Sailor Bob and the Group. Play with polarities. 10 Apr 2022

We take it as usual, give you a run through. All old times at the game anyway, but you're going to have to hear it again. I'll be lost for words otherwise. There's nothing to say. We can't teach you anything here, and we can't tell you anything. You've got to understand that right from the start. What we do is point toward and ask you to look to where we're pointing to, to see for yourself. Because no matter what you've been told or what you've heard, nobody can teach you or tell you anything, because there is nobody apart from yourself. It's all there is, is the one.

And what we're pointing to is not new. You'll see it in all the ancient scriptures and texts. In Hinduism they call it a veda, non-duality. And they try to describe non-duality by saying it's one without a second. And they put that second on it and don't mean a second in time. They mean without the other, not two. There is only the one. In Buddhism it's non-conceptual ever-fresh presence awareness. In Christianity it's omnipresence, omnipotence, omniscience. Hindus have got a thousand names for this, do they? They've got a million different ways of saying it. But it's all, the basis of it all, is pointing to the non-dual, the one without a second, not two.

So there is only the one self. And the problem is we have taken it to be a personal self. When you look in it there's no such thing as a person. Which we point out here, the false cannot stand up to investigate. And another thing, if you see the false is false, what must you be left with? You must be left with the truth. And that's the other scriptural saying, know the truth. And the truth will set you free. What do you need to be free from? The belief. The belief that you're an individual, a separate person. And when you investigate that you'll see you're not.

Another way we point to, I'm not talking, to anybody. I'm not talking to any mind, I'm not talking to your body, mind, entity, that you believe yourself to be. I'm talking to that I am, that I am. That I am is the sense of presence, which expresses or translates through your mind as the thought, I am. Just to this, nothing else. Now the thought is not it, But we know, everybody knows I am. That's the primary thought. The sense of presence translates through the mind as the thought I am. But you're not that thought. You are not a thought at all. It tells you in the Bible, in the beginning was the Word.

The Word was with God, the Word was God. That's all that God is, a Word, a label we put on. All things were made by Him, by the Word. And there was nothing made that was made without the Word. And isn't that so? Everything you see around you, we put words on, labels. We put words or labels on everything. But they tell you again, that it's non-conceptual, ever-fresh presence awareness. Just this, nothing else. And when you look into these words, you've learned, you realize the Word's not the thing. Hey, how you doing? Take the word water, can you drink the Word? The word fire, burn your mouth.

Can you cook with it? Can you eat yourself with it? You can't. So this is what the word I or me, we take to be ourselves, is not the thing. The Word is not the thing. It's just labels we put on things. And you know that. And you know that too, because how many words were you born with? You can't remember your birth. And why can't you remember your birth? Because you had no words. How could you remember it, if you've got no words? And you didn't pick up any words until you were about two, two and a half. Somewhere around that age when the capacity of reasoning developed in you.

And that capacity of reasoning is a very useful capacity. But it's also very destructive. When it tells me I am this person, I am this individual. I'm not good enough, I'm fearful or I'm anxious. There's all these concepts. And when you look into the body and mind, you'll see the same thing. Are you the person? Well, where did that word person come from? Didn't it come from the ancient Latin, I think it was, persona, the mask. So we've got this mask or conceptual image. We take ourselves to be this person, this concept. Not seeing the truth. That there is only the one self that's patterning, shaping, forming, and every appearing, expressing, as everything.

And you are that. Non-dual. Not a personal self or a separate self. One self. And they describe that as saying, the soul self. Hey. But then, they've taken that, they've got that all mixed up too, because they think we've got a soul. Anybody ever seen a soul? Or ever found a soul? Do you think you ever will find a soul? So they got it wrong. It was S-O-L-E, they meant. Not S-O-U-L. But people believe there is a soul, a separate entity, a person there, an individual. But there's not. It's the one essence. The one intelligence energy that's expressing, appearing, patterning, vibrating, shaping, and forming as everything.

And you are that. And that is a great mantra. I am that. Innately you know that, because you say, that's the chair I'm sitting in. That's the space that's in the room. That's the tree. That's the flower. Everything is that, which we discriminate, again, by putting the words on it, again, different words, labels, and separate everything. So we've all got all these separate things, when it's one essence. Non-conceptual, as the Buddhists put it, ever fresh, presence awareness. Or awareness of presence. And it's that in Advaita, in the Hindu, they call it Sat Chitta Nanda, Nama Rupa. They're the five factors of Hinduism. Sat is existence.

Chitta is consciousness. And Nanda is loving to be. The other two factors, Nama Rupa, is the name and form. Nama is the name that's been put on ourselves. And the body is the form. And they say Nama Rupa name and form, the mind. They're a lie. They're illusion. Only appearance. But the Sat Chitta Nanda is the reality. Now look at that. Sat is existence. Anyone who's not existing right now, and you realize, no, I'm existing right now. Anyone who is unconscious right now, you're not. Or unaware, no, you're not unaware, you're not unconscious. So you must be aware. You must be conscious. Anyone who is not happy to be, well, nobody wants to be dead right now, do you?

So you are happy to be. So aren't you already that? But we don't realize we take ourselves to be this conceptual image and think we need to become something. We need to meditate or think on this and look at that and go into this, work this out. Instead of realizing you are that already. You are that existence consciousness right now, in this very immediacy. So the search is the problem. Because the search implies there's something I haven't got and I will get it some future time. But when you investigate time and ask yourself, is there a past, if I don't think about it? Have a look at that.

What can you say without a thought? Can you say there's a past or a future? You can't. But you'll say, I live in the past. I say, well, all right, try living in the past. Try and go back and live last week or last year. You realize you can't go back and live last year or last week. Or you can't go back and live a moment ago. Unless you recall it. You can't tell me what you thought a minute ago now if you don't recall it. And if you recall it, it's only there while you're recalling it. And then it's gone again. If you don't recall it, it's gone forever.

So that's why you can't remember your birth. Because you couldn't, can't, didn't have any words to learn it. Yet you'll say, I was born. If you can't remember your birth, how can you say you were born? And you didn't know anything about it until you learned words from your parents. At about two, two and a half, somewhere around there. Your parents fussing around you, began to speak words. And that's when the capacity of reasoning developed in you. You got the capacity, that little child, baby got the capacity of reasoning. And he began to learn, he or she began to learn words. And from then on, we picked up words along the way.

And then we went to school, we learned more words. And we've been picking up and believing in words ever since then. Not realising that the word's not the real, it's not the thing. Because take the word water, try and drink it if you can. Take the word fire, does it burn your mouth? You can't cook with it. You can't do anything. So you recognise when you investigate the word's not the thing. But we've taken them on, and taken ourselves to be this conceptual image. Because we've never investigated it. Never looked into it. And our parents didn't tell us anything otherwise because they didn't know. They believed they were this person.

But down through the ages, there's always been some, very few, that have recognised it. And those very few had no way of passing it on as we've got today. And where there's more, can hear it, resonate with it, and understand it. But there might be one or two in a village that understand it and pass it on to one or two. And then they would add a bit to it, which wasn't the truth. And put sorts of concepts and ideas. Because they had a hard time finding it. You've got to become this, you've got to meditate, you've got to repeat this mantra, or do this savour.

Do all these things to try and become what you already are. But being can never become anything. Becoming implies a future time. And you call yourself a human being. You are being right now, isn't that a fact? And you've got this concept of being human right now. So look at that word, being. You call yourself a human being. Now if you believe in this thing called God, you'll call God the Supreme Being. What happens if you take that word supreme off? Take the word human off? Try and separate the beingness that you are from. You are right now. Without the word human or supreme or any other word on it, aren't you a pure being?

And being is not becoming. It's what's happening right now in the samidhi scene. You are being right now. So you don't have to become anything. Becoming implies a future time. And you think you'll become realised or enlightened or all these other concepts? But if you are already that, there's no need to become anything. As they say, just be as you are. Be what you are. Stop trying to be this or be that. And realise it's that one self that pattern, shapes and forms appears and expressing as everything. And you are that and only that self. They call it self-shining, ever-fresh, presence awareness. Add on to it just this, nothing else.

And they mean that because it's inseparable. We separate it with the concepts, the words. It's indivisible. It can't be divided. It's always the one essence, the pure being. But that's what we've lost sight of when we learnt the words. And then, when we... When we start to realise you wouldn't be here if you hadn't... weren't looking a little bit further into it. When you get sick of all the traditions and the religions, do this or do that and you're a sinner, you're a terrible person, you've got to become this. People think there's... say there's a bit more to it than that and then you start looking into other things.

When you do that, it'll take you to where you've got to go. And you start to recognise and realise your true nature. That the Mahavaka, the great mantra is, I am that. And you know that. And you know that everything else is that. Because that's the chair you're sitting in. That's the room the chair's in. That's the space the room's in. That's the tree. That's the flower. Everything is that which we put discriminating words on and divide it again. Divide the indivisible. And we never get a hold of our true nature. And the search goes on and on. Never becoming what you think you should be.

But always you haven't left... Not realising you haven't left the beingness. Anyone who is not being right now, and you'll say, no, I am that being. Not was or not will be, but I am. That I am-ness is a sense of presence. Not the past or the future. It's this presence awareness. Are you this body? Are you this mind? Which we believe ourselves. That's what needs to be looked in. We take ourselves to be the body. We say, my body. You say, my house, my car, my coat, my hat. Are you the house? Are you the coat? Are you the car? Are you the hat?

No, you're not. Well, maybe you're not the body either. And when you investigate it, you'll see you're not the body. What's this body made up of? And you realise this body is made up of elements. Air, earth, fire, water, space. The elements. And all these elements can be broken down into subatomic particles and pure energy. Take those elements out of your body and see if it doesn't stop breathing. Take the air out of your body and see if it doesn't stop breathing. Take the air out of your body and see how long it lasts. You're not going to last long. Take the fire, the body temperature.

You'll get hypothermia. Take the water, your body's 60% water. Take the water out of the air, earth, fire, water, space. Get out of space if you can. Get off the earth. You realise you can't get away from these things. So they all can be broken down into that basic space. You are not the body. You are not the mind, which we've taken ourselves to be. But we've believed it and we don't investigate it. And when you do investigate and did the test, you still say, still get caught up in it. But when you're certain, as you say, my body. Instead of saying I am the absolute.

Because if it's the one essence, patented, shaping, forming, experiencing, expressing and everything, it's absolute. What can you add to the absolute? Nothing. What can you take away from it? Nothing. It wouldn't be absolute. Or in Buddhism they call it the great perfection. What can you add to the perfect? Nothing. What can you take away from it? Nothing. And they give it in one sentence here. They tell you the great perfection is non-conceptual awareness. Without any of these concepts or words on it, that pure awareness that's with you right now, whether you're thinking about it or whether you're not, it's still there. Other words might be obscuring it.

But it's all taking place in that awareness. Now it's not. It's seemingly obscured, but when you look into it, it's not. And you are that pure presence awareness. And awareness is when you look into time and see there's no such thing as time. Past, present and future. No such thing. It's all conceptual. You'll say, I was in the past. I'll say, well try and live a moment. You can't go back and live a moment ago. You can recall it. And the only extra energy you're giving is when you're recalling it right now. And you can't live a moment in the future. So past and future are mental concepts.

So you can't say you are this body. What about this thing called mind? Well, you say my mind. Well show me your mind. Show it to me. If it's your mind, it's yours, you've got it, show it. What is it? When you investigate, you'll see there's no such thing as mind. Because mind is a word, a thought, a concept, an idea. And if it was the mind, I'd be frightened of going to sleep at night. Because you're giving up, but you gladly give it up. Shows how real you think the mind is. You gladly give it away every night. You're glad to go to sleep.

So it's not there when you're asleep. So again, proof that you're not this thing called mind. And what is mind after all? When you look into it, it's sound. Voice. Or sound. Sound's a vibration. A vibration's a movement of energy. So all this thing called mind, that you call mind, is a vibrating pattern of energy. And it's spontaneous. At that. It's not time bound. When does now begin? You'll say, I'll grab it right now. Okay, I've got it right now. Where is it? It's gone. And it's beginning again. So it's all spontaneous. It's got no duration to it. We put the concept of beginning, middle, past, present and future.

That's all conceptual. When you look into it, this is now thought. It's just spontaneous. It's transient. It's constantly changing. Like all this manifestation, it's not time bound. It didn't start a million years ago. With a big bang or something like that. If anything has a beginning or a start, it must have an end. And the world won't end. Because it's a vibration. It's always vibrating fresh and new. And it's a vibration. Fresh and new. Beginningless and endless. And spontaneous. Now is beginning right now. Grab it right now. It's ending. And it's beginning again. When I say it's transient, have a look at it. There are thousands of cells dying in it right at this moment.

And being replaced. So it's not the same body you walked into this room with. It's fresh and new. Right now. What's it all appearing? Well the basic screen in which all this manifestation appears in is space. Can you find a centre to space? We're sitting in space right now. Find a centre to it if you can. Can you pinpoint a centre? This is where it begins. You can't. See, you can't say space has any beginning. Does it have any boundaries to it? Can you find an end to it? Has it got a boundary to it? You can't find any boundaries to it. Does it have any centre to it?

Have any circumference? Any inside or outside to it? It is no thing at all. It's vibration. Now it's the closest thing to you. The very first thing you say, you might say, I say the thing in the room, I say the chair. The very first thing you see is a space that's right against your eyeballs. And goes up and down. And goes up and down. And goes up and down. And goes up and down. And goes up and down. And goes up and down. And goes up and down. And goes out. And it's still empty until something appears in it. Some of the pattern, shapes and forms will appear in it, but space itself is empty.

No thing. What you don't realize that you and I, the trees, the flowers, the plants, the stars, the worlds, are all things. All this manifestation is things. So can something come from nothing? It's all the content of space. Can you postulate or think of anything that would be outside of space? What would it be? Investigate and have a look. Everything has to appear in space. There's nowhere else it could appear to. All the planets, the stars, the worlds and everything all appear in space. Space is no thing. Can something come from nothing? It can't. So you, me and all the rest of this manifestation, though we think and believe we are something, are really the no-thing expressing as everything.

The one essence. The one intelligence energy. I don't use the term God here because you can get confused with that term. Purely and simply we come from different traditions, different backgrounds and each tradition has got the concept about God. So everyone's got a different concept and a different label of what they think that's God here. And so you can get confused. But I call it intelligence energy. And I'm talking about intelligence. I'm not talking about chandeliers. I'm talking about the universe. I'm talking about the same intelligence that's rolling the earth around the sun. It's beating your heart. It's breathing you. It's growing your hair and your fingernails.

Digesting your food. Replacing cells in your body. Also fused with that natural knowing intelligence that's vibrating all these pattern shapes and forms and renewing this pattern constantly. So, I'm talking about intelligence. So intelligence is an activity. It's something that's happening right now. The activity of knowing. Anyone who is not knowing right now, the INGI, any activity is a movement of energy. So that's what's going on. The activity of energy is vibrating through that pattern, expressing through it as it. And everything around. It's the intelligence energy. It's the movement of energy. It's the movement of energy. It's the activity of knowing. And that is what you actually are.

You can call it God. You can call it whatever you like. That's what it is. That knowing that you are. You are that. And it needs a pattern to express through. So that's what it formed, this body pattern to express through. How did that come about? Well, go back as far as your father and your mother. You can go back as far as you like. If you'd like to investigate some of that. Go back. to go to. That pattern you call your father, that innate intelligence energy, where did that come about? Well the life energy that's in it, the life that's in it, through the food it's eating and the breath, the prana, the breath, enabled in that pattern a microscopic particle called a sperm to form.

Now that sperm was suffused with intelligence energy. That knew what to do, the same thing in your mother, that animating life essence in your mother enabled them in that pattern. Again through the prana, the air, and the food that's eaten, another little microscopic particle called an egg or an ovum to form in that pattern. That ovum was suffused with intelligence, it knew what to do. The sperm suffused with intelligence swam to the ovum, and the ovum suffused with intelligence. intelligence, knew what to do and those cells when they came together doubled and redoubled, the innate intelligence with them, again taking in the food, the prana and all the other things that are going on in the body, began to form the little fetus, the little embryo, which is what you are today.

What were you doing about it then? You think I've got to grow a head or a heart or a rein? You didn't. You didn't know any words, you couldn't say anything but the innate intelligence you know what to do, it formed that little fetus and look at it, at what it is today. Showing that it's a fuse with an amazing intelligence, a mining life essence or energy there, enabling us to pattern shape and form in the way it does. And you are that life. And so a little embryo, a little baby was born and it would form the fetus. first couple of years of its life.

It was relying on its parents that didn't have any words. That's why you can't remember your birth because you had no words. And we didn't learn words till we were about two, two and a half, when the capacity of reasoning came upon us. And what we are today, we have this capacity of reasoning. But the thing is we've taken ourselves to be the separate entity in the person and not seeing ourselves as the absolute. And so with the learning of words all the psychological suffering comes about it. There's fear, anger, depression, guilt, shame, remorse, unhappiness, jealousy, envy. All these concepts, words we've learnt to come about, and we take it on board.

Believe it or not. I am fearful. I am anxious and I am unhappy. I am Bob, the separate entity. All these concepts and words we put up in ourselves. Not saying that I am the reality. That's what they tell you in the Bible. Look at there. I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. That's what Christ told you. People thought he was talking about himself. He wasn't. He was talking about that sense of presence, which is a patterning shape and form in all of us. That's the way. That's the truth. That's the life. It's the saga that says go to the I am-ness.

Stay with the I am-ness. And a lot of us take that the wrong way. We think we've got to keep repeating I am, I am, I am. It's not that. The I am-ness is a sense of presence. The knowing that you are. Anybody who is not knowing that you are right now, somebody asks you who are you? You'll say I am John or Henry or Catherine or whatever your name might be. You'll say it immediately. And then instead of saying I am the absolute, that would startle them, wouldn't it? Look at him. He thinks he's God. That's the problem. If we did do that, we'd be a lot better off because you wouldn't have to go through.

When this sense of entity is, we take on all these concepts, I'm fearful, I'm anxious. See how it works. Something comes up and you like it. How do you know? Well, I've had this thought before and it's a good thought. And the good activity is going on. The good things, we don't want them to go. Not realizing they're transient, they're changing constantly. This body's changing right now, as I pointed out before. The thoughts are transient. Not realizing that, no matter how much, how much you love them, how much you want to keep them there, being transient, they're going to move on. But what do we do?

We resist it, trying to keep it there. We don't want it to go. And we struggle with it and try to keep it there. But no matter how much we try, it changes, it moves on. In that resistance, there is conflict. If you are resisting something, you're in conflict with it. You're at war with it. And that makes you more, that brings about more anxious, more fearful, more unhappy, more depressed. So there's resistance, conflict, and the uneasiness of all those concepts. Put it the other way, disease. Resistance, conflict, and disease going on all the time. Something comes up, and you don't like it. Oh, I shouldn't have that.

I think of this bad thoughts. They're wrong. I shouldn't be thinking them. Blah, blah, blah. I'm a sinner. I'm this, that, and the other. All these concepts we put upon ourselves. Again, we resist it. The things we don't want, we resist still. And the things we didn't want to keep, we resist. So it's a constant resistance, conflict, and uneasiness. And the fear and the anger, the depression, all the psychological suffering that comes up. It's nightmare takes you. The ease out of it. And it's uneasiness. Another word for uneasiness is disease. So that's what's happening all the time. Resistance, conflict, and disease. So it's only me, this conceptual idea of me, that can be fearful.

It's only me that can be angry. Only me that can be unhappy, depressed, jealous, or envy. Me is the cause of all my psychological suffering. Me, this conceptual idea of me. If I ask myself the simple question, if I'm not relating to a me, can there be an effect? Me is the cause, and the me and the anxiety are all the effects of it. If I'm not relating these to the me, can there be an effect if I'm not relating to the cause? Well, you don't have to re-erode scholars to work that out. But if you're not relating to a cause, there can't be a me.

So this me we believe in, this egoic, self-centred, the reference point, the thing that's causing us all the trouble. If you're not relating to a reference point, it's a fiction. We're relating to a fiction that doesn't really exist. There's no such thing as a conceptual image there. And as Agatha tells you, that also, when he says, nothing can trouble you except in your own imagination. Break that word imagination down to image in. Or image in. Or imagine. Then go and look in the mirror. Or look in a still pool of water. What will you see? You'll see a reflection or an image in the water or in the mirror.

Now, if you think it's real, go and try and grab the image out of the mirror. You can't. Try and grab the image out of the water. You can't. So this conceptual image we're imagining is like the image in the mirror. You can't say it's not there. But you can't say it is there. So it is and it is not. It's not divided though. And that's the trouble. We divide it into separators. There's a me and other than me. But it's not. And that's where we get mistaken because we separate our thoughts, feelings and emotions. Not relying that the thought is the two ends. Not relying that the thought is the two ends.

And the one stick, like two ends and one stick. It's got good and bad as Shakespeare told you three or four hundred years ago. Nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. And it's true. So we think to see it good or bad and we think they're separate. And that's the problem. Separation. So we try to get rid of the bad, try to keep the good. And it keeps us continually in the struggle. But if you realise that the two ends of the one stick, that it's going to come around again. It's going to change. Leave it as it is and it'll change.

See that. If you go to the South Pole, your next step will be North. If you go to the North Pole, the next step will be South. Where do they meet? They meet at the equilibrium in the equator. They'll come together. They're not two separate things. Seemingly separate but seemingly separate. Seemingly separate but seemingly divided. But they're not. And that's the only problem we've ever had. We've divided all this into me and the other. Me and the not me. Not realising it's all the one essence. And it all comes together too when you're together. Just as it comes about, that life intelligence energy that's beating your heart, growing your hair and your fingernails.

It's adjusting your food, replacing cells in your body. Causing the seasons to come and go. Tides to come in and out. The planets to implode, explode. It's breathing in, beating your heart, growing your hair and your fingernails. It's doing everything. And everything we pointed out before is it. So it's all that. So don't lose sight of it. Recognise it. And be what you are. And in that being and knowing that you are, there'll be more clarity. The chatter won't go on and the separation won't go on. To the extent it is. And when there's more clarity, there'll be more warmth there, more affection. A greater understanding and compassion.

It'll turn around. Things will turn around and work for you. That's what we point to and ask you to look for yourself. And you've all had a taste of it here. Some of you know it pretty well. Some of you are new to it. Might have questions or doubts. Don't hesitate to ask and question. No use just sitting down and doing nothing about it. You've got to get a taste of it yourself. Test it out. The acid test of anything is does it work. The only way you can find out if it works is put it through the test. So it's up to you. So go ahead and watch it.

Those of you who know a bit about it, watch your point out. Might be put in a different way to what I say it and others might hear it. But that way it's going to get passed around one way or another. So up to you. So get into it. Cat will want to say a few words. For a beautiful spiel and for being audible. I'll put them in a minute. OK. So I'm going to put my drink down. For everyone who is online with us. We have 26 people who are with us. So they are a couple of comments. Tanya says, future plans are only imagination right now.

This is when you were talking about the past and future. Point Tanya, absolutely. And the past is also only imagination right now. And we have few good morning messages and we have Gilbert. Hi Gilbert. And we have a quote from Nisargadatta. Gilbert is quoting. When you stumble across the ultimate truth, it resonates perfectly with your entire being. You know you have finally found it. All movements of the mind and thought stops. There is a subtle bliss that enters every cell in the body. That's from Nisargadatta. Very true. Very true. It's nice to find that place in your heart in which you know that's true. Because some of those concepts might kind of feel or sound like they're crazy.

But there is a place in you in which we all know that. And it does. Once you get the taste of it, it goes on by itself. It keeps working by itself in you. In other words, it grows. That's what Walensky found when he went back to India. Where Nisargadatta was and looked into some of his old devotees. And they all had beautiful understandings of it. And he said, what did you do? And they all said nothing. They didn't do anything. They just had what they'd heard from Nisargadatta. Nisargadatta and Nisargadatta and let it grow. And it's happened here too. Changes are going on here constantly.

I'm not saying they're the same. I'm saying this spell for many years. A little bit of a different take on it and understanding it. It settles down. Everything settles down. The behaviors and the patterns like us, as there is less of a... personal involvement, even a habitual personal involvement, they just dissipate. What you were saying, when you heard the message, you were still quite crazy. The mind was still wild and active and noisy. And there was a lot of concepts. I remember concepts that were dropping away. Concepts that were still here. A couple of years after the bubble dropped away, there was still an idea about diets or stuff like this.

And it's just habitually propelled set of thoughts that were repeated long enough to become self-hypnosis. And then suddenly those thoughts, even if they still pass through, they belong to no one. They don't get fed with the belief that much, so they can't be sustained. And that's amazing, because on one hand, of course, the space doesn't change. It never changes. The space that you are is already fully itself. But the clarity, if there is less clouds, the clarity is more obvious. And there is... Jayaka says, I have question on Ramana Maharishi's individual I. Can you explain what he means, focusing on just the I so that it dissolves, it dissolves into self?

Well, the way I see it, if you're asking yourself, who am I? What are you doing? You're asking a question, isn't it? Who am I is the question. Well, then ask yourself, who am I is the question. Who is the questioner? Well, the questioner must be that who is asking the questioner. So the questioner, and the questioner are one and the same thing. So they cancel each other out. There's no questioner, no question. Or ask yourself, who wants to know who am I? Because if there is no one there, and ultimately there is no one there, you've never found the self there. Who wants to self-define?

If I am asking the question, I am the questioner. And the questioner is the questioner. So you don't have to be seeking out, who am I, who am I, who am I? No, people do for years and years. Go around mouthing the words. Get nowhere. No questioner, no question. Where does that leave you? Presence. And the where, isn't it? Right here, right now. Full stop. End of sentence. There is a comment from Tanya. Thank you so much, Bob, for a wonderful spiel today. I was going to ask a question, but realised that only a pattern of thoughts about being a doer of future plans was appearing.

Also without a cause. Me, there can be no labelling the vibrating intelligence, energy, fear and tension, because there seemed to be some resistance to the last day or so, in the last day or so. But that has moved on. Being is not fearful or anxious. Habitual patterns about a healthy diet is still passing through here. Noticed this yesterday. But no one is doing that pattern. As Kat would say, it's mechanical and has gone on for a long time apparently. These habitual patterns don't mean that there is not clarity and does not mean that there is someone that owns the pattern. Absolutely, that's exactly right. Yes.

Nobody owns the wind blowing and it can whistle and make all sorts of roars. Maureen says, the states come and go. All is fresh and new in every moment. Passing states don't define. They are like weather. That's right. Yeah, I love the comparison of the weather. The mood is like the weather. Behaviour is like the weather. The anger exploding like a volcano. The sadness crying like a river of tears. They are just passing just like the weather outside saying the weather inside. Nobody owns it. That's just what's happening. Outside and inside is only a definition. There is no such thing. It's just all one. Because the body can't be separated as Bob was saying, from the environment.

So it is all environment. The universe and that. It's the nature. So anyone would like to jump on board and share something or ask something or highlight something? Yeah, I'll get you the mic. Here. Very gently. Because we had troubles with it last time. I'd just like to say that as one lives in this and the certainty grows there is a simple kind of dropping down into the heart where you just in the certainty of it all everything is in its rightful place. Nothing is rising in opposition. It's all just expressing perfectly and benevolently. The heart opens up and opens spontaneously to this outrush of compassion for everything.

And it all stems from the certainty of the initial persistence with the investigation in the privacy of one's own mind. You really have to take it on not as an intellectual kind of thing that you would share around a coffee table or something. But as a real endeavor. You can bring the whole of one's self to this investigation. And from there everything will spring forth and start to flower wonderfully. Am I right? Am I? No. No. No? No. Anyone? I want to say one more. In this moment we are an amazing little group, aren't we not? And is it not true that everyone is that?

And you know this beautiful expression of that? And right now we're all joined together in this spiral of beautiful energy. Why not give everything to it right now and see what happens, eh? Bring the whole of our self here in this present moment and say, what the fuck, show me something, yeah? Yeah, that's it. Let's go. I'm empty. I've got nothing to say. So that's really nice. I'm just empty. It's just, yeah, I'm just catching up with some family just after this today. And sometimes you do get triggered by your family and trauma. But actually, you know, sitting here and you try the concepts sometimes and what you should do.

But I said, what is this gift? And as I said it, I just said, love for everything inside of me. So just allowing that more and more, just to see what the gift is that it's bringing me. It's just love. And I don't have to fight the, you know, like we always thought they were the demons, but they're not really the demons in our head. So yeah, thanks. You don't seem to have a lot to say today, but... I did? No, I don't mind. No, I feel... I'm definitely happy to listen. You're next. Thank you. Something to say. When you said you're empty. Yeah. As I understand, my emptiness is...

My silence sings. My emptiness is full. And just on that token, because I think I've seen a glimpse of that quote here. That's John David. I have seen the pointer of no saying or emptiness get twisted into some state void of thoughts. And I think that's... I think that's a very interesting thought. Often is... What is often missed that... What is often missed is that something must be present to notice the emptiness. As Nisargadatta said, my silence sings. My emptiness is full. Little coincidences here. And John David says, love you, Bob and Kat. And we do love you, John. And that is some of the one from...

Zanganos. Hello, Bob and Kat. My name is Juan. Listening to Bob, I have this. If all in our minds are thoughts, and from thoughts come words, we are living in a world made of images, concepts, and not in reality. But if we silence inside all, there is a spontaneous death. There is no thing, Bob said. And in the same way, everything is appearing as it is. Beautifully said. Yeah. Beautifully said, Juan. That's it. Yeah. The imagination, the world of words and sounds and images and overlay of conceptualization, giving meaning, interpreting. . And the imagination. And underneath is this incredibly mysterious no-thing appearing as everything. Spontaneously.

My cat. Oh, no. I was just... Beautiful message, Bob. And put on the spot. No, I just got that there really is that intelligence energy that's hearing. There's speaking there. There's hearing there. There's no one hearing. It's hearing it. And it resonates. And it's like, oh, my God. I'm so happy. I'm so happy. I'm so happy. I'm so happy. I'm so happy. I'm so happy. I'm so happy. I'm so happy. I'm so happy. And that's one of these impressions, lives just... You know, it resonates and it lights up more. And there's... There's no more story around that. It's just actually experiential. Yeah. Yeah. Like the heart beating, the lungs going, all that stuff.

Just that's really sort of resonated deeply that intelligence. I am that intelligence. Everything is conceptual. Like, you can hear that a lot, this intelligence. . drop into the heart and have that experience it's it's the energy it's just knowing isn't it it's just knowing it's not not knowing knowing but yeah anyway beautiful as always i'd just like to add to that that whilst that's happening the concepts are also absolutely fabulous and that the emptiness is full it doesn't mean nothing it's emptiness is is full and it's wonderful that this moment is the perfect teacher and as you say and everything that moment contains I mean the content of the moment is the thoughts concepts images interpretations conceptualizations as well as the reality of the moment and the story as well the suffering starts when I consider myself the narrator in the head and this is me limited self this is the individual and I'm not good enough and I'm not worthy of being loved and I need to get this to be happy or I need them to respect me or treat me that is when that is what is simply unnecessary if that's the content of the moment it can be fully enjoyed as a story as a drama but when it is believed the byproduct is suffering and this when recognized as a story is not a story it is a story and it is a story and it is a life as it has to be and we need to see how it is but when we recognize it doesn't have to be this way and Morin says yes present as teacher she's when says this moment is the perfect teacher and Marin says yes presents as teacher yes because every moment as it is and there is only this moment only this one moment it's always a reflection of that pure essence of that creative force of as all the 10,000 things.

So in everything and in every moment there is just that brilliance shining through if we know how to look. Because of course when there is an intercepting interpreter coming up and saying that this is me the victim and this is the world the perpetrator then the story is beautiful in itself again but it hurts. And it doesn't have to be believed. It can be seen as an amazing, incredible, mysterious, miraculous drama and not the reality. Because it is not the reality. They call it maya. The phenomenal manifestation. You want to remind us what's the phenomenal manifestation? I don't know. Come on. Yes, so everything that we interpret we project outside and interpret as something that we know comparing to the past memories that we have in the mind is a projected world.

It is the phenomenal world. It is the manifestation. Mukti, did you want to say something? I had this experience a couple of times recently and when there is just presence the manifestation of the other pattern and its interpretation is so clear and then there is nothing that kind of has anything other than just like a manifestation. It is like wonder really. Seeing the person in that and it's like hmm. And then the way that relationship and conversation changes when there is nothing that actually there is no one to arc up back against. There is simply being moved maybe to say something, maybe to say nothing but I found just a quiet humor in a way as well.

And enjoyment of seeing. It's like watching the lightning out the window or the thunder. It's like and just enjoying the appearance of that. And then when it sort of quietens down then I found some words or some engagement or something that came. And it's yeah. It's a shift. It's something slightly different. It's something slightly different from where in the past there's because it's also an area that I work as a therapist. I'm often there witnessing and working with other peoples but when it's with somebody close to me like on the way here, even my sister on the telephone to me and something to do with my mother must have just like exploded that thunder and lightning in her.

And then... it just dissipates and it has nothing to resist against. Which just feels like love just being. I had an experience recently where I said something and another person in the room said, we're going to speak non-dual speak, are we? Or are we going to be real here? You know, and I... I just sort of left it. In that moment I felt like, you know, I felt a bit pissed off basically. So I took it and I just, I didn't respond, I just went into my room and after a while I just saw that all these things that occur, these negative things that rise up are just simply objects, like everything else.

They just, you know, and the deep sort of intense ... ... ... space which some people might constitute, describe as the emptiness, is actually just so incredibly exquisite in as much that it holds all these dark objects, if you like, you know, which are in themselves completely returned to benevolence in the moment that I realise that I am the emptiness. Which all this dark and light and all this stuff can appear. Am I not, it helps or not? It was really a fantastic thing for me because in that moment because, you know, I just really realised there was, there is no remnant left over, that, you know, that realization of that so called ...

... grievance It just becomes another beautiful recibir blindness thing whole idea which has not left us and never really occurred there is a line in the course of miracles which says which I particularly like because it just says the holiest spot on earth is where an ancient grievance has become a present love the holiest spot on earth is where an ancient grievance or an ancient hatred has become a present love and of course all the hatreds we have are ancient if you like it's my first time here but it's so been into non-duality for a year and it's just yeah it's just been amazing to just let it unfold and it's just been incredible incredible journey just to keep surrendering you know to just let it unfold and it's just been incredible journey just to keep surrendering and life just keeps getting easier and easier and stuff arises and it's just fascinating to observe it and watch it and just being present and yeah it's just amazing how much like even if I have like I can't sleep and I have two hours sleep it just doesn't affect me anymore because the mind will keep popping in to be like oh you're gonna feel tired or you're gonna feel that and then I just ignore it and then I feel fine so I just it doesn't it's just amazing stuff like that like it's only suffers if you believe that what the mind says and then I attach to that so it's so yeah it's just been amazing to yeah really kind of step out of those limitations and stuff yeah it's been amazing just a little thing in a moment of reflection during the week little voice in the head of the church because I was going to be like just what the hell is this man doing to me it's just said I am and then it sort of was lit up and everything stopped so it just stopped at I am and there was nothing that followed so instead of going into a sentence it was just became moments of just peaceful rest in the presence so now we would say that how often do we sentence ourselves what starts as a subject what I am becomes a story about something and there's other objects and other people and there's preferences and prejudices everything comes in but without attachment to predicate it doesn't become a sentence so it was just just a little thing I've been reflecting recently on perhaps a habit not to like the things I don't like and to be very aware of you know the things that I don't like and to be very aware of using such things as non duality as a way to detach from those things because we don't often talk about the other end of the stick of something that's absolutely fabulous and how we want to resolve that as well there's a lot of talk about resolution of negative thoughts or negative responses to things but not a lot of thought about our preference for the other end of the stick and not wanting that to dissolve into the emptiness yeah beautiful and that brings me back to the craving or aversion or what's the word you use Bob the correct the are either attracted or repelled and and I've really been feeling into that and letting myself just be in that state of mind and I've really been feeling into that and letting myself just be in that state of mind and I've really been feeling into that and letting myself just where I'm repelled just allow the pulling back or pulling away and and the energy of that and I think that's also what helped this shift to happen in this last week or so because it came from moving with the retreat energy if you like even though you know with maybe not socially accepted or appropriate or appreciated by some people but just trusting that so trusting as you say when you are repelled that end of the stick that somebody might label as negative or not okay but trusting that that energy that's moving moving away even if you don't know why is moving away so move with that yeah it's just in relationship to that sort of greet the resolution of the grievance that for me was that you know I was just absolutely filled with love that person after that you know because I realized I realize that the it is all me you know it's all me I am that container limitless field in which all these things arise and in that there is limitless compassion for everything that comes along showing itself to be a good thing and I think that's what I've been doing for the last three in a difficult situation or in opposition or anything and yeah that's a wonderful thing some were to say this one thing that nothing outside I say that it just leads me to come back to the thing that Bob says that everything is love even the things that we label as negative everything actually when we go to the foundation of it is love.

And a question that I ask myself and as a therapist I might ask my clients is, you know, can you make space for this? And trying to point towards giving somebody the experience of that we are the space but by asking them to look inside and can you make space for this? Or be in the spaciousness of what is. And a lot of times when you do that all of the anxiety or fear in it just falls away. Just completely disappears. And as we use, you know, a nice terminology I love it is we just fall into the heart space. And there's no separation of anything.

And I think those polarities, as you say, from that heart space, there are no polarities any longer. Even though they appear to be there, there's an absolute love for both ends of the stick. And there's no difference between either one of them really because there's no me to try and get a preference to this way or aversion to this. It's like somehow there's two ends of the stick seem to, you know, there's two ends of the stick. And it just dissolves. But it's always playing out with the polarities. But the focus on either end is gone. Like love is like the essence of the whole show.

And that's all I'm going to say for the moment. That's beautiful, Dan. Yeah, I come to realise that, you know, the negative, if you like, is just... is attractive as the positive. You know, because it only reminds me of the wholeness of my unlimited self of which we all share. It's a mind-blowingly beautiful thing. So, yeah, come on, bring it all in here. Bring it all in. Yeah, bring it all in. I really like that because it's, you know, in fact, I... He thinks I'm stupid. I just need to rein in this. Thank you. Yeah, I've been listening to this poem, which is really a gorgeous thing.

And in a nutshell, it says that as you move through this world, hold your heart as if it were a life-giving sum, an inspirational set of words that which inspires me to just bring everything, everything to this present moment. In whoever you're with, whether it be dark or light or anything, just bring the whole of yourself here, you know, and put it all on the line and see what happens. Take a risk. I'll move through this world holding my heart like a life-giving sum. And boldly, boldly, boldly, boldly, boldly, boldly. Take a hold of my hand. Take a hold of my hand. Take it all away from me.

Take it away from me. Take it away from me like a whole new world. Like a whole new world. Take it all away from me. I'll stick the hope in you. You take the hope in. You know. Yeah. It's just like, wow, this is so funny. And we just couldn't stop laughing. We probably nearly died, but it was hilarious. Because there was a love for that too, like love for the show appearing in that manner. It's a good idea to die laughing. Better than dying in your sleep, like Gambler. I think we have a couple of comments here from people who are with us. Our American Julia says, I'm so grateful for this group and everyone listening.

Thank you. Hi, Julia. And Tanya says, same here. I am grateful to know you, Julia, although we have only met online. Yes. Is that the white witch of bling and blah? White witch of bling and blah. Yes. Spectacular bling. And I would just like to highlight a few points that I really like. I really like about exploring the polarities. The polarity that Mukti started talking about really being empty to allow everything appear fresh and new and be amazed at that freshness and newness. To everyone else coming to the point in which Peter, in the same space, says, yes, not only I am the emptiness in which everything appears, but that everything is also myself.

So it is amazing how it actually in that polarity of being, Nisargadatta brought it beautifully. I am nothing or I am everything. I am love or I am wisdom. And it's not always they're both available as one or the other. I am emptiness and within me the emptiness, the world dances both sides of the stick. Or I recognize, oh my gosh, not only I am the emptiness, but everything else is an appearance of the emptiness so that everything else is a reflection of myself. So I love everything as myself, be it a hatred, be it a crucifixion, anything that is. But what appears is the manifestation of that oneself.

Less alone, how could you have the day without night, as Bob often points? You do need the pain to experience pleasure. You do need the longing to experience fulfillment. And this is the beauty of what Dean was saying, that all that both ends of the stick beautifully dance in that emptiness that is loving and indifferent, or one or the other, but allowing everything to be undistinguishable. Because the distinguishing only comes from the conceptualizing, which is part of the play. And in that part of the play, in that human part of the play, there is nothing wrong in acknowledging the preference for pleasure. Not acknowledging it is a lie.

The body has the preference for pleasure. It does and it always will. But am I a body? A body is just one way of myself expressing or appearing. The body is an instrument through which I can see. Without the body, I am, but I'm blind, I'm deaf, I don't know that I am. The body enables me to know, enables me to express. And the body has limitations, seeming limitations. Physical space that it takes is limited by the outline of the skin, and it has preference to be comfortable rather than uncomfortable. And just like the limitations, when Bob sometimes says, you know, I'm not my car, I'm not my coat, I'm not my hat, so I'm not my body.

Yes, but if my car is broken or if my coat is full of holes, that may be slightly uncomfortable. It doesn't mean that the essence is somehow obscured. Another analogy Bob is using, the power that is enabling the computer to express all the beautiful websites or pages or the television to display and express. But how is the power affected when the computer breaks? It isn't. How is the power affected the life, the intelligence, when the body breaks? It isn't. And yet, part of the experiencing, the manifestation, is experiencing the body with its limitations and realising or recognising the truth beyond the body, which is the instrument.

And in this, I am nothing. In this nothing, the body appears. And in this nothing, everything else is also nothing, so it is also myself. And the love flows. And without the body, there is no flow. There is no recognition of nothing or everything. That's the magnificence of that play. And if there is no concept, you can't even say that, oh, I'm living in a moment seeing everything fresh and new. Because fresh and new is a concept. Without the concept, everything is as it is, nothing can be really said about it. It's neither good nor bad, neither pleasant, no pain for me. Neither fresh, no old.

It is just as it is. But what a magnificent thing to be able to express inexpressible, ineffable in so many different ways. Putting it in a poetry, like you were quoting, Pete, or putting it in the descriptions of the moments which are not here, moments from the past that illustrate completely different paradigm and carry that energy of certainty and admiration and love within that. You know, like the story of the car nearly crashing into you. It's not here. But what a fantastic illustration of the open mind which shifts up. It shifts out of the habitual behavior of responding with the survival instinct of fear into the laughter of recognizing that who cares?

You know, die laughing, like Bob was saying. That's the living the dream. Aren't we living the dream? That's when it becomes really poetic. I just had one little sort of, that's always the little thing, factoids. Yeah, came to me just the other day. Fear not to be and fear will cease to be. Just what is right now? Ramana Maharshi has deeply resonated with me and was probably the, well, was at the very beginning of my sort of exploring non-duality. And that question, who am I? And I've seen people try to answer that from the mind. Well, I'm a person, I'm, you know, I'm Bob. And it's like a Cohen.

So for me in the actual, there was a huge just stopping of something when I actually asked, who am I? And then when I tries to name itself, there's just the whole mind and everything for me came to empty space. The place that you also point to Bob of the, you know, do you, is there any center? Is there any circumference? It's like, so it's like a Cohen. That's how I see that question. Who am I? So I don't know who it was who asked about that. But when you're not trying to answer it as an identity, it's for me, I think, and for others can be incredibly powerful because there's no words for the answer, basically.

You hadn't said anything yet. Tess, you're showing away. You can say that one. Well, there's nothing to say. Nothing to say. You want to say something, Bob? What? Did you want to say something? Words. Words. Yes. Words. There's no yesterday, no tomorrow, no today. The way is beyond language. That is such a wonderful point that I just read this one. That is from Lynn. Hello and much gratitude from Oregon, USA. This is so inspiring. Love from Lynn. And now we get Dave. I just want to say I've always been quite a literal person and I think asking that question, who am I? I also actually needed the instruction to look inside for the answer to just because I'm, as I say, quite literal.

And if I'm not given that extra instruction, I might not take that next step of looking inside. But is there an inside? No. That's when you look, there isn't. Yeah. But actually looking for it was how I found that answer. That was a while ago. That's. Oh, yeah. I think that on the same, you know, the practice of the search of who am I? I am. It's the same as what Ross was saying. This is our version of Raman is stay with the I am-ness. And like you were sharing before. Um. And what you were describing was the I am-ness before, before words, before descriptions, before.

Yeah. And that's sort of very similar practices or ways of investigating. Really. Is that right? No. Okay. I have a couple of things here. Uh. So, Tanya says being is not affected by the body dying, but still there seem to be a grief for the thought of losing a loved one. Intense vibrations appear, but no resistance to that anymore. Yeah, of course. If you want to suffer, if you want to torture yourself, absolutely. Imagine your loved one being crucified. Imagine your loved one dying in a car crash. Imagine all the crazy stuff that can happen to the loved ones. That will definitely build up the response.

That's how we are conditioned. Wonderful, isn't it? And wonderful to not need to do it anymore or recognize the pattern to be just love in another disguise. You know, wanting the loved one to be safe. Thank you for that. And Tanya also says the body is transient and it's not what you are. And there doesn't. Oh, it's not. It's not finished. But there Julia says to Lynn, come to Zoom meeting tomorrow, Lynn. Yes, tomorrow there is a Zoom meeting specially designed and organized by Julia for the American folks who can't really join us in the evening because that's the middle of the night for them.

On www.sailorbob.com slash meetings you will find all the details and the little engine that will let you convert the time. I think the times for Americans are there. So it is your Sunday night, Lynn. It's in Oregon. And there is Tanya again. Much gratitude and love for this beautiful and wonderful meeting and all the beautiful clarity expressed today. Enjoy your lunch. Love you all. Thank you, Tanya. And Lynn says thank you too. Yes. So we are reminded that is the end of the meeting and it's lunchtime. I would just only like to say about the I am, who am I? Who am I question? There are a few ways to approach it.

First time I actually came across the question in one of the Zen Sanghas that I was following, they would deliver it with the answers straight away. They would say, sit with who am I? I don't know. Who am I? I don't know. And that one is really confronting for the mind to actually admit that it doesn't know. And us over the time that I don't know idea sinks in. And different layer of being or isness appear. And funny enough for me this who am I question didn't really do much. What is I was kind of more appropriate or where is I? And trying to search, turn around and search.

There is no within and no without. But somehow as close as you can get, as close and intimately close that you can get to the sense I am. That was the way of investigating. And today I find myself to my great surprise when I guide people one on one. I would ask them who do you think you are? Because it is always about the mind stuff. Who you are cannot be found in the heart because in the heart you can only find that you are. You are, you exist. But what you are, who you are, what's your story? What's your definition? What's your identification? Do you think you are the body?

You think you are your feelings? You think you are your ideas? Just tell me what you believe you are and we will look deeper. Until you see that any story, any theory, any object in consciousness cannot possibly be the one that knows it or believes it. And that seems to work also in this way. But that's... That's just to kind of rub it up. You want to add something? No. No. Please. Again I use the word trust. Yeah, trust. You know you can absolutely trust this. It's a solution to all problems. It really is. It's like the other day I was in my room and I was in a bit of a funk really.

You know, this sort of jerky body, achy body, you know, Parkinsonian bullshit. It was getting the better of me a bit. You know, I was feeling like, well this is real somehow, you know. And I have certain outcomes that are going to happen. And all these thoughts were spiraling around. And actually Dean came in and he said, this is impossible. He just reminded me of that. And somehow he said that this is an impossibility. This can't go on sort of thing. And that I am just completely responded, right? It's like you were saying, you know, you have to... You've discovered that this new reality that's dawning on you can get you out of rest and doing things that you thought you never could do.

And that's wonderful, beautiful. Yeah, so. It was a miracle that Dean, I suppose, or... Yeah, yeah, Dean. Just arrived and spontaneously triggered, you know, this... Out of this kind of conceptual funk or personal prison and bang! Something else came in altogether. Which was, yeah, a reconstitution of the flow of life. Thank you. Okay. So, thank you everyone. If anyone wish to join us for lunch, you're welcome.