When Should I Stop All My Spiritual Practices? — Rupert Spira

Uh so for context I I came onto the path because I had a glimpse of my true nature but I also went on a progressive path from that place because yeah my nervous system was uh was was too intense. So I kept dropping in and out of being. So I have a lot of different techniques and um last week before I came on retreat I was meditating and I noticed during my meditation it was like something in me was looking for something to do as part of the progressive path almost looking for something to heal looking for something to learn more about looking for something to investigate within myself including looking for the eye and uh I kind of felt my heart go sh and I went into being and listening to you teach and the questions that we've had tonight. I have this imagery that I wanted to check with you um to kind of uh see if I my understanding is correct and then I guess from this point on to focus on the the being style of meditation rather than using all the techniques that I have. Um, so using your analogy of the screen, it's very clear to me that the screen is never affected by the contents of of the clouds or the sky is never affected by the content of the clouds. Um, it also appears to be true from the finite mind that the content of the clouds are affected by the recognition of the screen almost as though light starts to pour in. and the content of the clouds. If I was to associate fear and suffering and contraction with a dark color, the recognition of our true nature seems to enter into time and space and in time and space begins to filter and transform that dark cloud into a lighter color. And with that lighter cloud, it is therefore more enjoyable to live in this body mind and easier and also it makes it easier for me to access my being and creates conditions in which I am more likely to experience my true nature in all of its kind of clarity and fullness. So if this understanding is correct, my conclusion from that is that in my everyday life now if I go back to Berlin, I I start work again, I have limited time to do spiritual practice, my focus should be on remaining in being as much as I can. And if something arises, an issue in my life or a trauma that seems to resurface, the best thing I can actually do based on this information is just as long as I'm honest with my ability to stay in being, it's to go to being and stay there and trust that that light is going to do its job. And that might present itself in different ways, but this is actually the highest practice that I can do. Is this correct? >> Yes. >> Okay. I I the the answer that you gave earlier about such um just bring the light into the dark room. I think I said this literally today to someone that part of my progressive even though I'd had the realization of my true nature very briefly. I didn't really understand it. And part of my progressive journey there was a stage in which I had to let go of suffering or the attachment to suffering and I realized I do not need suffering in order to awaken. And the same analogy came to me like don't go around a room with a a chainsaw blindly chopping at things. Just switch the light on. And I guess this is okay. I guess I stop messing around with all the other stuff I do then. Okay. >> Yeah. And Charlotte, just something just to comment on what you said earlier about this um impulse that you came to the retreat with to to do something to practice something that this is an impulse that's left over from the conventional search for happiness in the world. If if you find yourself unhappy in the world, you do something to find happiness. You seek an object or a substance or a relationship and so on. Then you come in contact with the religious or spiritual traditions and your desire to do something is refined, but it's not extinguished. You continue to do something, but now your objects and relationships are a little bit more in which you seek. you you you rebrand the search for happiness the search for God or the search for enlightenment and you continue to do something but what you do is a little bit more refined than what you previously did but you still keep doing something there's still an impulse to do something not to find happiness now but to find God or to become enlightened and then you go through the whatever tradition that you're in and gradually um the objects in what in which you seek enlightenment or union with God, they become more and more refined and um at some point it you you recognize that that the the fulfillment you find whether you call it happiness or union with God or enlightenment or await what it it's in your being. It is your being and you cannot do anything to be. Being is the one thing which is not a thing. The one thing without exception that doesn't require you to do anything. Remember Ashtavakra. Happiness belongs to that supremely lazy person for whom even blinking is too much trouble. Being requires less effort even than blinking. So once you once you recognize that you are your being, you cannot become it or achieve it. And therefore if I were to ask you now shall it stand up and take a step towards yourself. How much effort would you have to make? You would stay still because you are already yourself. So at some point this becomes clear to you. you you realize there is absolutely nothing to do but yet there is still this impulse and I think I referred to this this was it this morning about this residual impulse uh it's not just the impulse that's left over from the conventional search for happiness in the world it's the impulse that's left over from those of us that have been on a progressive or devotional path for many years the impulse to do something to become something to unite with something to devote ourselves and and so on. That impulse sooner or later has to wind down. that that movement to away from yourself towards anything however refined or noble that thing is even if that thing is God we should pray to God to rid us of God so that our impulse to move away from our being infinite being God's being subsides and and we recognize ourself as that I will what I am and I am what I will you you come to rest you come to rest in your being and your being stands revealed as God's being. Sooner or later, all spiritual practice has to come to an end. And in my humble opinion, a spiritual practice that doesn't bring itself sooner or later to an end is not a complete spiritual practice. Spiritual practice should bring itself to an end. Teach all teachings should bring themselves to an end. All teachers should make themselves redundant. What's left over when the teacher and student become redundant? Friendship, >> celebration, creativity. Thank you.