Identification with "poor me" story - Bob Adamson and the group. 14/08/2022

Oh, Grant. Julian. Patsy. George. Adrian. Who's that? Anyone. Andy. Carl. Jamie. James. James. James. James. James. James. I can't hear any of you because I've got my ears out. What? Well, you all heard it all before. There's no newbies here at all. Put different labels or words on it. Some call it Neo-Advator. I don't know where they get that from because how many Advators could there be? Not a new one or an old one. It's just an Advator. Non-dual. Not two. So how could it be anything other than that? One without a second. Only that. So that's what we point to. The description of an Advator, they say it's not two.

One without a second. When they put that without a second, does it cut out that implication? It could be anything other than that one. One without a second, not two. Only that. That is all. That is all there is. That is really enough. That's the simplicity of it. We have this habit of conceptualising. Trying to work things out with the mind. And so there are myriads of different takes on it. And so we miss the simplicity. Put all these concepts or words or labels on it. And get lost in the word. The word is not the thing. The word is not the thing. And you know that if you investigate and have a little bit of a look.

The word water, can you drink it? The word fire, does it burn your mouth? Can you cook with it? So what's this word I or me? We take it to be I, this person, or me, this person. This separate entity. This individual. So there's the problem. We've divided it. Instead of leaving it as it is. Simple. That simple. That we miss it. There's nothing simpler than one. And it's not even one. And they tell you this. The problem is ignorance. We think when we hear that term, we're dull or stupid. We're not understanding. But it's not that at all. It just means we ignore the simplicity.

The simplicity and the reality of it. We turn our backs on it. And focus into all these conceptual ideas, thoughts and feelings. And try to make something of them. So it's there all the time. But being ignored. What we try to point out here. Or describe. The description can never be the described. Understand that. Because the word is not the real. The description is not the described. The map's not the territory. You know those things. Well look at this and realise. That if we're pointing to the Sat, Chitta, Nanda, Nama, or whatever is how they put it. In Hinduism. Sat is existence. Chitta is consciousness.

And Nanda is loving to be. Or the bliss of being. Nama, or whatever. Nama, Rupa. Nama is the names. We put on ourselves. We've all got names. Our parents have put on us. And Rupa is the form. Or the body. Nama, Rupa. Those two factors they say. Are Maya. Maya is an image. It's not real. Illusion. But the existence. Consciousness. And happening to be. Have a look at that. Are you existing right now? And you can't say you are not, can you? So you know that you are. So you are already existing. And you are certainly consciousness. Or not unaware. And you realise that. Yes, I'm conscious.

I'm not unaware. And you're happy to be. None of you want to be dead right now. You'd rather be alive than dead. So you already are. You are that satura there. How many of us have been searching for many years trying to become that? Stupid, isn't it? Trying to become something you already are. And the that. What do we think the that is? Well when you have a look at it. Everything is that. And you know that. Because you say. That's the chair I'm sitting in. That's the room the chair is in. That's the carpet that's on the floor. That's the tree. That's the flower.

That's the sky. That's the world. That's the ocean. Everything is already that. But which we discriminate again. With the words. With the labels. But that is. That is what I am. And if that. If I am that. That is what I am. Where are you going to go from there? You going to go for some long winded search? If I do this? Or do some of the things they tell me to do? Meditate or. Tell myself a story or. Go and visit this one. Or see that one. Do all these practices. Which has been corrupted. Into all these practices and things like that. And lost its simplicity.

And people do it for years and years and years. And it never happens. And that makes it worse. Because they got the concept they are this person. And if I am not understanding or seeing it. I am a bad person. The world is against me. I am not happy. So we keep putting all these concepts. Different concepts and ideas. On this particular seeming entity. This person. And it's not good. And get lost. In the words. In the concepts. So much so. That people. Can suicide. The traumas and dramas get so bad. Can suicide because of this. Patanjali. The first yoga teacher says. Understanding. Right understanding is needed.

The saga tells you. And says understanding is all. Recognising. All the things. That you are. Or understanding your true nature. What you already are. There is a knowing there. That you are. But you can't negate. But what have we done? We learnt words. We learnt words. From our parents. When were you born? When you look at it. You can't say. You were born. Why can't you say you were born? Because had you. How can you say. You were born. If you had no words. So you can't remember your birth. It's not till afterwards. Somebody tells us you were born. And you take it on then.

I was born. And what are you saying was born? I. What's I? A concept. A thought. A word. And we think this. Concept or I was born. And. Our parents. Have given us names. And. Might be Bob or Bill or Jane or somebody else. Would be the name. And naturally if somebody asks you who you are. You'll say. I am Jane or I am Bob. Instead of recognising. That you are the absolute. You are the great perfection. You are the reality. Because that is all there is. That is what we are ignoring. And we're taking on the word. Instead of seeing the reality. And the belief comes about this person.

This Bob. Is what I am. And then all sorts of concepts up. I'm a boy. Or a man. Or good. I'm good. Or I'm bad. My parents told me. I'm bad or terrible. I'm a man. I'm a good. I'm a bad. I'm a bad. I'm a bad. I'm a bad. I'm a bad. I'm a bad. I'm a bad. I'm a bad. I'm a bad. I'm a terrible. Or. I'm separate. Or I am a person. And that person comes from the. Another word. The Latin word persona. The mask. So if it's a mask. That I'm believing myself this person. What's the mask? I'm Bob the Australian.

The good fellow. Isn't that all concepts? Ideas. Words. So I put words. More words. I put words. More words. More words. More words. More words. More words. More words. More words. More words. More words. More words. More words. And then how do I create those words? I put those words, in my mind, like words that describe to try and describe itself, instead of seeing that that word is not the real, the words are conceptual image I put upon myself, and being what I really am. That pure presence, awareness. The absolute beingness. Prevents awareness. The absolute beingness. That presence awareness. Now. I'm taking these concepts, or words, to be what I am.

And I've got to make this conceptual image. this person that's not doing so well and is unhappy or angry or fearful, gotta make it whole or complete. And I've got this conceptual image that's going on which we call mind. And this, like the thoughts or the words, I or me, make the seeming entity. Now the words, I have to become this or that word and think we'll get it with a concept. A realisation or seeing this conceptual image, if this image I've got is not a correct one, I look into it a bit further or meditate or say this, I'll get a better image. And that'll be the one.

And so all sorts of images are being formed. And the Sargadatta tells you, nothing can trouble you except in your own imagination. So see what you're doing. We're imaging in or making mental or conceptual images. I'm a good fellow, I'm not so good or I'm unhappy or I do this and this is good and this is bad. Creating a conceptual image of the person that's not doing so well. And we look at all these images and think through this image, one image will hit upon or be the right image. And didn't they say the so-called God, if you believe in God, that's another image or concept.

God created man in his image and likeness. So immediately we got that on. We think God, instead of saying that God, that God is absolute, we're now, instead of thinking he created man in his image and likeness, well we think that God is the image and likeness of a man. So God's a big daddy up in the sky, a human shape or form. And we've got to become one with it or find it. Not saying it the other way, 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. All things were made by him. Have a look at that, isn't it correct? Is there anything there, did you see? The room, the tree, the chair, the flower, the sky, the space, which we haven't put words on. There was nothing made without the Word. So it's all words or labels, but the Word. There was nothing without the Word. So it's all words or labels, but the Word is God. word is not the thing. Take the word water. Try and drink the word. Swim in the word or wash in the word. You can't. Why? Because the word is not the thing. It's not the water.

Take the word fire. Try and burn yourself with the word fire. Heat yourself with it. Cook with it. You can't because it's the word again. Take any of the other words. It's saying they do the same thing. So you see and recognise the word is not the real. Take this word I or me. What is it? Is I this pattern we call a body, mind, or what is the pattern? It's made up. What is this body? Body is made up of elements which we put labels on the elements. Air, earth, fire, water, space. All elements but they're not those labels we put on it. That's what the body consists of.

All these elements can be broken down. Take the air out of your body. How long would you last without it? So see that the body is made up of elements. Take the water. Body is 60% water. Take the fire, the body temperature. Get off the earth. Get out of space. When you investigate it, you'll see these elements can all be broken down to subatomic particles which you can't see or know. It's pure emptiness. So this body that we're labelling my body made up of elements and elements we've broken down into vibration energy. The body is not how it appears to be. And the me, or the I that's claiming it, is just a concept also.

What's this I thought when you look at it? You're saying I am. What's that tell you? That I am-ness means there's a sense of presence here. That I am is this immediacy isn't it? Aren't you that presence awareness right now? That translates through the mind as the thought I am. And when are you saying that? Like all thoughts are present. If you've got a past thought and you've spoken it now, you're saying it presently. You can't say it in the past because the past is gone. You can't say it in the future because the future hasn't happened. It can only be said presently. And it's spontaneous.

It doesn't last. So we put all these words on ourselves. I'm Bob, this, that, the good fella, the happy, I'm not sad and all the rest of it. And form a conceptual image. It's got no substance. There's nothing solid about it. Or no independent nature. It cannot stand up on its own. So recognise that. That I am. That is presence awareness. Right here, right now. And that presence awareness is absolute. It can't be divided. Nothing can be added to the absolute. Nothing can be taken away. Because remember, what are we talking about? Non-duality. One without a second, not two. Only that. Absolute. Absolute is not duality.

It can't be duality. Duality implies other than one, two. And absolute is not even one. It's prior to the one even. Before the thought or idea or concept of one comes about. And that is all there is. So, but we've got this sense of presence. Our parents have told you you're Bill or you're Jane or whatever your name is. And somebody asks you who you are. Well, we've believed that because we've never questioned it. Our parents never told us any different. So I've taken notice. So if somebody asks you who you are, you'll say, I am Bob. Or I am Jane. And then they've got their concept.

And they'll see that pattern, shape and form. And say, well that's what Bob is. Or that's what Jane is. It's body, mind. And I don't like what it says. Or I don't like its looks or its feelings or all the rest of it. So there'll be some concepts, more concepts and ideas formed about that. And the sense of separation gets pronounced, more pronounced and longer. Further away. The more you think, talk and think about it, the further away you wander from the truth. As it tells you in the Hang Shing Ming. Stop the talk. Talking and thinking. And there's nothing you will not be able to know.

In that pure knowing, pure being, pure sense of presence, without adding to it, without taking it away from it, that is all there is. And that's the saying, know the truth. Knowing you are that and knowing it as the truth, and the truth will set you free. You're free. You're free of the belief that you need to become something. Or need to become something. Duality is dualism. Me and the other. Me and the other is relationship. Relative to. So all relationship, and you see we've got all these relationships, are relative to. Dualism. When you recognise that. it's absolute you're not relating to anything because you know everything is that which you are and it will naturally bring if they're open to it what is recognized in each tit and petal it will recognize itself in the other and naturally there'll be a natural merging or bringing to itself what is necessary for the fulfillment of that life and amazingly enough it does now we're so stacked in the belief we are the separate entity and so constantly relating to it and habitually we think we need to do something about it try and fix it try and fix the unfixable try and fix the unfixable absolutely did that for years caused all sorts of problems sometimes when it wasn't focused on it too much the clarity would come up and everything would fall into place but then as soon as the question questioning came about and the thinking of kind of out it had come up again the conflict the conflict conflict is disease uneasiness another word for uneasiness is disease is disease not at ease no longer the ease of being the natural spontaneously setting settling in the fact of the beingness that you are not being this or being that because being this or being that you need to put a concept but ask yourself right now what is this concept right now you call yourself a human being don't you and you call God the supreme being so what have we've done we've conceptually divided that beingness but what does being this imply are you not being right now you say no I'm being and being is not becoming it's not in the concept of time because in being becoming implies a future time being is now this immediacy and recognize that and there can be possibly be no becoming in it whatsoever because time is a mental concept when you investigate it have a look and see ask yourself this is there a past if I don't think about it if you hear that what do you need to do I need to look and see what's there without a thought and they're not picking the thought up that's there waiting to be picked up or not pushing it away recognizing it just as it is leaving it without adding to it or taking from it see how long it's going to stop there and what can I say without a thought well I can't say it's good and bad pleasant, painful, anything at all about it.

And so then you might understand what Shakespeare told you 400 years ago when he says there's nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. The Sargent had told you the same thing, different words when he says nothing can trouble you. Nothing at all can trouble you. Wouldn't that be good to know and believe and recognise and see that it's true if it's true? And there's nothing can trouble you? Wouldn't that be great? Nothing can trouble you except in your own imagination. He's telling you what the cause is all. Imagining, imaging in. What's imaging in? Doesn't it mean creating conceptual or mental images? An image is not the thing.

Look in the mirror, what do you see? You'll see reflections in it or images. You'll see reflections in it or images. You'll see reflections in it or images. You might see your face in there, that that mirror is full of images and reflections. You can't say they're not there, but go up to the mirror and try and pull any single image or reflection out of it. You can't, because you can't grab it because it's only a reflection or image in the mirror. And see what we're doing, that word imagination. We are imaging all these thoughts or concepts in this thing we call mind. Now that mind we're looking at is clarity, it's clear and empty like the mirror.

It's a fuse with pure intelligence, the knowing what to do. And what are we doing? We're corrupting it and contaminating it, we're taking the reflections that appear in it to be real. Trying to grasp a reflection or do something with it. Haven't been very successful. Because there's lots of troubling going on. Nothing can trouble you except your own imagination. And we're in all sorts of mental and conceptual trouble. We haven't been very successful or we've probably not even bothered to look at it. And we don't until something innately within us says this is not good enough. I've been looking into this and there's still all these fears, anxieties and stressing this belief in God.

I've been looking into this and there's still all these fears, anxieties and stressing this belief in God. It hasn't helped me at all. I've prayed for this and thought about that. Sometimes I've been lucky enough and fluked and got a little bit scared. But it still hasn't caused the problems to cease. But does it dawn on you that maybe I'm looking in the wrong direction? Maybe I won't find the answer in the mind? Because every direction I looked has always been in the mind. Have a look at that. What other direction can you look if it's not in the mind? It's not until you realise which we don't want to look, the only other direction to look is when the emptiness is there.

The full stop is there. Recognise, as Shakespeare said, there's no thing that's either good or bad. And recognise who or what am I? I am that no thing. I am not the body. I'm not the mind. I'm not the person. This body is a thing. This thing we call mind is a thing. The tree is a thing. The carpet's a thing. The space in the room is a thing. Everything in this manifestation are things. All appearing in that basic screen. Space or emptiness. They call it a cognising emptiness. Not a vacuum or a void, but emptiness suffused with cognising or intelligence. It's an intelligence energy that's forming this emptiness.

And Shakespeare pointed that out. He says emptiness is form. It is that cognising or intelligence in this patterning shape informing all this manifestation. He turned around the other way and said the forms are nothing but emptiness. All things are empty. And all this manifestation is made up of things. You're a thing. I'm a thing. The trees are thin. The flower, the seeds are all things. In that basic screen of emptiness. Emptiness is no thing. Space you can't find a centre to. Can you find a centre to space? We say this is where it begins. Can you find a circumference to it? It is no thing.

And where can you postulate or think of anything that can be outside of space? What would it be in? Hey. And you realise there's nothing you can think of, postulate, or imagine, or conceptualise. Could be outside of space. Space is no thing. And all this manifestation is the content of space. Can something come from no thing? Well you don't have to be a Rhodes Scholar to work that out either. Just recognise that something cannot come from no thing. So all this manifestation appearing as things is only appearance. It's really no thing. And they tell you that when they say it's a phenomenal manifestation. This manifestation is phenomenal.

Your dictionary definition of phenomenal is that which appears to be. And appearance means it's seemingly so. Seemly appears to be real. But it is not real. As it appears. So you, me, and all these so-called things, are appearing to be real. Not realising you are real as the absolute, as the intelligence energy. You are real as the life. But as the pattern shape and form the body-mind, it's appearing to be real. And has actually no reality about it whatsoever. Because it's changing. That pattern shape and form is constantly changing. That body-mind is transient. It's not the same body you had when you walked into this room.

And it's changing right now. And it will continue to change. What is it that never changes? The image continually changes. But the life itself, the animating intelligence energy, doesn't change. That keeps vibrating, patterning, shaping, and forming and bringing about all the transient, the changes. But nothing has ever been added to it. Nothing ever taken away from it. Because it is that no-thing. It's life which forms, shapes, and patterns everything. That is what you are. And it continues, and will continue to express. Take the life out of that body. And you've seen plenty of bodies with no life in them. That body is a corpse. Before it breaks down or rots, it starts to break down and rot.

Well then it gets bacteria, germs and worms, which get life out of it while they're breaking it down. But it's still got the eyes before it rots. It's still got the ears, still got the heart, the lungs, the kidneys, the brain. All those organs that are keeping it going now and doing such wonderful work, they're in it. But the life or the power has gone out of the body. So what good is it without that life? Where does it go? As we pointed out before, it's the content of space. The vibrating pattern of energy in space. Has it ever left the space? It hasn't. Can anything ever leave the space?

It can't. So where does it go? Back into the space. But it's not the same. Put an analogy, it's like a computer's got all that information in it. It can get some amazing information out of it. And it was formed to express through it all, utilise all these information that's in it, bring it up. But without the power on, what can you get out of the computer? Nothing at all. So these patterns have been able to form computers. Just the same as that life essence has formed these patterns to experience and express itself through. And those experiences and expressions seem very real. But because they're divided and separated and believed to be so, they cause the pain, the anger, the fear, the depression, the guilt, the shame, the remorse, the jealousy, the envy.

All the psychological suffering comes about from the energy of belief that goes into them. And the belief is never the real. It's not the fact. The definition of belief is an unquestioned acceptance of something in the absence of reason. It means we haven't questioned it. We haven't investigated it. We haven't looked into it. Acceptance of an alleged fact. These alleged facts our parents told us, we learnt from schools and things like that, we take them to be real. Acceptance, we're accepting them. Acceptance of an alleged fact without positive knowledge or proof. And we're also told, which we don't investigate, that the false cannot stand up to investigation.

So see that. Wouldn't it be wise to see if that statement is true or not and question your beliefs? Have a look at them and see if they're true. And what I found, when you do question them, those that are not true will fall apart. The idea that I am this person will fall apart. Seeing that not true. And you've questioned so many beliefs. And you go outside on a cloudy day, would you say the sun's not in the sky? You know the sun never leaves the sky. So you think it's gone, believe it's gone, it's not true. A rainbow, you go outside and see a rainbow on a cloudy day, you believe there's colours in the sky.

But when you look into it and investigate, you'll see those colours are not. Real. They're only the sun shining through the mist, seemingly formed clouds that appear as a rainbow. You go up and try and grasp it, there'd be nothing there. Look at a lot of those things. The people stood on the shore years ago, looked out where the sea and the sky met. They were told, don't go out there, you'll fall off the edge of the earth. And people believed that. Who would believe it today? Because we've investigated these things. And seen the truth about it. Investigate a little bit further. And see that this body-mind that you believed in, take to be real.

Instead of trying to make it become something, and believe it can become, when becoming implies a future time, and if you've looked into time and seen time as a mental concept, there's no such thing as a future. And realise you are being right now. And you're not. And you can't negate that beingness. You can't say you are not. So it's there. But why don't we take it on board and say I'm that pure being. Because we've got this habitual patterning. That I am this person. And I need to do this, I need to pray, meditate, do this practice, do something else. And I will become.

Hasn't happened, has it? Mightn't have just dawned on you, maybe I'm looking in the wrong direction. And that might be the turning point. That's what needs to happen. And some of you know that. Investigate and they've got a good take on this. And they're expressing it. And if you can express it, get up and tell us about it. It might resonate with somebody who hasn't got that understanding fully. If they hear different words, they might lash onto what I'm saying. But another word might resonate with you. And some of you are just looking into it. And questions might come up. Ask them. Don't hesitate to ask them.

But we do hesitate. Because what's there? This conceptual image again. Somebody will say something that I don't like or criticise what I'm saying or something like that. And that will make me fearful of people because they don't like me. They'll put all these concepts on. And so we don't bother to question because we're fearful of what they'll think or what they say. But who the hell do you think is saying or thinking all that? If all these patterns are the non-conceptual, ever-fresh past, does it matter what anybody says, thinks or does? You see they're just pattern shapes and forms. Non-conceptually. And if you know that you are the absolute, if you are the absolute, who is superior to you?

Who can ever be superior to you if you are already the absolute? Who can be inferior to you? So there's nobody that you're better than. Nobody who's better than you knows that you're better than them. And what would you want from the other person? What have they got or can have that you haven't got? If you have the same, if you are the same absoluteness and reality that they are, wouldn't it be available to you also? So recognise those things and get into it. Or you'll do what you have to do or don't do anyway. But to keep the party going just get into it.

And away you go. Pardon? Nice long spiel. You can put your ears now. And I would like to say welcome for those who came a bit late and welcome to the online community. We have 22 people with us. And we have few comments that we didn't get to read last week. We went much over time and we had to skip them. So that was one from Vivek. Imagined I, ego loves imagination. Mickey Mouse, Santa Claus, God. And Amonath says, what's beyond confusion and clarity is self. Though it is undefinable, either comes or goes or located in lots of places. And Dave says, the sense of who I really am feels the same from what, from when I was a child to the present day.

Letting go of the false ideas of who I am is all that's needed. A sculpture already exists in the block of stone, the sculpture merely removes the pieces, concealing it. That's a nice metaphor. And Amonath says, beautiful things. Imagination has no self-energy, our interest and belief is the pure, which is actually pure love. And nobody's right or wrong as there are no body or bodies. There is no thing that how can it make right or wrong. Tanya says, thank you so much for this beautiful meeting. That was last week's meeting. And I'm very happy. And Rosa says, when you recognize what you are not, you see what is.

Amonath says, truth cannot be thought or defined, put in words. And Vivek says, there is no feeling, experiencing the truth. Amonath says, seer and seen mind are ever imagined or created. Nothing can be added or deleted. Rosa says, notice the times I is being used when speaking to notice helps. And Lindsey, pointers pointing to that which is essential, takes the attention beyond thought into the resting still presence. Buddha was pointing to that which is just above is. The question is, who is suffering? And isn't that why we are all here? To awaken to falseness. Of psychological involvement. And Ram, phew. It is not the known or nowhere.

Both are concepts. It is knowing. The knowing is non-conceptual timelessness. And Dona says, love to Jane for what Jane was saying last week. And Amonath says, thanks means ignorance or not noticing. And grateful to Ram, non-conceptual cannot be put in words or thought. And Keith says, that sums it up. And Dona also says, ultimately no one is doing anything. No one is choosing or no one is seeing. It is all seemingly arising. And Keith says, when you look, nothing is there. And Dona, not even you that needs to look. Amonath says, both was and is Buddha. No need to think or imagine. My heart full reverence.

And that was it. So we are up to date with all the comments. If anyone would like to open up and say something, ask question or share or clarify or argue with something, then the forum is yours. There are new comments there. Yeah, Michael from today's meeting, Michael is watching us and saying, good morning, beautiful people. So wonderful that you offer this Bob and Kat for those who can't make it in person. Much thanks and love. Thank you, Michael. Tell me, can also do it on Zoom tomorrow. Yes, Michael, you can come on Zoom tomorrow. That is mostly for American. This is our Polish Michael.

But whoever is out of our regular time zone, there is a meeting that is in the morning for us and in the afternoon, or evening for Americans tomorrow. And there are two other meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Just a reminder, all the information on www.silorbobadamson.com slash meetings. And now, please. Jamie is pointing. Houdin is pointing at you. You, please. Would you? I've got the microphone. It seems to be the story of my life. I'm just happy to be here. I'm happy to see Bob. I'm very grateful for these sharings. They've had enormous benefit on this pattern, resulting in a lot of peace and happiness and acceptance for whatever life delivers.

Look, what happened here was just essentially a shift in focus, from identification with the story that was playing out, a story of mainly it was sort of poor me, all that sort of stuff. And a shift from that into what Bob's pointing to, which is just that open, spacious, complete awareness where there are no problems. It's just a sense of peace. I guess an uncaused happiness. It's kind of like those optical illusions where you see the young woman and the old woman. They're both in the same photo. It's just like sort of seeing you've been focused on the old woman and then all of a sudden sort of pointed out the young woman and the focus.

Nothing happens, but there's just like a shift of focus. And it's like an aha. And you can't see them both at once. You're either locked in one or the other. You can't see the old woman and the young woman at the same time. And once you see the young woman, that's it. Why would you go back? It's just my preference anyway. So, I mean, hearing the spiel, Bob, and I don't live in Melbourne anymore, but when I come and visit and I hear your spiel or I listen to it, you know, it blows your mind every time you hear it. And every time you, you know, not just that, when you study some ancient texts, some ancient Tibetan texts, or one of Nisargadatta's texts, or Siddharameshwar's, and you read the stuff, and it just kind of, it's like a head, your mind explodes every time, so to speak, because, I mean, it resonates with your beingness.

So these words resonate, and that emptiness kind of resonates with that frequency, and it just kind of seemingly opens up more and more. And, you know, I think Eckhart Tolle said once that there's no limit to this beingness, you know. It has no depths, it has no boundaries, it has no point. So every time you hear it, it's like that depth just becomes more and more pronounced, and that emptiness becomes more and more pronounced. Yeah, I don't know, I'm just waffling now, but... But, yeah, it's like a... Yeah, it's... It's beginningless and it's endless and it's timeless, so there's just no sort of... There's no point where it starts, no point where it finishes.

So you can keep hearing this and you can keep looking at this, and it still kind of blows your mind every time. This is my go-to. If I ever get caught in my head, I listen to you for a moment and catch the imagining. And then there's no more troubling. So, thank you. I'm... I've got a couple of comments from people online. Yes, so this is from Byron. What is driving our consciousness and your words? Is it the wish to avoid pain and the wish to find peace? Are we in the happiness business here? And Amarnath is answering to it. Beautiful, Byron. We know that we are...

We do not know. We know. Isness is beyond Facebook or physical meeting. So that was one. And Keith says, Hi Bob and everyone. Those messages are from last week. Yes, Byron, we did it intentionally because we've been overtime last week and we just had to skip those messages. And Amarnath, Meeting is no meeting which is beyond meeting. Thinking is both illusion, thinker, non-illusion, without thinker, no relation to self. Thought is both woman and man, also beyond. How funny is isness? Nisargadatta says, Food has become the world. Neither woman or man is imagined. Yes, so that's it. Anyone would like to comment? I think that what Byron was saying, whether we are in happiness business and something required answering.

I'm not very sure. The comment actually is not available anymore. Can I have the mic? Yes. Thank you. It's definitely the happiness business. Hopefully I'll just go this way. A US politician, I remember a US politician mentioned, there are known knowns. There are things we know we know. And there are also known unknowns. There are things we know we don't know. And there are also unknown unknowns. There are things we don't know we don't know. I would like to, that's right. I would like to add to it. There is an unknowable knower or unknowable knowing that's not possible to be known. And that's it. Thank you.

That's great. I've got nothing intelligent to add to that. But I would like to say that when we look at things that occur as themselves, something arises as itself. It is just whole and perfect. There's no, without reference to anything else. And that is an exquisite experience of, natural experience of the bliss of sat shit and under. Yeah. Basically that's it. If one allows everything to simply be as it is. Without reference to anything else. Without any comparison. Without any reference. Referencing. We're having some coming down today where we're just talking about how things are referenced to each other. How, you know, I know I'm here because I know about the world.

And I know about the world. And I know about the world. I know about that place next to it. But what about that place next to it? I know it because of its relativity to the place that I was talking about before. You know, it's a kind of circular argument. And that's the nature of the mind. It's always looking for a reference, a truth in something because it is close to or relative to something else. But when one releases that relativity, you're released to see things as they are. And they're perfection. And nothing is left out of that. Yeah, that comment that said, are we in the happiness business?

Well, you know, when there's no conflict, which can only come from the mind, you know, because when there's dis-ease, it's in relation to the me and the other person, place or thing. So when that mind is in that place, it is no longer related to as a me. There is no conflict. There is, as Peter said, the uncaused joy of being. So, yeah, so if that's the happiness business, we're in it. I have the comment from Bill. There is just what's happening. You can't get closer. You can't get away from what's happening. We tell the story about what's happening. But the story about what's happening is what's happening.

There is just this inescapable immediacy. There is no escape. It's full to the brain. It is immediate. There is no room for time, no room for space, no room for thought. There is just no thing. Look closely, investigate, and see that this immediacy is illuminated, illumined by the light of pure knowing. It is not knowable. It is just for no one. And Amanas says, to whom is the business? Who is the customer or seller? It's a Facebook or illusory physical business originating from non-illusory self. The reference mind has no reference, thanks Peter White. And also says, to whom is the business? And what is happiness?

Biden, I expect he would probably want to talk about some needs and stuff like this. That's usually the case. But really what we are about is looking beyond concepts of happiness, non-happiness, suffering. Really, the pointers are beyond the conceptual mind which constantly engages with imaginary overlay, which instead of experiencing, like Bill says, reality as it is, focuses into the thinking, creates the story, identifying the character with the story, and goes on in that realm which has been overlaid and reality as it is, is being overlooked, ignored. So defining what business, what we do about it, is already going way too far. Of course we're using words.

There is no other way to communicate. And we are trying as close as we can to go beyond and point beyond the words and language. That's the point. And there is Biden saying, yes, somehow being and connecting with kindly people does seem to have an impact on happiness. You're totally right, Biden. Everything has an impact on happiness. Even the sunshine, even the right biome gut flora, everything. And the kind people, the love, everything has an impact on everything. Because everything is one. It's just vibrating into different patterns. So it does impact. You know, you often say, Kat, I say, how are you? You say, I'm happy.

And it's because that joy of being is, if you have to name it something, it is happiness itself. Yeah. Dean, now is your turn. I can't describe it for you. What we did, I don't think there's happiness or joy or you can label it. When the concepts are no longer believed in, there's an automatic, what's left? You could call it peace or love or joy or happiness. You could have all these different labels, but I just find some of the most serious and important issues are the most hysterical in the world. Because they're seen in the light of what is. And it's a concept. And the more someone's riled up about a concept, the more hysterical it becomes.

Because it's like, how can you, it's alright, it's not real. And then it seems so real to whatever. And it's just so unreal. And the more real it seems, the more unreal it appears to me, in a sense. Just how it feels sometimes. It's a bit embarrassing to laugh at the most ridiculously bad situations, I guess. But the laughter's not on the out, it's not laughing at anyone or anything. It's laughing at the whole show. And how we got ourselves in this weird position. Yeah. Exit laughing. That's a phrase from A Course in Miracles. Thank you. It's beautiful. Yeah, pretty hard to follow up with Bob Spiel, because I think you nailed every pointer in the book.

And nailed them spot on. But there's one in there, I think, that one amongst the many that's really powerful is this fact that there's no doubt about our being. There's no doubt about our consciousness. There's no doubt that we are awake and we are present. And if you are seeking, that's the thing to latch onto. Make the centre of your seeking. Every time you're in doubt, or actually seeking, just re-cognise the fact that there's no doubt of your own presence. Yes. Beautiful. And continue to re-cognise the doubt. That there's no doubt that you are here, you are present. You're aware of your own being. And that's the full stop.

Bob talks about. There's really no more to it than that. That's all there is to do. Beautiful. In fact, Nisargadatta called it a diamond of good fortune. Give it to Bob. Yeah, that's wonderful, isn't it? Yeah, absolutely. You know, we're dealing with something which has no relative meaning. There's no point in trying to make any comparison or relative understanding about that sort of thing. You are here now. Can you speak up? You are here now. You are, you know, an absolute condition. Which, yeah, I've said enough, basically. Thank you. So, I want to thank Bob to remind us a lot of things, remind me a lot of things that I ignore usually due to tinnitus and resistance.

And one of the reminders or pointers to so-called me is watch your mind, how it operates. For me, it was helpful during the day or daily activities for a week or two that I'm following this pointer, this specific pointer, to somehow map my mind so then maybe I can predict its strategies in the future and its movements in order to prevent to not get into it. Thank you. Giulietta, do you want to say something? No, no, no. Yes, so I was finding quite interesting what Bob said in the last sentence with I forgot actually what he said but I had a picture what it's looking like and then what you said with comparing and it was resonating in a way because I'm dealing last week I dealt a lot with jealousy and I'm trying to get on top of it and what was interesting with you when you're saying you put in a relative to something that is what I realize what I'm doing I put something in relative to that or compare to that and that sort of brings up the emotion oh, that is what that is oh, I would like to have that too right now and then rather than saying oh, everything is okay with me because it was so interesting that I never felt it my whole life like this I was always fine I felt like mostly fine and now it happens and then what I was also thinking is that you're already dead when Bob says you're already dead and when you feel jealousy and you're seeking for love from another person, one of the other person where he gets the love, the other person get the love from and everyone has the same body mind structure then they wouldn't get more love than you already have already so that's what I was understanding when you're asking for love that person if you're in natural state already is love and you also have that why are you seeking it from someone else yeah the mind works in the pairs of opposites and it's interesting to watch that when you know you're not the mind you know desire, fear, pleasure pain, you know and you know to put the focus on the absolute rather than the machinations of the mind which are always going to be exactly that because they can only work in those parameters desire, fear, pleasure, pain, happy, sad you, me you know and that's where all conflict arises but yeah but you can't add anything to something that's absolute so you're focusing more on that presence that you are and just interestingly watching how the mind operates curiously you know seeing how it can only trap you it can only go one way or the other what's even better than that ultimately is to go beyond that and just lose interest in the mind you do lose interest you totally lose interest in it it's like a boring person at a party that you're trying to get away from exactly that's a good one I love that a boring person at a party or your mother when she's nagging you and you don't hear it it's just sort of there somewhere I've totally lost interest sometimes like Dean said I have a bit of a giggle like something will come up and it'll make me laugh because it's just ridiculous but other than that I just leave the mind to do it's like that mirror no image is ever going to stick to that mirror when everyone leaves in an hour the mirror is going to be clear again and the mind's like that it'll move through and it's amusing it is amusing to watch it because you go where the hell did that come from well yeah that's that's the realisation that the thoughts are really none of our business they're just coming up out of our conditioning and things we've heard and it's like like John Lennon said nothing you can sing that can't be sung nothing you can do that can't be done it's all just repetition and stuff that just comes up and moves along we're all in tribute bands aren't we yeah it's all a tribute yeah a tribute tribute to love or the presence and it's wrongly attributed to separate self yeah wrongly totally wrongly when you when you recognise what you are there's like a it's almost like there's a space that's created around the whole thing around all the thoughts and the body and everything and there's like a there's like a looking like a witnessing consciousness as Nisargadatta would say that you can see the whole thing happening like in real time and it's just happening like there's just thoughts arising and all this stuff that's going on all the emotions and feelings coming up but there's like a space around it so it's almost like you're looking at somebody else it's like an out of body experience in a sense yeah it's like an out of body experience yeah it's like opaque it's like the thoughts become just seen through they're kind of there but and sometimes there's interest in the thoughts but generally they're just sort of clear or opaque same same you could argue that like somebody was saying this is the happiness was it the happiness business or something it's really more the recognition business the way that because there's a cognising that's happening all the time but that cognising has been overlaid with the story of me and the story of me has appeared in that cognising and all this energy of belief has gone into the story and it just seems very very real and then society reinforces that all the institutions, government, family education everything, constantly, you're just like you walk outside this door and everybody around you is reinforcing this notion of self me, me, me, me, me and everyone's life revolves around this notion of me this notion of self so it appears very real and all this energy goes into it but when that's seen through then it's just the story will continue but then it like like I was just saying before there's like a space that just sort of appears around this story and it's just seen as this horrible monstrosity that it once was still not very nice but at least it doesn't have a you know, it doesn't have that that pedestal that it once did have Bob requested me to ask you guys if you had anything to ask or add or are you happy us?

yes he's an old timer oh man no pressure do you want to say anything? no uh yeah I don't know if it comes to me who asked that sorry? Bob real pressure boss man's on the X line take it oh you want it thanks as you were speaking I thought that you know it all boils back to the idea that we can't be a thought can't ever be a thought be a thought which had when a thought dies you don't die with it our insistence is that we are thoughts we are a passage of thoughts somehow our existence resides there and we're believing that but let alone if we just simply undo that we'll discover that that can't possibly be there my being is existing elsewhere for a moment in a sense pretending to be wrapped up in those thoughts and also the notion your notion is jealousy it's all occurring within the confines of you in your mind when you think about it the other guy is not thinking about you at all you're thinking about that guy that fucking asshole is screwing my ex-wife what are he doing he's not thinking about you at all he never did or he very rarely does in fact other people are only ever existent in our minds for a split second during the day even the people you're married to you don't think about them all the time they're not right there in your consciousness all the time they're a fleeting moment really and that's the consideration that in truth those ideas can't be true either and yet it's kind of like a dot on a TV screen that automatically fills out to become the totality of your consciousness when you give it give it all that energy that's what it does give it energy and the dot becomes the full screen change the channel or something turn the TV off alright thank you I have a couple of comments from people that was online and I think I've skipped a couple because the phone is not Amarnath saying here ink is here and ink and then Dave replying to Amarnath's comment about Ms.

Argadatta saying that food has become the world neither woman or man Dave says Amarnath what a beautiful room of intricately arranged food we are watching and Byron says we are not only present here but also worthy acceptable, knowledgeable lovable, connected and real and Vivek says that's a beautiful story by the way sweet Vivek gift of mind is a trap of suffering birth death Amarnath says watching is watch time plus ink that that's the fun nothing coming from no one Byron says recognition is kind of happiness well all the matter of defining words just be careful Amarnath says hearsay is stay here Amarnath also we we are we nothing can be added to it or deleted from it and Byron it wasn't that God it was your ex-wife I think that was for Jove and Amarnath says jealousy is me acting as he he acting as me to how funny is this dream so you want to get the story down to the vibration down to sensations in the body then even jealousy is too much of a label you just be present with whatever is arising if there is a you know like a heart contracting you just be present be curious about that particular sensation or is it a you know a lump in the throat or not in the gut like Bob often says instead of labeling it something and following the story of the guy or ex-wife or whoever the story there you bring it back to the present sensation to what is happening regardless of the narrative narrative gives it a name and offers the little trip a train of thought but this present moment has other senses too and you can really be present with the sensation and it becomes curious instead of being a suffering it is an interesting occurrence in that field of consciousness that's a Peter you want to the mic give him a mic yeah because I realized how the images are coming up and they are not real or not occurring to my image yeah that was interesting why you said that guy for me there is no guy I'm jealous of but yeah that sensation was good that I was looking into that sensation and I know it was mostly in my heart more on the left side and one a bit lower in that area but very I don't know how you call that in English yeah so the plexus they were there quite intense and yeah so it was more about that partner I say where I am seeing interactions with other people or she is talking about interactions with other people and then I was trying to trace back what is that there for me and that there for me was basically I didn't have that presence with that person so and of course concepts as well but also observations as well so where I noticed why she is smiling to the guys not to the women's and she said she does to everyone the same and so her picture was at this moment different than what she believed she was so but then in saying that that is actually not about me it's about her pattern and so therefore that's what she is seeking and actually has nothing to do with me in the end so yeah yeah I just wanted to say something yeah go for the mic I used to get nervous before I sang and one day Bob said don't label it nervous you know if you're going to you know just look at the sensation it's the energy you need to do the performance and so that can be applied to anything don't label it this that or the other it's just the energy required in that present moment to for the action figure to take action whatever that action is yeah you taught me that too Jane and it was fantastic I used to get angry I called anxiety for years and studied psychology and all the rest of it when you really sit with whatever is happening without a label or without a concept wow it was never anxiety to begin with it was like energy it was just fantastic energy flowing it's like hang on I've been suffering all my life thinking that I've had this anxiety it was never anxiety to begin with anxiety was a label it's like getting on a rollercoaster it's the same sensation but you don't label it as a negative thing wow this is but you label it you bring the word to it and then you bring all the baggage of the past times that you've had anxiety and you bring all that into the present moment rather than just sitting with wow my heart's exhilarating and I'm feeling a bit of adrenaline it's just the same as if you've gone on a rollercoaster it's the same sensation but on the rollercoaster you go wow it's amazing on a rollercoaster there's no threat to me that's why we can go on a rollercoaster and we can enjoy the sensations and the feelings because we know there's no threat to me in a situation where we know it's going to end in a situation where you're about to sing or you're about to do something there's a threat to the self image that's where the anxiety and all the fear because now me I'm going to get hurt by this I'm going to get embarrassed you know that's right or you watch a scary movie and you can enjoy the fear of the scary movie but again because you know nothing's going to happen to you like the poltergeist isn't going to jump out of the screen and start attacking you it's just a movie you just know it but in everyday life when we get scared or when we get anxious it's because it's me the me is threatened the self-centre is under attack and then there's you know so ultimately as Bob says we investigate and see does this me have any substance any independent nature is it real?

and that's ultimately what this whole exercise is about is looking and investigating the self-centre really looking and seeing and one of the best ways of doing that one of Bob's best pointers is watch the mind and see how it operates because in watching the mind you see the machinations of the self-centre come and go and how it operates and how it tries to do this and sneakily manipulate and create stories and little dramas and etc etc I find that the simplest one that I share with a lot of people now which is Bob's greatest pointer is just what's wrong with right now me too if you don't think about it what's wrong?

you can't find anything wrong it's just cut straight to it it won't stop the beauty of this is the immediacy all these pointers that just help soak immediately it's good for those of us who like the immediate gratification the immediacy last night I was I got a little bit pissed off I was with my kid he wasn't the one I was pissed about but he was like we were talking about going into this story you wouldn't have a story without me to have a story and yeah it was just beautiful that nothing had to change in the environment or in the circumstances all that happened was it was a quick oh yeah because I was telling him he wants to be able to vent I think that's what most people want to do I just got to vent but that's telling the story and it's all that's what seems most people think is the solution of going into that and it was just so I kind of what happened was I just did kind of well I didn't do it of course but it was a going from to noticing this very intense sensation and then it's immediate to step out of the thinking and all that I don't know if I'm explaining this well right now but it was it's really nice to also have this beautiful community of people who can remind you when you when you don't catch yourself I don't know if I'm making any sense here yeah you are I have a good question here from from Byron who says there is Amarnath also saying observer or me is the world as is an illusion and Byron says who is saying don't label it is it the absolute or somebody else or who says anything or who say what's wrong with right now or who say look at the moon or who say look at the finger ultimately there is absolute there is only one so now if you have a song coming from the radio is the radio singing a song no it is the absolute ultimately that's that's the only answer always and ever the better question would be why do you want to figure out who is speaking or what is speaking rather than looking at that moon that is the best question pointer if it resonates you take it if it doesn't resonate take another one someone says look at the moon look there is a dirt under the toe under the nail it doesn't matter if the pointer speaks to you good but who is speaking the pointer why is it here is it where who is there who is hearing the pointer is it me or is the absolute or all those questions are the secondary questions which aim at engaging with the mind in order to overlook the pointer and thank you for bringing it up Byron because that is always worthy of highlighting if the pointer what's wrong with right now who is saying it is it absolute saying it or is it Bob or is it Dean or is it Jamie is it radio or is it TV station that is overlooking the profundity of what is wrong with right now once again thank you for saying it because that's always worthy of highlighting and there is few more comments stay in presence says Vivek Amarna says nervous be near us isness or self you are going far far away and both no one and everyone both are part of the label this was Amarna's answer who is saying it the good idea is to actually not even answer it but just who wants to know is sometimes the answer or Julia gives it who gives us it that's actually a nice kind of dropping the ball into the other court but yeah it is always missing out on what's offered now Amarna says no mediator in the immediate and Keith says watch the mind and see how it operates that came up last week too and Byron says yes there is something wrong with right now it is the future the problem that right now will not last well that's your religion Byron if you are happy and you don't suffer that's fantastic if you do yeah you may have you may what Jamie was just offering see if you can shift the perception or if you would like to have individual appointment with Bob maybe he can explain it better if you want to because yeah if you are happy I mean you know there are people who are perfectly happy living in the imaginary world with the imaginary threats in the imaginary future when they are important and it is fine it is really only for those who actually want to question and want to find freedom from that type of imaginary threats those who don't absolutely there is no we don't go like Jehovah Witnesses knocking to the door trying to convert people to non-Jewalism religion everyone who is here is out of their allegedly imagined free will but again thank you Byron that's a really good point I really appreciate your contribution and when you feel sort of understanding Keith says it is all my story can we speak one at a time hello there is quite a few couple of mics and those guys will not hear us if we speak all at the same time sorry sorry Keith says it is all my story Amarna says thanks Keith is missing the story Lindsay says I suppose that is why understanding is all that's what Bob said in the beginning Keith says it's kind of funny but it's also a shock how pervasive it is and Dale Allison says so many beautiful reminders today to just rest in the presence awareness all the knots and conflicts fall away Dave says Bob how important is faith or surrender in practice any tips would you like to speak on faith or surrender in practice no Dave we are basically pointing out that practice creates the imaginary practitioner and it reinforces the self so practice is kind of the word that we don't really use it may have wrong associations and you may look at it as if the faith or surrender happens that's what life facilitates if it doesn't happen that's what life didn't but again you can ask Bob any time come up for a coffee Tanya says thank you all and love you all faith is the practice which is naturally inherent as natural state that's the answer from Amana Bob doesn't define it the same way but it may resonate more Tanya says thank you all so much so much beauty what's wrong with right now if you don't think about it nothing without thought no me and nothing wrong not sure why inquiring still happens looking spontaneously happening maybe also a bit entertainment laughing out loud and thank you all says everyone so if there is anyone because you had the conversation that wanted to wrap it up and share it with us we're just saying that you know when you first when you first know who you're not you want to share it with everybody julia would identify with that and i said oh have you got three hours that's how i used to be when i was first sort of uh turned on by knowing who i wasn't if you like and now it's more when people want to hear it that's all i was saying yeah part of the acceptance is also accepting everybody as you find them and no one needs to be changed or hear this message everyone is fine whether they have the understanding or not that's irrelevant absolutely just life lives out plays out how it's going to play out you and all of that sort of falls away that's right if there's a curiosity there people will find you and talk to you about it otherwise yeah who cares yeah okay beautiful question my favorite yeah oh i'm sorry regarding faith you know the usual conception of faith is that it's something that occurs or an event brings it about and and then it has to be maintained you know and strengthened and reinforced and hung on to you know and and and you hear this expression in christianity oh they lost their faith what a disaster you know well anything you can lose is not worth having you know it's just not worth having so you know you don't have to hang on to anything everything everything you really need to have a water is already present as your own presence brilliant so i'm not i'm not really a faith person myself wonderful yes thank you thank you very much everyone yes you are that fully perfect nothing needs to be fixed and thank you