Are you unaware? Bob's 96th birthday catch up. 21 July 2024

James, Maris, Chris, George, Tess, Tessy, Tony, and somebody that looks loud, and Ram, Ram, Mary, Mary, Lindsay, Timon, Tessy, Randy, Andy, Kandisha, Ross, Anita, Julia, Helen, Adrian, Paul, Paula, Mitzra, Bob. Thank you everyone. This is a day of wondering how, if it would happen. But it's happening. No big deal now. I think it's not much point looking for the next one. Because I'm not likely to get that far. But it's good to see you all here. People have walked. They've walked. They've walked together. Some of us started at different times. Some of us have been longer. Some of us have been shorter. But the main thing is we are walking.

A lot of those earlier have gone now and being replaced. So it's good to see you all. Mainly to recognise there is only the one essence, the one life, the one reality. Emptying through up there and up there. We haven't just seen the world. We are expressing through each and every seeming one of us. That is. And what I tell you, it's only that. That is all there is. And you read in the scriptures that that is the great mantra. And I am that. Everyone in this room can say that. I am that. What the that is we have different levels, different concepts. But it's what it's pointing to.

the one life, the one essence, the one intelligence energy, which is only and ever and always that. So it doesn't really matter how the patterns, shapes and forms express. And it can express and does in its myriads and billions of different ways. But the darkness itself is never contaminated, corrupted or touched by anything whatsoever. Let's see what happens when we take this idea that we are this separate entity, this person. And what we're continually doing is trying to address the fears, the uncertainty, the thoughts and concerns and incidents that are always happening and seemingly divided what is indivisible. In investigation, we see that, right here, right now, this particular room, if you call it a room, is full, or seemingly full, of that life.

And all the different patterns, shapes and forms that you experience is only that. But in its oneness, it couldn't express as anything at all because they're called the great reality is non-conceptual, ever fresh, presence awareness. All omnipresence, total presence, total omnipotence, and total omniscience, intelligence, and all of these patterns is a unique expression. It all plays around and expresses in its unique way. Then it disappears back into its own form. It's emptiness. And they call it, one of the books in, people talk about, they call it the basic space, a phenomenon. And that's the thing we don't notice. They all take the idea that we are these persons, these separate entities, these individuals, which appear in space.

Space is no thing. Can you find a sense of space? Can you find a beginning to it? When you look into investigation, you see there's no beginning to space. There's no end to it. No boundaries. No circumference. No centre. And there's nothing you can postulate or think of that could be out of space. And that's what they call it, the great perfection, is non-conceptual awareness. Awareness is no thing. But have a look at it. Is there anyone in this room that is unaware right now? Just a little bit of looking. This couldn't be any other way. I am. I am. Awareness. But we don't, we've learned other words.

And we try to grasp it with a concept. A description. And the Sargonata tells us, you cannot grasp it with a concept. We try to grasp it with a concept, and we fail. And we are bound to fail. Because it's non-conceptual awareness. And you look into the ancient texts, the ancient ones, that are spouting the truth, they'll all point out the same thing if you look at it alone. There is only that. And that's the great mantra. Which we also already understand. Because I am that. Anyone here who can't say that I am that, you can say it, and in the very saying it, you must know that you are that.

And we know that's the chair, that's the carpet, that's the tree. That's the flower, that's the bird. Everything in this manifestation is already that. And what do they say about the manifestation? Well I tell you that the manifestation is that which appears to be. It's only appearing to be so. We've taken the appearance to be real. And are realising that I am the life. I am the truth. I am the life. I am the truth. I am the life. I am the truth. I am the way. I am that. And what is that all about? Well, what have I done before that? Didn't I take on the idea in relief that I am this body?

I am this person? I am this separate entity, this individual? This one thing among the many? And separated the one essence, the one life, the one intelligence energy into the many. But it's never moved away from its oneness. It can't. It never will. And as they say, the basic space of awareness. Awareness is everything. It's the base of everything in this manifestation. So that means you, me, and everything else is that basic space. Space is no thing. Can you find a beginning to it? Can you find an end? Can you find a point where it starts? You can't. It is no thing. But can you think of anything, anything at all, that could be outside of space?

What would it be in? You recognise it can only and ever be in that space which they call a cognising emptiness. And the Buddha told you that a couple of centuries ago. And he called it that. This life is a cognising emptiness. And we think we cognise or know the emptiness. But we don't. It's the emptiness that knows, is doing the knowing and cognising. And he made the statement, of course, that emptiness is form. And the forms can nothing but the emptiness. Now we've all got these forms, shapes and bodies and minds. And take ourselves to be this separate, thing, and suffer accordingly. Because that sense of separation and individualism and oneness in recognising or believing you are that, when you feel isolated and alone and insecure, vulnerable, and don't most of us fear that?

Because we believe in this person. And isn't that the cause of most of the world's problems? So only me can be unhappy. Only me can be miserable, guilty or jealous or envy. Me is recognised as the cause of the fear, the anxiety, the stress, the guilt, the unhappiness. And Buddha pointed that out. He called it a cognising emptiness. And he made the statement then that emptiness is form. This room is seemingly full of forms. And yet all those forms are no thing. And is full even emptiness. As one of the scriptures tell us, emptiness there. Emptiness there. Yet the infinite universe stands ever before your eyes.

No difference. For all boundaries have ceased. And we'll forget where the rest of it goes, but pointing out that that is all there is. And in the recognition that I am that, which didn't come about till many years after this pattern appeared on the screen and took itself to be the person. And even in the recognition of it coming about, that I am that, there were still glitches coming up within it because they'd been reinforced and believed in so many times without question. And too small little hiccups or glitches in the living. But the more it was recognized, the more it was looked into, and the more it was seen for what it is, the non-dual, ever fresh presence awareness or life or being or oneness or godliness or whatever label you like to put on it.

All these words are put, are discriminated. And that's what they tell you in the Bible. In the beginning was the Word. That's when it all begins. The Word, the Word was with God. That's the God they put on this, believed in Word. All things were made by Him, by this Word. And there was nothing made that was made without the Word. So when some of the scriptures have looked in it and said, well, there's only God, in a way, they are right. That's all there is. But it is no thing. It is something that they can grasp and put a label on and need to be separate from and worshipped or believed in.

Because it's everything. Everything is that. That's what's wonderful and amazing, amazement. It is that absolute expression of all this manifestation. So everything you see, everything you think, everything you taste, everything you do, you can see. You can put the concepts and words and belief you put into it and separate it. But what we're doing, we're causing the problem for ourselves by separating the inseparable. Seeing the false as false and ignoring the truth. And that's what they tell us. Know the truth. And the truth will set you free. And when you look into it, it does set you free. What is there to be free from?

Free from the belief that I am this body. I am this mind. I am this person. And what's that word for belief? Well, it's another word we picked up. There isn't any word in this language that hasn't been picked up or learnt. There's no word you were born with when you look at that just there. So what's this belief? We've taken on this word with the parents put upon us without questioning it. And we were just learning words and taking the word to be what I really am. Peter has told you little Johnny or little Billy or little Jane or Joe. And what do we say when you learn those words?

I am little Johnny or I am Jane. What's that I am? It's a word. The sense of presence. The knowing of that I am. I am this life. I am this being. I am this knowing. What labels on it are still the one essence, the one sense of presence. The I am-ness. Now am-ness is not what was. So it's no use trying to say I was that because it never was so. But it's I am that right now. The sense of presence. Not the past or the future because when you look at it again you'll see it's timeless. We've got this concept of time because we've taken on these words the beliefs of appearances and how it seems to appear and the sense of separation.

But when does it now begin? Well can you say it's any other time than right now? And even as you're saying that it's already ceased and beginning again. It's got no duration. No beginning, no ending. But it always is spontaneously appearing. This body, mind we believe ourselves to be is the same. Because the appearance is different. You're not appearing as you were 20 or 30 years ago as a little child or it might have been a bit longer if it started. But that appearance has certainly changed. And what's the definition of appearance? It's that which seems to be. So if all this manifestation is only seemingly so and we've taken the belief that you are separate from it you've moved away and separate or apart from it then no wonder you feel fear, anxiety, stress, guilt, shame and remorse.

And we try to fix it and we can't. Because what we're trying to do is grasp it with a concept. With one of these words. We've learnt. Concept. But not really that a concept is just a mental construct. A thought, an idea. An image. And if you think you are a thought right now which thought would you be? Well you'd say take that I thought, that's the primary thought. And if you believe you are that thought and you were that thought you'd be frightened of letting go of it. Yet don't you give it up every night when you go to sleep? Yet not if you say well I'll lose this when I go to sleep.

You'd be frightened of going to sleep but you're not. You give it up gravely. And pick it up again next morning. But did you disappear without the thought? Does the seemingly thing call mind? Of course you did. You weren't there. But there was a sense of being there. An awareness of presence. As you wake up and you say I had a deep sleep. How would you know? I slept well. And there was something there that was recognising that and coming up. And that's all I could say about it. Or if the stirring happened in the sleep and you dreamt, you had a dream. You can dream all sorts of things.

When you wake up from the dream what happens to it? It disappears. And all the things that appeared in the dream disappear along with it. And it tells you that you're dreaming a dream. You call the world. Stop looking four ways out. The dream is not your concern. Your concern is you love one part of the dream and not the other. He says love all of it. Or none of it. Don't separate it. Get right into it. Leave it as it is. And the rest will be done for you. Just the same as it brought you into existence. Brought all the livings to go on.

And it's dreaming. And it's dreaming that dream you call yourself even right now. It's being done for you. But we think, no, I've got to do this and do that. And soon as we interfere with it there is problems. Christ told you that. He says, I am the way. I am the truth. I am the life. People thought he was talking about himself. He was talking about that sense of presence. Anyone here who is unaware of being present, you know, you're not. You're not aware of being present right now. You'll say, no. I am aware right now. What that awareness is you can't say. But you can't negate it either.

So you can't negate that beingness. The sense of presence. Call ourselves human beings. We say that's being a tree. That's being a flower. That's being this and that. And that's being a human. And then all this is happening as being. But there must be something running the show. And we put this conceptual idea we've taken on. There is this higher power or greater being, this godliness, a supreme being that's running the show in charge of all of us. Going to make you blink your eyes, swallow, grow your hair and your fingernails. It isn't that at all. There is no power. There is only the one essence.

And it expresses through everything. From the minutest subatomic particle or atom into the absolute life. And when Christ says, I am that life, he was meaning exactly that. And can't you say the same thing? You can't tell me you are not alive. And you can't tell me there's no I am-ness there. There's no sense of presence. But what are you doing? You're doing what I did for years and years. I am this person. I am this individual. I am this separate entity. Let's get this and run the show. I'll show you what it's all about. And do this and do that. And got into a lot of trouble.

A lot of fear and anxiety and stress. For taking on the erroneous or wrong belief that I am something that wasn't questioned. And believed in. And the definition of belief is that which appears to be an unquestioned acceptance of something in the absence of reason. Acceptance of an alleged fact without positive knowledge or proof. And we'll look at this I am again from that point of view. I am the body. Am I the mind? I am not the mind. What can I say I am? There is no particular meaning. There is no particular thing I can say that I am. And can I say I am not?

I can't. So that I am, without any concepts or ideas or the sense of presence, is the one absolute reality. And they call it absolute. What can add to the absolute? Nothing whatsoever. Because absolute is absolute. Not two. One without a second. Only that. And that recognition that I am that brings about a change. Because without then logging onto the label or the sense of presence or the thought or the being or the fear, the anxiety, the stress, the guilt and all those things that are happening in it do I have to throw them out or discard them? Or fixate them? And realise that they are that also.

There is no thing whatsoever is not that. Now looking at life from that point of view, where it took on all these beliefs and fears and anxieties and always the idea that it had to be changed, questioned, looked into and pointed, forced out or trying to acquire something else. And I think that's the real thing. Now when did our lives come to this? Instead of leaving everything as it is. Just as it is right now. And what is when you look at it? It's an unquestioned acceptance of everything just as it is. Without questioning. Unaltered, unmodified, uncorrected. Just is. It doesn't stay the same. You look at that, it doesn't.

It's constantly static. There is nothing still in this manifestation. So it's constantly changing, transient. And the change is not the reality. That's the appearance. But go have a look at that, go back and say I am so and so right now. What was I 20 years ago? Could you say the same pattern, the same shape, the same form, the same ideas and concepts that are there now? You know, they're all changing. But what are they all appearing in? That concept I am. Which is no thing. It is just a sense of presence. A beingness. A knowingness. A loving to be. Only and ever that. Look into life from that point of view and see for yourself.

Nobody is ever going to change. Nobody is ever going to give it here. Because there is nobody that can. There's nobody that's ever going to get it. And that's why they tell you, start from the fact that you are already that. And why isn't that recognised? It's been ignored. Because nobody ever told us about it. Now it was there, there's been a few down through the ages who recognised it and passed it on. And only a few wanted to really look into it and see it. And there'd be no people here today if somebody wasn't looking for some deeper meaning and understanding of this beingness, this life.

Because you've got your religions out there telling you this, there's a big daddy upstairs and somebody downstairs is going to burn you a little bit. And all these other concepts. And we've taken a belief that it's not. And we've taken a belief like that. And those that told you that that is all there is, we didn't want to know the truth. Or believe in the truth because there's this vested interest that I am all, I am everything. I am the one that God is going to take hold of. And make me a saint, whatever else. All these concepts. Which only cause more fear, anxiety and stress.

And cause different habits, which you know, you hear of. The bigots and everything else that's in this. But just to allow yourself to be. And to recognise and know what you are. And there are a lot of you here who've done that. Or you wouldn't be here. You've done that and are doing it. And passing it on. And that's the only way it can be passed on. Through the life that's in the spoken word. The energy, the life. You can put it into books and all the rest of it and you get a taste of it. But that same life. That you know, you recognise in others.

And they recognise in you. And then you go back to what's said, there is only life. There is nobody. Who lives the life. And if there is nobody. Who lives the life. That means that that body, mind you believe yourself to be. Is the instrument through which it expresses. Because it needs some instrument through that intelligence, energy of life. To express through. That expression is a knowing. And a being of it. And you are that. So away you go. Thank you. And thank you again everyone for coming and showing up. For him. And for honouring. Even though as he said, it's just a pattern. The body.

It's just a shape and form. And he's timeless, breathless. But without that pattern we wouldn't hear that beautiful spiel. We wouldn't see. There are people amongst us who know Bob for nearly 40 years. And are witnessing the beautiful clarity and integrity most of all. That he is expressing the message through the years. And the most joyous part of those meetings. If you really want to make it very joyous for him. Is your participation. So if anyone, if anything comes up. If you would like to share. Ask. Participate in any way. We have people behind us. Very easy to just stand up. And we will, actually you will appear.

And we will see you and hear you. And please. Join in. My goodness. Thank you again for. For coming in such number. I don't think it happened before. The life that's in the words. You said, you just said the life that's in the words. It's not the words themselves. It's the life that's in the words. And the life that wrote these words this morning. That I want to read. I'm just really feeling such. Such deep. Such deep appreciation. Such deep appreciation. And. And I know. That it's not a bob as a person. It's just the love and the life. That. That pointed. To the truth.

And. So. For Bob. Is this one? It is. Yeah. Thank you. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. I did not yet know. Then Bob appeared and beckoned forth to weekly meetings. I did go. The truth broke through and it pierced me deep. The knowing clear bypassed the mind. Home is where I finally arrived. I never knew until that time that what I am is beyond space and time. You traveled everywhere I went, around the world and back again.

I wrote you many a letter still and believing that I was beyond help. Yet many moons have come and gone and here I am, just one and all. Simply here I want to say, Bob, your light has guided the way. I love you, Bob, with all my heart. You saved my life, or so it seems. Forever the timeless presence you will be. We have, of course, tons of birthday wishes everywhere. We have birthday wishes everywhere. But the ones that are here is from John David. Happy birthday, Bob. Thank you for all the love and wisdom you have shared with me. What gift could I possibly give to the one who is everything other than to say love ya.

And Deborah says also, Hey Bob, Kat and everyone. Hope you had a wonderful birthday celebration. Yes, Deborah, and it's coming. And thank you for your card. It came from Canada. And yeah, the birthday yesterday. Thank you everyone who's shown up. Thank you for Joe for opening her beautiful, beautiful home and Julia for decorating it exquisitely. And all the performers who did such an incredible job. It was probably the best celebration. But yeah, we still have some more coming today. So we look for that and happy birthday from Jenny. Happy birthday, dear Bob and from Primali. Thank you for unconditional love. And Wendy. And yes, their birthday wishes everywhere.

Well, I'll make sure he will read them all. He will see them all. He will be really suffocated with that unconditional love that is just coming back to him. Whatever he gave out is coming multiplied. And and so it should be like this. Thank you. Thank you, Bob. Bob, today when you were talking, the thing that hit me, the pointer that hit me was there is nothing that is not that. And because we go through life and go, oh, I don't like this. So I like that. And I want this and I don't want that. But when you said there is nothing that he's not that it was really, really hit me.

So thank you. Thank you. What a beautiful thing to highlight. Yeah. One. One without the other. Julia? We're all dumped on it today. I'll be well. I'll be high. Yeah, well, first of all, huge thank you to Bob. Thank you for being. And thank you for all your great pointers over the years. All the help that you've given to everybody. Your I am is my I am. My I am is your I am. And all our I ams is our I am. The same I am. The same being, the same presence. We're all experiencing our presence right now. And that's what Bob points to and just gives that instruction to stop ignoring it.

Stop ignoring our being. Stop ignoring our presence. Notice we are present. Last thing at night before you go to sleep, notice you're present. First thing in the morning you wake up, notice you're present. During the day, take a moment just to pause and notice that you are present. And in that moment, nothing's wrong. If you don't think about it. So, yeah, so thanks, Bob. Thank you, Ted. Everyone for being what you are. Who would have thought in December 1984, when I met you with my dad, that I'd be still sitting here enjoying you all these years later? Well, I didn't think it either. And, wow, what a journey it's been.

You know, when I first met you, I was touched by your presence then but didn't really know it. And, um, then when I'd hear you speak at AA meetings, um, you had what I wanted. I didn't know what that was at the time, but whatever it was, I wanted it. Uh, and then evolved the meetings above the health food shop and, uh, trying to figure it out with the mind. But of course, we all know we can never figure out, figure out what we already are with the mind. Um, and years and years of phone calls and, uh, pointers and love and support, not only for me but for my family, uh, getting caught up in all sorts of crap in the mind, and the patience and the tolerance and the love, the unconditional love that we all are.

Um, and, uh, I just want to say how blessed, truly blessed, I am to know you, Bobbie. Love ya. I'm really touched, uh, by everyone who is showing up for Bob, but when I think of people, you know, like Tassie, Jane, Mary, people who actually Bob took beyond the need for further help, Lindsay, long time ago, and they're still coming with the love and gratitude because that is how life pan out if he didn't show up. I remember John was also saying, or Jamie, that every morning, every morning, they wake up and they think of the thought of gratitude arises, how the moment of meeting Bob transformed their lives.

And it's just a thought. There is no separation. There is no Bob and Jamie. There is no Bob and anyone. But isn't that thought a beautiful way for life shining with love? It's just gorgeous. And people who don't need him, they come and they can share the message by themselves. They're here in a circle of friends, and they're not just those grateful friends, and a friendship which is highly appreciated and they're so precarious. That's just magical. Because the core of Bob's message is no one is superior or inferior. Everyone, whether you are beyond the need for further help or not, like Tassie was saying, everyone shares the same presence, the presence, the consciousness that is looking out of your eyes, is that one consciousness.

Whether there is an idea that no, no, it's not mine, not yet, not there, or the idea is absent, it's still the same one consciousness. The same consciousness shining out of his eyes, clearly. And the same consciousness might be shining from someone else through the concepts that can just be discarded and questioned. James, you've got a good articulation. I don't know how I can stand here, but maybe I'll come around this way. You can do it. Hello, everyone. Hello, Bob. I might get a little emotional. But yeah, it is incredible sometimes I think about, I met Bob when he was 92 and he's now turning 96.

And it's incredible if this awareness didn't come through him all those years ago. Obviously, you know, it's brought him to this point and it allowed him to change his behavior and settle into what's here, which is profoundly healing, not just for yourself, but for others. And he's still rocking on at 96. And he's immensely, yeah, I'll never forget Bob. Hopefully, I live a long life like him. And however long it is, he's transformed me radically. So, yeah. So much appreciation. Met some amazing, beautiful people through this group as well. It's coming through Kat. Amazing. And yeah, it's a real privilege. So, thank you for everything, Bob.

How about you? There's my thing tonight. I just want to say thanks, Bob. Bob helped me investigate and destroy my belief in, you know, a separate self. And I don't think anyone can do anything more, you know, helpful. You know, from the perspective of me, you know, my life is a hundred times better. But also, you know, there is also no belief in me, which is a million times better than that. So, yeah. So, yeah, just thanks, Bob. And I love you and appreciate it. You want me to sit down? I'm too tall. Yeah. There's no doubt about the love. And that's a fantastic thing.

Just to put it in a slightly different way, you know, in my so-called personal journey, I searched for meaning and went through all sorts of trials and tribulations, belonged to different states. And I went to different study groups and things. And eventually ended up in India, looking for traces of Nisargadatta. And I went to see Ramesh. He was the main one that was so-called teaching. And I met Ranjit as well. He was quite a fascinating person. The room where he was, was full of love as well. But he couldn't speak very well English. But, you know, the stories can go on forever. But on the very first day in India, I met Chris Dale, who used to come here quite often.

And he recognised my Australian accent. And he came up to me after the meeting, because I had a one-to-one with Ramesh for more or less the whole meeting. And he came up and said, Oh, you're an Aussie. And have you heard of him? And I said, I'm a sailor Bob. Bob? No. Not shree-shree sailor Bob. Anyway, we went to lunch together. And he sent me a tape of one of Bob's meetings, which when it turned up in the post about six weeks later, actually blew my mind. But, and then eventually I came, I did a booklet, a small booklet, from the tape, transcribed it. And then I sent it to Bob.

And then I came down to meet him a few months later, in November 2000. And I was a bit afraid to come and see you on my own. So I rang Chris Dale up and said, You've got to come with me. So he came with me. And we met. And I was struck by something that I couldn't understand. You know, it wasn't immediately obvious to me what struck me about you. And it was only later on I realised you were the first person, I think, that I ever met that had no self-importance. And it took a while for this carrot brain to work that out.

And of course, it's our self-importance that prevents us. We're feeding on, feeding the self-importance, this belief in self-importance. And it's the belief in me that really gets in the way and obscures the view. And it's slavery to this self-image, which doesn't actually exist. And Bob pointed out, I think on the first meeting, you know, have a look, can you find this me? He also said, that idiot up there said there's no me. Is he right or is he wrong? Have a look. And of course, it comes back to our own, you could call it, investigation. Is have a look in your own so-called space and time.

Can you find this me that causes so much suffering? The psychological suffering is really due to belief in being a separate entity. And there isn't one. And we can hear that and we can say, yeah, I understand, I've seen through the me, blah, blah, and then all the suffering comes out. So it really comes down to having a look. Is there something? Is there something there that is separate? And I think meeting Bob was a dynamic expression of someone living a life, someone who's not referring everything to this image of me, me, me, me, which is the slavery. And can we honestly say, I don't do that?

Who doesn't do it? The self is a word. I is a word, me is a word. And as Bob points out, you can't drink the word water. And that applies to all words. All words are just vibrations. The phenomena is not manifest with labels on it. There's no word doorway or window. It's all wordless. It's being. And I discovered, if I can say it in those words, I discovered that the beingness is wordless and silent. And that is beautiful. That is love. And through belief we put a lot of burdens onto that. And we suffer. It's unnecessary. Psychological suffering is unnecessary. It doesn't need to be that way.

And the ball is in my court. Nobody else, Bob can't do it for me. And he refused to do it for me. I've tried to make him do it for me. And he just puts it right back in your basket. You have to investigate yourself. Because really, somebody else's knowledge is useless. It's your own insight that transforms this, seemingly transforms the consciousness, or it gets rid of erroneous beliefs. And I could go on all day, but I won't. Beautiful. Somebody else want to have a go? Lindsay. I guess I will then. Yeah. Just listening to Gilbert speak brought back the memories of coming to Bob's religiously Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday for years, and then leaving Australia and writing him letters and just that initial, I don't know what you would say, but recognition or realization.

Yeah. Realization of the truth. The very first time I heard Bob speak, that actually never, ever left. And it seemed, yeah, it's just, it really is fascinating to experience what feels like someone's life, to experience what feels like, you know, to experience what feels like a continuity in time of my life. But actually, it's been this, that life itself has continued to obliterate, obliterate the false. And in that kind of obliteration of, of what isn't true is kind of this sense of suffering or loss or helplessness or hopelessness that all belongs to the identity, all belongs to the me. And, and, and, and I can't say that, that, that, that, that does, that suffering doesn't happen here because it appears to happen.

But then it's like, oh, I'm not. Oh, there's, again, the recognition is then fresh and new, fresh and new every time. It's almost like the suffering is just a way that life shows itself, points itself back to the truth. And, and so, yeah, I remember, you know, you can say water, water, water, I remember Bob saying that all the time. In fact, everything he says today, he said 35, 40 years ago. And, and you can never unknow. You can, you can, once, once you know, you can never unknow. It just seems, it seems that, it seems that there's separation, but you can't, you can never know.

You can never actually fully believe in it again. And, um. Yeah, I don't go quite as far back with Bob as some of you, but what is time anyway? Um, a year ago today was the first time I came to see you, Bob. And it's been an amazing year, I must say, with so many things. But, you know, life always takes you where you need to go in the moment. And, um, just want to say I'm very grateful for the opportunity to have spent some time with you. And, um, and the people here as well. Um, everyone contributes all around as best they can, and it's wonderful.

Um, and the simplicity of, of your words cuts straight to, you know, the pointers and everything. And it's really helped me enormously. Words can't express it. And, um, but yeah, it's with great gratitude that I'm here. And, um, thank you so much. I really appreciate your presence. Thank you. Hey. Yeah, so, um, for this pattern, coming from a, coming from a Hindu background and having an uncle who's a sadhu, a monk, this, I was very drawn to this stuff from a young, early age. And I always knew that, you know, I had to find a guru, you know, a mentor. But I never thought my mentor would end up becoming an old white man in Melbourne.

That's just freaking blew me away. Yeah, and a sailor. And an ex-drunk. And an ex-drunk. And a sharer. And a fighter. But, um. You want to say something? Huh? Well, I've got to say, um, Bob is a real deal. He's a real deal. is the real deal and I won't go on too long but talking of Hinduism a Sanskrit sloka that Bob often quotes is such it than under Nama Rupa and such it than under means being awareness bliss and your beingness is evident is self evident the knowing and that's such shit is knowing and the knowing is the knowing that you are everybody knows that they are you don't believe that you are you know that you are and in that knowing that you are in the recognition of that innate knowing there is bliss Ananda which is the loving to be being knowing bliss Tazi was talking about this earlier of just going back and recognizing that knowing because that knowing is the non-conceptual that's a non-conceptual awareness that innate knowing and in that knowing there is a natural what Bob calls uncaused joy that arises in that knowing because that knowing is non-conceptual and he says it in so many ways what's wrong with right now if you don't think about it that points at the same thing but you're not thinking about it there is an innate recognition of that of their knowingness non-conceptual awareness so just keep coming back to that keep recognizing that over and over again whenever the story arises whenever the concepts arise just keep coming back to the recognition of that and knowing and knowing that you are anyone we have another basis those wishes coming through, through the online community, but we want our speakers.

I still never enjoy public speaking, but I have to say thanks, Bob. The first couple of years I was coming here, I didn't know what the hell you were talking about. It was just completely going over my head, and I was asking about what about my plans and my goals and my achievements and all the other struggles I was having. And the people I was done with, they sort of dropped off a bit, but I just sort of, I kept coming. There was something really deep inside that just, it just heard something or it just, there was a resonance or, because I was living in a society, I've done a lot of work, a lot of therapy, I thought there's got to be, it can't, this can't be it.

This can't be the end of the, there's got to be something else. This is not, surely, you know, this is not how life is to be, supposed to be experienced. So um, yeah, I just wanted to thank you for just shining the light and this hasn't been, this has been a rocky road and there's lots of been lots of hell and pitfalls and, but every time I'm going through a struggle, I, I reach out to Kat and Bob and they, they basically say come around later today or come around tonight for dinner and a sitting and with Bob and, and it's helped transcend and shift through a lot of old traumas and shifts and shit.

Um, you know, and um, the light continues to get stronger and stronger and, um, I just wanted to help change, uh, thank you for changing the trajectory of my life, um, and changing how it's going to be experienced from here. Um, not there's any experience there and I want to get caught in fucking, I've got to be perfect non-dual speaking. You know what I mean? Like it doesn't matter. It really doesn't matter. It's all part of the same show. Whatever's appearing is appearing. Yeah. Um, it's just words, but the heart is what feels it. Um, and the heart is where this is opened up through this process and, um, yeah, just the light, um, that you've emanate.

Um, it's just continued to break through and break through and the lights got stronger and stronger. And I just want to thank you for your amazing service to humanity. Um, because this footprint is just permeated and going out. And now from here, your service to humanity is unbelievable and I hope to do something, you know, anything close to that. Not, you know, it's inspiring. So yeah, thank you. Beautiful. Linda. I grew up in Melbourne and, um, 30 years ago I ran, I ran away. I couldn't get out of here fast enough because I had a life of suffering, losing all my family and so on.

And I initially, I went to Asia and I ended up in India. I was soul searching. I was so deep for it. I was so hungry for it because I, nothing could satisfy this, you know, the, the normal life of, of family and children. And it wasn't for this one. I, I just had to know the truth. And I ended up at the foothills of Arunachala and Ramana. He came to me in a vision and, and gave me a translator through Mooji. Um, it, it became very clear to me. And even I bought land in, in Arunachala. It was wild. And, you know, I've been there for 17, 18 years now and India booted me out after lockdown.

And, and ironically I came back here again, which is, you know, cause I'd had, I'd done this place. I was over it. But I also, um, coming back here, you know, there was nothing here, all of that fear and all of that angst. And so on from my childhood was gone. The clearing, it was beautiful and the harmony and the, the, the best thing, Bob was the landing place that I found in you and in these people, you know, because this is one, this is everywhere. And, um, in India, I, I dug so deep that I took on the rituals. I, you know, I, I became a sadhu really.

I was living with sadhus. They were living at my place and I was feeding them and so on. But I was just so hungry for it. I just, to drop this, this story, this form, this agony, you know. I just had to know had to know. And, and in that peeling, you know, it was, it was simple. It was beautiful. And, and the best thing about coming back here and doing this complete circle is, is there's no rituals here. There's no story to this. You know, it's, it's really cleared everything, everything is gone. Mm-hmm . Uh-huh. now leave again thank god back to Aaron Archler in two weeks so I'm happy to leave and and you know I I you know nothing's changed it's beautiful but I see um it it just to come back here and not to see all of this this dogma that that is in India and to see the truth in such a clear way it it just lightens the load even more you know and and and I love ritual and I will still continue to do that because I'm back to it hard so um I still play the game in my way and that's fine but you know there's no story to it and I'm so so grateful for this thank you thank you so much thank you and we'll miss you when you go and stay in touch and thank you for the beautiful flowers see we got a beautiful fresh flowers fragrant and gorgeous and we wear it wear them as a representation of everyone because there's no separation right and everyone deserves the garland but yeah I just wanted to say what came up for me was um the truth eats away the lie and no one has to do anything it just the truth just eats away the lie and you become more it's apparent that you know, there's an attraction to the truth rather than an attraction to the life.

And you don't have to do anything. It just eats it away. There's been a lot of talk about Bob. Yeah. And there's no such thing. It needs to be recognised. That life essence expresses through each and every one of us. We take on the label, take on the words. It's just like that microphone. It can be very beautiful or it can be a simple old wooden stick or whatever it is, you know. But the message that comes through, if it's real, that's the one to latch onto. That takes you. There's no taking you or anybody else to what you already are because there is only that.

Only that. And we tend to because the world around us is all based on the idea there's separation and individuality. It's very hard for us in the first place to come and look at this. We look at it and that easily is sucked back in to the old way of thinking. But when it stabilises in you, when you see it and recognise it, instead of it sucking you back in, you'll suck them out of it because people will see the change in you. They can't help but see it. And then they'll come and ask you, what is it you've got that I want? And you'll be able to express it.

And that's how it grows and that's how it needs to grow. We have another couple of birthday wishes from Sol, Anne-Marie, Michelle, Catherine. James says it was a really great and fitting tribute from Ram. Everything is you Everything is me makes no difference Can you see Sailor Bob, I'm not a man of much speaking. I just want to share my deepest, from deepest levels of my heart, best, intense, happiest of birthdays from my parents as well as our common friend Cole. Thank you, thank you, thank you thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you. There's a song called I Don't Want to Spoil the Party So I'll Go.

And everyone's on a high now emotionally. Can you sing it? Many years ago, I used to do the door, let people in. And somebody came in all dressed up in Indian clothes and everything. They went to kiss Bob's feet. And he said, no, you can kiss my ass. The doubters in the room, humour is good medicine. Absolutely. There is nothing like having a preference. We have another few minutes, anyone? Anyone, anything? Mine will just be short and sweet. It came to me this morning, I was in the shower, and I was feeling a really deep sense of appreciation. And it was, it sort of came about through thinking of yesterday and the party and the people and just what a fantastic time we had.

And it was just that beautiful sense of unification and oneness. And, and, yeah. And joy and fun. And, and the, the idea of appreciation or the, just came to me that appreciation appreciates and appreciates and appreciates and appreciates. And, and the more appreciation takes over, the more that that's not appreciation falls away, it drops away. And I just wanted, yeah, I just felt drawn to share that because it's, it's beautiful. Appreciation is beautiful. And it, it can be appreciation for what we perceive or our experiences, or it can just be appreciation for the, for no particular reason at all. That we just, we're just in that.

We are, we are that. We are that appreciation. And it just keeps expanding and expanding. Thank you. And I would like to also express appreciation for everyone like Ariel or Gilbert, Ron, Tazi, who came from interstate. And it isn't a small thing to actually make a trip, to get the accommodation, just to be here, just to be here for Bob, just to show up and, and express appreciation. So deeply appreciate it as much as we actually appreciate it. Thank you. We actually appreciate everyone who's here. And this is just the one reflected in everyone. And also very thankful for a beautiful gift. You know, Bob got a bag of really high quality chokies and socks and porcelain and beautiful cards and decorations.

And that is just so, so sweet. And I know how difficult it is to get him a gift. So thank you for all the efforts. And I think he's mine. Just for, I guess the Yanks that are online, there will be a meeting tomorrow. It will be a little shortened. But you can find out more about that on Bob's website. Thank you for, I'm thankful to life. It has nothing to do with you. Or me. I'm just thankful. And we are thankful for you. Julia actually made even greater effort because she traveled internationally, moved into Australia from America. And she also organized that extra Zoom meeting from her countrymen on the other side of the world.

Because the meetings that we, regular Zoom meetings that we have are for Aussies, Asians and Europeans. That's their time zone kind of daylight hours. So that extra mile she went to actually make Bob available for. For people in America is beautiful and admirable. There you go. A neutral note. You know there are thousands and millions of books, spiritual books out there. Millions. And some of them have gems, you know, real gems in them that touch us and seemingly transform our awareness. There's a book called Nine Pieces of Zen which was put together by Our dear friend. A local friend. And this is a section that when I read the book it really struck me.

So I think sharing it's probably appropriate at this time. This is Bob's favorite book. So it is, we don't really bring much literature but that one is exceptional. So this extract is from an ancient text called The Essential Gateway to Truth Through Sudden Awakening. And there is the following dialogue. So somebody asks a question. What method should one follow in order to attain liberation? And the answer comes, it can only be achieved through sudden recognition. The question says, what is sudden recognition? Sudden means the instant disillusion of your wrong conceptions. Recognition means realization that there is nothing to be achieved. There is nothing to be attained that isn't already here.

So in essence, it's, in its essence we could say that the sudden teaching involves simple recognition. And that's really what Bob, it's nothing special. It's ordinary awareness. Some call it this and that and da da da da. It's just ordinary awareness and who hasn't got it? But stop ignoring it. Stop feeding the me, the miserable bloody me that is a fiction. Good night. Beautiful. Any last words for today? Thank you. Thank you Bob. Thank you everyone. Okay, you just wrap it up? Yeah, I'll keep going.