In this video, Rupert Spira discusses his philosophy of non-dualism, which is the belief that there is only one reality, consciousness, and all things derive their existence from it. He explains that, for him, consciousness is the essential reality of everything, and that on a deeper level, what we are is the same as what the universe is. He challenges the idea that consciousness is just the thoughts or feelings of a person, and argues that if anything, it is the universe that is consciousness.
00:00:00 Rupert Spira discusses his work as a non-dualist teacher of the direct path, and discusses how this style of inquiry allows for a more open and fruitful conversation. He also discusses his upcoming conversation with Duncan Lee, which he is looking forward to.
00:05:00 Rupert Spira discusses his philosophy of non-dualism, which is the belief that there is only one reality, consciousness, and all things derive their existence from it. He discusses how his early childhood intuition of God as the source of all reality was reawakened and deepened through his study of the Vedanta tradition and Francis Lucille.
00:10:00 Rupert Spira discusses the difference between ignorance and understanding and how each is a state of being where one is not a thing. He then goes on to say that in understanding, one realizes they are nothing, which is objectified view of oneself. Finally, he discusses the debt side of understanding, which is the further exploration of removing everything not essential to one's self.
00:15:00 Rupert Spira discusses the concept of non-dualism, which is the belief that consciousness is the essential reality of everything. He goes on to say that on a deeper level, what we are is the same as what the universe is, and that this experience of identity is love. He challenges the idea that consciousness is just the thoughts or feelings of a person, and argues that if anything, it is the universe that is consciousness.
00:20:00 Rupert Spira discusses non-dualism, consciousness, God, and death. He explains that, for him, consciousness is the essence of who we are, and that without it, we are nothing. He then goes on to say that, to experience ourselves, we must remove everything but awareness, which is the essence of our being. Finally, he tells the audience about an experience he had in which he was just aware of his feet, and could also feel images and thoughts passing through his mind.
00:25:00 Rupert Spira discusses non-dualism, consciousness, God, and death. He notes that although awareness has a boundary, it is not finite and that the experience of awareness comes from not referring to anything that is aware. He asks a participant to describe the experience of awareness without referring to anything that is aware, and the participant struggles to explain it. Rupert notes that trying is what the participant should be doing and encourages the participant to continue trying.
00:30:00 In this video, Rupert Spira discusses non-dualism and consciousness, and asks the audience to consider whether they have experience of a limit to their awareness. He also explores the idea that awareness is self-aware. When asked whether he can be aware of his own perspective, Curt Jaimungal responds that he doesn't know for sure, but that he is aware of an awareness which is "from a perspective right now."
00:35:00 In this video, Rupert Spira asks a student if he is aware, and the student responds with a tentative yes. Rupert asks the student to consider what is awareness, and the student describes sensations like tingling in the feet. Rupert asks the student to consider the nature of thoughts, and the student struggles to answer. Finally, Rupert asks the student to imagine physical space as being aware, and the student agrees that there may be no limit to what physical space could experience.
00:40:00 Rupert Spira discusses the idea that there may be something outside of consciousness, which exists alongside consciousness. He says that, if this is true, then we cannot know it and it is an abstract category of experience.
00:45:00 In his video, Rupert Spira argues that consciousness can't be divided, because if it was, it would be finite. He also provides a mathematical example to illustrate his point.
00:50:00 Rupert Spira argues that if we take parsimony seriously, we shouldn't posit what exists outside of consciousness, because all that is within consciousness can explain in the same way. He also argues that if we stay close to the evidence of experience, we can be certain that there is consciousness and its contents or activity, which we call experience, is our experience that consciousness is unlimited. When we fall asleep, our own mind, which is an indivisible field, imagines the dream world within itself. But the dreaming mind doesn't perceive the dreamed world directly. To perceive the dreamed world, it has to simultaneously localize itself within its own dream, as an apparently separate subject of experience, from whose perspective it views its own activity as the dreamed world, although it doesn't know that it's a dreamed world. When we wake up, we realize that the dreamed world wasn't divided into a multiplicity and diversity of objects made out of matter, made out of a known by a subject made out of mind, the entire dreamed world, including the separate subject of experience that we seemed to become, was all the activity of our own in the visible mind. The dreamed world was just what might the activity of my own mind looked like from a localized perspective.
00:55:00 Rupert Spira discusses the concept of non-dualism, which states that consciousness is within consciousness and that it perceives its own activity as the universe. This would account for the identity between ourselves and the universe, the shared identity or shared reality of the subject, and object.
In the video, Rupert Spira discusses non-dualism, consciousness, God, and death. He argues that consciousness is not limited to the waking state, but may also exist in the dream state. He suggests that the universe is a manifestation of infinite consciousness, and that we are a segment of this infinite consciousness. He also points out that even from the perspective of the finite mind, there are no real things, only appearances.
01:00:00 Rupert Spira argues that consciousness is not limited to the waking state, but may also exist in the dream state. He suggests that the universe is a manifestation of infinite consciousness, and that we are a segment of this infinite consciousness.
01:05:00 Rupert Spira discusses the idea of non-duality and consciousness. He argues that consciousness does not need to localize itself in the form of each individual in order to know itself, as it knows itself by itself. He also points out that even from the perspective of the finite mind, there are no real things, only appearances.
01:10:00 Rupert Spira believes that the world is like a dream, but not a dream in the sense that we know a dream, where once you realize this, you wake up. In his analogy, what would be the equivalent of enlightenment would not be waking up. As a result, the dream coming to an end, it would be beginning to lucid dream.
01:15:00 Rupert Spira discusses non-dualism, consciousness, God, and death. He says that even to say the word "connected" implies that we are different and connected by nodes, and that some people who have attained peace and prosperity through recognizing their finitude are delusional. He asks the audience if these people are correct, and if it is possible for a being to be aware of its own finitude. Curt Jaimungal experiences a sense of vibration that extends beyond the limits of his flashlight. He says that this vibration is something that he is aware of, and that it enables him to describe the background noise as being undulating and not sharp or cold. Rupert Spira says that it is difficult for him to say anything about what it takes for someone to experience pure awareness, as there is nothing finite to say.
01:20:00 Rupert Spira discusses the possibility of enlightenment being misinterpreted, saying that it is possible for one's mind, in this case, their experience, to take some time to catch up with their recognition of the nature of their being. He also says that it is possible for one's beliefs and feelings to be re-castrated in a way that is consistent with this new understanding.
01:25:00 Rupert Spira argues that there can be no finite sections of consciousness, but that the experience of one consciousness collapsing into another is an illusion. He suggests that the experience of happiness is the nature of consciousness, and that the apparent separation of minds is an illusion.
01:30:00 Rupert Spira argues that there is no reason for the universe to exist, as it is simply its nature to move within itself. Consciousness, in its infinite form, shuddering spontaneously, generates the universe. This is analogous to the oscillation of water caused by wind and other external factors.
01:35:00 Rupert Spira discusses non-dualism, consciousness, God, and death. He says that consciousness is the primary vibration and the source of all manifestation, including the universe. The logos, or activity of consciousness, is what we perceive as the universe. The laws of the universe are its nature to move and vibrate within itself. Time and space are created by our finite minds, and they are not inherent in reality. Rupert Spira says that being able to be oneself and ask questions is a very good quality in an interviewer.
01:40:00 Rupert Spira discusses non-dualism and consciousness with two friends, Curt Jaimungal and Donald Hoffman. He finds disagreements with both friends, but respects their work. He argues that every experience shares consciousness, which is different for every individual experience.
01:45:00 Rupert Spira believes that consciousness is beyond the finite mind and shares the same consciousness. He believes that psychedelics can aid in getting to this state of infinite consciousness.
01:50:00 The author discusses the idea that consciousness does not necessarily require an objective experience to be understood. He suggests that one can understand consciousness by looking within themselves, and argues that the nature of consciousness is self-illumination.
01:55:00 Rupert Spira discusses the theory of non-duality, Consciousness, God, and death. He explains that when someone recognizes their true nature, they are relieved of their suffering. This is an extraordinary experience, and can be experienced in different ways depending on the person. For example, when someone realizes they are the same self as the Avatar in a dream, they experience love. Further, when we wake up and realize we are part of all existence, we experience a sense of oneness.
In the video, Rupert Spira discusses the concept of non-dualism and how it applies to human relationships. He encourages people to feel love for one another even if they are separate entities, and argues that this is the only way to be truly kind.
02:00:00 Rupert Spira discusses the idea of non-duality, which suggests that there is only happiness and no true suffering. He points out that conventional concepts of happiness and suffering are based on a limited perspective and are not true from a non-dual perspective.
02:05:00 Rupert Spira discusses the concept of suffering being an illusion, and how when one goes deeply into the experience, they find happiness or peace at its source. He also discusses the idea of suffering being a glimpse into who one might be if they let go of their attachments.
02:10:00 Rupert Spira discusses his fear of death and how it relates to his exploration of truth. He offers an interpretation of what he's suggesting, which is that the fear of death is related to the fear of being temporary and finite.
02:15:00 Rupert Spira discusses non-dualism, consciousness, God, and death. He explains that the further one goes into truth or reality, the less attached one will become to beliefs about separateness and limitedness. This dissolution of those limiting beliefs results in an increase in peace and happiness on the inside and an increased love for others. Self-hatred is often at the root of harmful behaviors, and can be addressed by recognizing and addressing the connection one has with others.
02:20:00 Rupert Spira discusses the concept of non-dualism and how it applies to human relationships. He encourages people to feel love for one another even if they are separate entities, and argues that this is the only way to be truly kind. He also discusses the difference between feeling love and being simply kind, and how it can be difficult to discern which is the correct attitude.
02:25:00 Rupert Spira discusses the idea that infinite consciousness cannot directly create or experience manifestation, and that this is why suffering exists. He suggests that it is the fallout of our finite minds contracting into themselves.
02:30:00 Rupert Spira discusses the idea that suffering is a necessary price consciousness pays for creation. He argues that, at a deeper level, suffering and pain are just two different perspectives on the same reality, and that physical pain is there to remind us we have overlooked ourselves.
02:35:00 Rupert Spira discusses how it can be madness to seek lasting happiness in something as fleeting and fragile as a relationship, citing his own experience of breaking up with his girlfriend at age 20 as an example. The experience led him to reflect on the level of suffering that can exist in the world.
02:40:00 Rupert Spira discusses how, in order for an impulse to gradually wind down, it is necessary to experience repeated failure and disappointment. He says that, although the experience of intense pain is worse, it pales in comparison to some of the other experiences on the spectrum of possible experiences.
02:45:00 In Rupert Spira's model of consciousness, different realms of overlapping consciousnesses exist. This realm, which we call the objective world, does not negate the rest of consciousness. Materialists think that the objective world exists because of the overlap between different realms of consciousness, but Spira argues that the overlap itself is what is responsible for the existence of the objective world. He gives the example of two people looking at a shared world, one from within their own circle of consciousness, and the other from outside the circle. The different experience of the two individuals is due to the filter of their respective minds.
02:50:00 Rupert Spira discusses the non-dual perspective and how some people have a negative reaction to it because they have a partial understanding of it. He says that both the materialist and the spiritual perspectives set off exploring reality in two different directions and that the vitriol comes from a lack of understanding.
02:55:00 In this video, Rupert Spira discusses the difference between the left and right brains and how they operate at a microcosmic level. He also discusses the idea that the perspective of infinite consciousness does not have a perspective and that the finite mind is a perspective.
Rupert Spira discusses the nature of consciousness, non-duality, and death. He argues that, although the finite mind cannot know reality without limitations, it is still possible to explore it using thought and perception. He goes on to say that, if this was all there was to it, we could never know the nature of reality, but because we are apparently separate selves emanating from reality, we can still know something about it.
03:00:00 Rupert Spira discusses the difference between consciousness and the localized mind, and how death may entail the expansion of the mind. He suggests that the continuity of consciousness may be due to the fact that the mind is still embodied, albeit in a different form.
03:05:00 Rupert Spira discusses the nature of non-dualism, consciousness, God, and death. He argues that, although the finite mind cannot know reality without limitations, it is still possible to explore it using thought and perception. He goes on to say that, if this was all there was to it, we could never know the nature of reality, but because we are apparently separate selves emanating from reality, we can still know something about it.
03:10:00 Rupert Spira discusses the idea that we are a part of reality, that we come from an "under the universe" and that we have access to certain aspects of reality that are not mediated through the faculties of thought and perception. He argues that the highest science is the investigation into the nature of consciousness, because that is the only knowledge of our own being that is not subject to the limitations of the finite mind.
03:15:00 Rupert Spira discusses the nature of consciousness, discussing that it is not mediated through the faculties of the finite mind. Absolute knowledge of oneself exists, and is the only knowledge that is not relative to the limitations of the finite mind. This is why the study of consciousness is traditionally referred to as prayer or meditation. Science may one day become mystical, as it becomes more subjective and involves investigating nature.
03:20:00 Rupert Spira discusses how he does not get overwhelmed by emotions, does not have a psychological attachment to people, and believes that we are all interconnected.
03:25:00 Rupert Spira argues that, while there are different types of emotions, all emotions arise on behalf of the ego.
03:30:00 Rupert Spira discusses the distinction between temporary, finite, separate self that we seem to be and the "true nature" or "shining" that is experienced when the sense of separation collapses. He provides an example of a competition that arises on behalf of either the separate self or the "true nature."
03:35:00 The non-duality traditions of Buddhism and Hinduism emphasize the oneness of all beings, and the direct path approach to enlightenment emphasizes that everyone is already aware. The progressive path approach involves purifying and refining the ego until it is ready to receive higher teachings, while the direct path approach takes everyone to their essential nature regardless of their current state.
03:40:00 In Rupert Spira's opinion, animals are aware in a conventional sense, that is, they can feel pain and experience the world around them. Going further down the line of being aware, he says that plants, trees, stones, and even cars and computers may be capable of awareness. However, he believes that humans are the only beings who can be said to be fully aware.
03:45:00 Rupert Spira argues that consciousness is not an attribute of human beings, but rather something that only exists in beings that are aware. He suggests that Descartes was more intelligent than we give him credit for because he understood that there is a gap between two thoughts and that we are still conscious even when we are not thinking.
03:50:00 Rupert Spira discusses how, even though the East got it right earlier, dualism has become predominant in the West. He compares Eastern and Western thought and discusses how, although the East got it right, it is Christianity that has propagated it the most.
03:55:00 Rupert Spira discusses the idea that all religious and spiritual texts contain a similar understanding of the nature of the mind and existence. He believes that this understanding is universal, and can be found in different formulations across time and cultures. Rupert suggests that the prodigal son story can be interpreted as a moral lesson about the importance of returning to one's roots.
In the video, Rupert Spira discusses the concept of non-duality and how it can be applied to prayer and meditation. He also discusses the analogy of the dream, and how it can be used to explain the concept. He argues that the apparent self or ego is an illusion, and that by realizing our essential self we can overcome any suffering.
04:00:00 Rupert Spira discusses the concept of non-duality, and how it can be applied to prayer and meditation. He also discusses the analogy of the dream, and how it can be used to explain the concept.
04:05:00 Rupert Spira discusses how the dream character, an apparently separate subject of experience, views the world and wonders where it came from. When the dreamer wakes up, they realize that the creator of the world was not some supernatural being at an infinite distance from itself, its own mind, but the very activity of its own mind. In other words, what the dreamed character believed to be a creator god outside the dreamed world actually turned out to be the very activity of the dreamers mind, which was the essence of the dreamed character.
04:10:00 Rupert Spira explains that the apparent self or ego is an illusion, and that by realizing our essential self we can overcome any suffering.
04:15:00 Rupert Spira discusses the non-dual traditions of Buddhism, Vedanta, and Taoism and how they focus on self-knowledge and self-realization. He emphasizes that the purpose of the non-dual teachings is not to describe reality accurately, but to bring us into our experience of reality. The non-dual teachings are like nothing that is said in them is true, but they can be useful in pointing people in the right direction.
04:20:00 Rupert Spira discusses the idea that the infinite lacks the finite and that there is nothing finite in existence.
04:25:00 Rupert Spira discusses the idea that there is only one reality and that what appears to be separate is only an illusion. He suggests that it usually takes people a while to understand these concepts, but that everyone has some intuition of what he is talking about. He also points out that some people can understand these ideas more quickly than others.
04:30:00 Rupert Spira compares the experience of dreaming to the experience of being in a non-dual consciousness. He states that the experience of dreaming is like being in a separate, localized reality, while the experience of being in a non-dual consciousness is like being in the body of the dreamed character.
04:35:00 Rupert Spira discusses the theory that after death, the finite mind contracts and expands back into the universal field of consciousness. He argues that this could be consistent with reincarnation, as the finite mind ceases contracting and expands back into the same realm it originated from.
04:40:00 Rupert Spira discusses the nature of consciousness, reincarnation, and happiness. He recommends reading his books on the subject if interested in more philosophical or experiential information, respectively.