened, he related the whole anecdote and he said, “When I stood before the door, asking forgiveness, I felt awkward, foolish. But then I thought that if Lin Chi says so, there must be something in it. I trusted Lin Chi, so I thought that even if it was foolish do it. In the beginning whatsoever I was saying to the door was just superficial, artificial; but by and by I started to get warm. And Lin Chi was waiting and he said that he would watch. If the door forgave me, only then could I come in; otherwise I had to stay there until I had persuaded the door and the shoes to forgive me. By and by I became warm. I forgot that many people were looking. I forgot about Lin Chi – and then the concern became sincere and real. I started to feel the door and the shoes were changing their mood. And the moment I realized that the door and the shoes had changed and that they are feeling happy, Lin Chi immediately said that I could come. I had been forgiven.”

This incident became a transforming phenomenon in his life because for the first time he became aware that everything is really a crystallization of consciousness. If you cannot see it, it is because you are blind. If you cannot hear it, it is because you are deaf. There is nothing the matter with the things around you. Everything is condensed consciousness. The problem is with you – you are not open and sensitive.

This technique says, this consciousness exists as each being, and nothing else exists. Live with this notion. Be sensitive to this and wherever you move, move with this mind and this heart – that everything is consciousness and nothing else exists. Sooner or later, the world will change its face. Sooner or later, objects disappear and persons start appearing everywhere. Sooner or later, the whole world will be suddenly illumined and you will know that you were living in a world of dead things just because of your insensitivity. Otherwise everything is alive – not only alive, everything is conscious.

Everything deep down is nothing but consciousness. But if you leave it as a theory, if you believe in it as a theory, then nothing will happen. You will have to make it a way of life a style of life – behaving as if everything is conscious. In the beginning it will be an ‘as if’, and you will feel foolish, but if you can persist in your foolishness, and if you can dare to be foolish, soon the world will start revealing its mysteries."

[carmellaswartz]

Neil you are an incredible interviewer!! Thank you for bringing out the best in each speaker 🙏

[XolaniNdlovu-df]

Wow the host just so plugged in the questions were so on point this turned out to be a meditation to me

[Eyesayah]

A word fitly spoken and in due season is like apples of gold in settings of silver.

[quip]

Thanks for linking non-duality to human psychology. This takes it out of the realm of philosophy (reserved for a few) and makes it very relevant for today’s mental health crisis (relevant for many).