“Everything is made of consciousness but not everything is conscious “

[iamthat]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

I looked around I could not find that Rupert has ever had even 1 minute of Cosmic Consciousness. So, I can only figure he is coming from his own logic, opinion and intellect. Would that be correct?

I read about the experiences and realisations of many Neo-Advaita teachers such as Rupert Spira and it is difficult to evaluate exactly what they have realised and at what level.

They may realise that they are not the personality or the body - they are Consciousness and all things arise within their Consciousness. But this can be realised at many levels. So they may all use similar terms to express what they have realised but that does not necessarily mean they have all realised the same thing.

And when they try to explain what they have realised they do so using their habitual mental patterns, so for me Rupert's explanations always seem very much on the level of the mind, logical and intellectual. And (for me) oddly uninspiring. Which leaves me wondering about the nature of his realisation.

And after their moment of realisation they then have to re-engage with everyday life, even if (like Eckhart Tolle) that just meant sitting on a park bench observing the world. And in that re-engaging what happens to their state of realisation?

As Eckhart Tolle said, "For the next five months, I lived in a state of uninterrupted deep peace and bliss. After that, it diminished somewhat in intensity, or perhaps it just seemed to because it became my natural state. I could still function in the world, although I realized that nothing I ever did could possibly add anything to what I already had."

So with all these teachers, does their state of realisation diminish in intensity over time? And is this because it has become their natural state? Or is it a case of "they had it, they lost it," as Adyashanti calls it?

So it is natural to be curious about the realisations and experiences of these various teachers, but it is difficult to evaluate these things when all we have are words.

Peace

[pixiedust]

Originally Posted by iamthat

But this can be realised at many levels. So they may all use similar terms to express what they have realised but that does not necessarily mean they have all realised the same thing.

Agree.

......

[Miss Hepburn]

Originally Posted by iamthat

...so for me Rupert's explanations always seem very much on the level of the mind, logical and intellectual.
And (for me) oddly uninspiring. Which leaves me wondering about the nature of his realisation.

You said that so well.
Funny, because as intellectual as Eben Alexander is - he finds it in him to inspire and even give hope and wonder to things.
He talks with the enthusiasm of having an amazing personal experience; to me anyway.

[entenmanns]

Originally Posted by iamthat

I read about the experiences and realisations of many Neo-Advaita teachers such as Rupert Spira and it is difficult to evaluate exactly what they have realised and at what level.

They may realise that they are not the personality or the body - they are Consciousness and all things arise within their Consciousness. But this can be realised at many levels.

Please direct me to your satsang so i can better learn what your teaching!

[entenmanns]

I like Eben Alexander his story is amazing but a wonderful story never-the less, but i would not be in such a hurry to sell the farm."He talks with the enthusiasm of having an amazing personal experience" and his book sales are probably thru the roof not that it means it cant be true .You should be inspired and have hope because of the wonder of all that is around you and in your heart Miss Hepburn.

[entenmanns]

teachers are like shoes they only fit a small majority of people and they are not there to sway you this way or that they are there only to remove the obstacles from your path to help you navigate to your final destination or as confucious says there are many paths to the top of the mountain but once there the view is the same for all, so if the shoes fits ware them! For me its not whats under the hood or the options list its only about what works WORKS for me Iamthat ,this is why everyone here showcases what it is that brings them peace love and understanding but there are individuals in the world that refuse to open there minds to other possibilities who knows better and in the knowing creates war and destruction look at the world today

[entenmanns]

so simply put if you like a particular philosophy go for it. shanti shanti

[iamthat]

Originally Posted by entenmanns

Please direct me to your satsang so i can better learn what your teaching!

Ha! I have no satsang nor do I consider myself a teacher. I do have a deep curiosity about these matters, what others are teaching, the experiences of those who follow these teachers. And I have done my fair share of practices and had certain realisations. But none of this qualifies me to teach anyone.

But I do enjoy sharing my perspective with those who are like-minded, whatever that may be worth. We can all learn from each other.

Peace

[iamthat]

Originally Posted by Miss Hepburn

Funny, because as intellectual as Eben Alexander is - he finds it in him to inspire and even give hope and wonder to things. He talks with the enthusiasm of having an amazing personal experience; to me anyway.

I agree. Which makes me think that it is time for me to read Eben Alexander's books again. It has been a while.

And following previous comments, last night I picked up Rupert Spira's The Transparency of Things. Again it had been a while since I read it and I wanted to revisit it.

Rupert says things like: The mind has built a powerful edifice of concepts about Reality that bears little relation to actual experience, and as a result Consciousness has veiled itself from itself. These concepts are built out of mind and therefore their deconstruction is one of the ways through which Consciousness comes to recognise itself.

Through its reasoning powers the mind is brought to its own limit, and as a result the edifice of mind collapses. This is the experience of understanding, the timeless moment in which Consciousness is revealed to itself.

Which is all good stuff and I can see why people like Rupert. However, at the same time I have to question the idea that mental reasoning is the gateway to realisation (although I can see the similarity to the use of Zen koans). But if that was Rupert's experience then that was Rupert's experience.

Peace

[pixiedust]

Originally Posted by iamthat

Rupert says things like: The

IMO, his first sentence was already suspect.

And no, the way he describes it is unlike the Zen koan process, which might seem similar to the uninitiated (no offence ) but in my opinion, has a wholly different context and means.

Zen priests were traditionally well versed in Buddhist scriptures & TRAINING too, whereas from a cursory read of this above in blue suggests to me it is one of these Neo-Advaita DIY types who persist with confusion.

Just my 2 C.