It must be in Space! Sailor Bob and nonduality group. 29 Sept 2024

Jane, Tristan, Sheila, Michael, Jordan, Nick, Jeff, Tris, Mike, Sandra, David, Ross, Brandon, I agree. Lopi. Dane. Mitra. And Bob. Thank you, Bob. And please, we have a panel here. Good morning, this is Hayman. Hayman. Okay. All right? Yes, ma'am. Hi, everyone. How are you doing? Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. Good. I know what it's all about. The only game in town. They call it nonduality. Advaita in Hinduism. Nonduality means one without a second, not two. And they translate Advaita as Sat, Shita, Nanda, Nama, Rupa. So that is existence. Shit is consciousness and Ander is loving to be or bliss of being.

Nama, Rupa, name and form. Name and form is Maya, illusion. That's body-mind. That's what we point to, the one without a second, not two. And anybody who is not existing right now, no, you will know you're existing, Lange Veda It's the belief of this separate entity, this person, that's got to send all this problem. For it's only me that can be unhappy. Only me can be fearful, jealous, envious, depressed. Me is the cause of all the psychological suffering. And they are the effects of the cause. Cause and effect. That's what they call so-called karma, cause and effect. What happens if you look into it and see the cause me is a fiction and ask yourself the simple question can there be an effect without a cause?

Well can there? If you're not related to a cause there can't be an effect. Again pointing out that that is all there is. And that's the great mantra, I am that. And we all know that Now we don't take any notice of it because that's the chair sitting on. That's the carpet on the floor. That's the space in the room. That's the room. That's the space. Everything is that. What have we done? We put up names and labels and label it with the name and separate it with the with the word. And the word is not the thing. They tell you that in the Bible.

In the beginning was the word. The Word was with God, the Word was God. That's all that God is, is a Word. All things were made by Him, by the Word. And isn't that right? All these things around you, we've got Words for everything. And there was nothing that was made, that was made without the Word. So we've taken the belief in this Word and believed in it, and so it's the cause of all our problems. So that's another thing they say that the false cannot stand up to investigation. So this needs to be recognized and believed. We believe we are this body, mine. But is that a fact?

So you say my body. Don't you say my house, my car, my coat. Are you the house? You're not. Are you the car? You're not. Are you the coat? You're not. Maybe you're not the body either when you come to look into it. When you do look into it, what's the body made up of? You'll see it's made up of elements, air, earth, fire, water, space. Just like the elements around you. Well, separate yourself from those elements if you can. Stop reading. See how long you last. Stop drinking water. Stop trying to warm yourself with the word fire or cook with it. And what's this word I or me when you come in?

You realize there's a conceptual image of self-acquirement, we learn words. And you realize you're not the word. The word water is not the word, you can't drink it. The word fire is not the fire. So we've got this word, we've taken on the belief, and what is it? It's the sense of presence. We've got the sense of presence of beingness And we've learnt words from our parents. How many words were you born with? You weren't born with any words at all. And you didn't pick up any words till you were about two, two and a half. Might have been a bit earlier, or might have been a bit later, but we've learnt every word you've ever spoken has been learnt.

And the word is not the real. So even today if somebody asks you who you are you say I am Bill or I am a Jane or Jack whatever your name might be Instead of realizing going into it and seeing what you truly are that you are the reality If it's one without a second, it means it's absolute, with a great perfection. And if you are the absolute and know that, who can ever be superior to you? Can't be, because it's all absolute. It is of the utmost importance that you learn to be a person. And the idea of being a person means that you are not a person until you are about two and you learn your name.

The term person is not an absolute term, it is the term that is used to describe a person. The person comes from ancient Latin. I think it was a persona, the mask. We're really pointing out what it is a conceptual image we have about ourselves. Instead of seeing it as one reality that pattern, shapes, and forms, and experiences as everything. And the patterns, shapes, and forms, that's all they are, is a vibrating pattern of energy. This body, mind you believe yourself to be, All the things that we take to be is nothing but a vibrating pattern of energy we take to be the real. Look at this thing called mind.

If you believe you are the mind, show me your mind. You look at this, there's no such thing as mind unless you think about it because mind is just a word, a concept. Shakespeare told us that a couple of thousand years ago when he said there's nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so. Without a concept, what's wrong with right now if you don't think about it? Can you say it's good, bad, pleasant, painful, or anything all it's all about without a thought? But without the thought, have you disappeared? You haven't, you're still there, breathing, heart beating, hair and fingernails growing, food being digested, the life is still there.

But no concept, without the concept there's no person. We call ourselves human beings. If you believe in God, you'll call God the Supreme Being. What if you take that word Supreme off and take the word Human off and try and tell me you're not being? You realize you cannot negate your beingness. And beingness is not becoming. So that's what the idea of time is, I guess the concept also. Is there a past if you don't think about it? And if you have a look at it you'll see there's no past and when you think about it, the past is gone. Is there a future? Well there's no future.

Future is anticipation and imagination. You can't tell me what you're going to do in the next five minutes. You can anticipate and imagine. And you can't go back and live yesterday, but you can recall it. So it's all concepts, parts, body, mind, time, space, well where does that leave you? That leaves you as this presence-awareness. There's nobody who is not present right now and there's nobody who is unaware right now. That presence-awareness or pure being. And as I say, being is not becoming. And as I say, you couldn't say who or what you were when you were born, not for the first So, this is a very interesting discussion.

I think we need to think about the relationship between the two of us. I think that the relationship between us is very important. We have to think about the relationship between us. I think that the relationship between us is very important, because we have to be able to make this kind of connection. Capacity of reasoning and developing minimi. Put labels on those words when he's hearing them like I or me and all those other things. And form a little sperm formed in that pattern and which came from your father. For the food he's eaten, the same thing in your mother, that animal life as in your mother, enabled in that pattern.

Another microscopic particle called an egg or an ovum to form. That ovum attaches itself to the wall of the uterus. And the sperm swam to the ovum, implying it's not just a blob of goo, it knew what to do. It swam to the ovum and penetrated the ovum. When those two came together, what happened? That cell doubled and redoubled. I Am Little Johnny Gautama das remembers You know as I said before it only me can be fearful or anxious or depressed So we go through life living as this conceptual image But not all of us are happy with that But these religions that tell you this, that or the other, and you need to become this, or pray to this, and worship this, or do something else.

Instead of really investigate, then see for yourself. The false cannot stand up to investigation. And when you investigate it, you'll know the truth, and the truth will set you free. There's scriptural sayings, know the truth, the truth will set you free. And the false cannot stand up to investigation. And belief is another one. We believe we are these persons, these human beings. Look up your dictionary definition of belief. It's an unquestioned acceptance of something in the absence of reason. Acceptance of an alleged fact without positive knowledge or proof. Now put your belief to that test, you'll find you're not what you believe yourself to be as this person.

But what are you? You can't negate your beingness, which we call life as another word. And Christ told you that when he says, I am the way, I am the truth, I am the life. People thought he was talking about himself. He wasn't talking about himself. You're talking about that sense of presence. It expresses through the mind as the thought I am. That same expression is expressing through your, my so-called mind as the thought I am. We all know I am. That's the great mantra. And now I am, everybody knows that because that's the chair sitting in, I am that. That's the chair sitting in, that's the carpet on the floor.

That's the space outside, that's the tree, that's the flower, that's the planet, stars, Everything is already that. Which we put labels on it and discriminate it with the word. And the word is not the real. So we've got this discriminating belief that we are this separate entity. And it's only me that can be unhappy. Me is the cause of it. How does that work? Well something comes up and you like it. This is good. And we don't want the things we like to go. We want to be like all the time. We want to be happy all the time. But it's constantly vibrating. It's constantly transient.

It's constantly changing. That body's changing right now. You mightn't believe it, but there are thousands of cells dying right at this moment and being replaced. What are you doing about that if you think you're running the show? So something comes up and we don't, we want to keep it there because we like it, not realizing that everything is transient. It's all going to change. You haven't got the same body you walked into this room with 20 minutes ago, half an hour ago. It's changing right now. There are thousands of cells dying in it and being replaced. We don't want it to go, not realizing that it's going to change anyway.

So what do we do? We resist it. And don't you realise that resistance is conflict? If you're resisting anything, you're in conflict with it. And conflict makes you unhappy, uneasy, depressed or guilty. Well that's uneasiness, there's another word for that, it's disease. So there's resistance, conflict and disease going on. The other way around, something comes up that I don't like. Oh, I shouldn't be thinking this way, I'm a bad person, I've got to get rid of this one. What do we do? We try to force it out, so we resist it. Whichever way it goes, we're resisting on both sides. So no wonder we're in this constant unhappiness and misery.

Why are you unhappy? That's why we I Am the One The definition of phenomena is that which appears to be. So you and I and everything else in this manifestation is appearance. And what's it all appear in? Well, they call it the basic space of phenomena. The base of everything is space. Now see if you can find the beginning to space. You realize there's no beginning to space whatsoever. I am not sure if I can say it's a billion light years away or something like that, but what would that be in? That would have to be in something. It would have to be in space.

So space is the absolute, it's the reality. And everything is a vibrating pattern or the content of space. And space is no thing. It hasn't got any shape, any form, any beginning, any end, any circumference, any centre. It is no thing. Can something come from no thing? Not nothing. When they say nothing, I am nothing, well they stuffed it up already because nothing means vacuum, void, zero. But no thing is different No thing means it got no pattern no shape no form It seemingly is you can say it is not but you can say what it is either And Nisargadatta tells you nothing can trouble you except in your own imagination We'll break that word imagination down to image in, imagine.

And realize we're creating mental images and conceptual images all the time. You look in a mirror, what do you see? Tathagata Tathagata is the In the same way, we can postulate or think of outside of space, what it is, what space, body, mind and all these things are pattern-shape and form, and that space-like intelligence energy, I call it intelligence energy. Intelligence is knowing. Is there anybody who is not knowing right now? No, you'll say, of course I'm knowing. And the knowing, the I-N-G, is something that's an activity or a movement. Any activity is a movement of energy. So that's where the term intelligence energy comes from.

The activity of knowing. Being, knowing, seeing, hearing, thinking, it's all an activity. Thinking, tasting, touching, smelling. So see how the function is going. What's your next thought going to be? Nobody can tell me what your next thought's going to be, but the thought will come up. And what do we do? We claim it as, I think this thought. As soon as you say, I think, what have you done? You've formed a subject, I Am the thinker. I have become the thinker. And the thought has become the object. What have we done? We've divided the spontaneous functioning into subject-object, heuristic thinking. That's gone on from there because we've never questioned it, never realised it.

We've never looked any further when you were told you're a little Johnny from that. But down through the ages there have been a few who have looked through it, looked into it, seen through it and pointed to the reality. And that's what the great traditions form I Dhevum, I Am, I Am Aum, I Am Anugbha, I Am Maha, I Am Taha, I Am Aum, I Am Maha. And you'll see that that is true. Everything is already that. Intelligence, energy. Thought comes up, and I like it. Not realizing it's transient, we want to keep it there. But being transient is going to change. And when it changes, this believed in I takes delivery of it and becomes fearful.

And these only when this is recognized for what it is The one reality is patterning, shaping, forming and appearing and expressing as everything. That's when the joyousness there, the sense of well-being, thoughts are not getting locked into the conflict of good and bad, pleasant, painful. And they're two ends of the one stick. They're not divided at all. The trouble is we divide them. But have a look at this manifestation. Could there be good without bad? Could there be bad without good? Could there be day without night? Or silence without sound? Movement without stillness? You without me? Without this dualistic patterning, shaping and forming, there couldn't be any of those things.

So it's all a conceptual imaging which are dividing the indivisible. And that division is dualism. And that's where the problem lies. It's only me, me unhappy or fearful, or anxious. I've said all this before, I think. So, going over it again. So, me is the cause of all my problems. When I recognise that this me is a fiction, what must be there? Well, there can only be a sense of well-being. Being well. Nothing wrong anymore. And that's what they call it, the bliss or the love of being. Everybody loves to be. But that dualistic patterning doesn't happen, as I say. Could there be day without night?

Well, look outside now. From this point of view, the Earth's rolling around the Sun. This side, the Earth's facing the Sun at the moment, and it's light. I Am the One, I Am the One. The You go down to the ocean, if I said to you, get me a bucket of blue water out of the sea, what would you say? You'd say, don't be an idiot, because you know the water's not blue. And it's never blue, never was blue, and never will be blue, but we believe it to be blue. The same with a clear sky. No clouds in the sky, it's blue. The sky is space.

This is space. Where's the blueness? Many metaphors they use to point out the conceptual images we take to be real and not real at all and miss out on the reality of seeing the conceptual. And from that to whatever the me causes all our problems. When it's two ends of the one stick, good and bad are not separate, pleasant, painful, happy, sad, loving, hating. They're not separate at all. And when the thing comes up again you say, I think. Now investigate that. Can the thought I think actually think? And you investigate, you see the thought can't think. Can the thought I see, see? The thought I see can't see.

The thought I hear, hear. It can't hear. The thought I'm aware of. Is that your awareness? It's none of these things. It's just description or words or labels we put on these things to take their reality. But there is seeing, hearing, tasting, touching, smelling, feeling, thinking. All those things that spontaneously vibrating and happening. And the words we put on the discriminator have been picked up too and happening with that. But it's all the spontaneous natural effortlessly functioning. And it's all as I tell you in Buddhism, it's the great perfection. And they give you in one sentence there, the great perfection is non-conceptual awareness. There's nobody who is unaware right now.

And they call it space-like awareness. They all point to it, it's all there, quite open and accurate, but it's unnoticed or ignored. That's why they call it ignorance in the scriptures. Not that we're dull or stupid, we don't know, it means we just, it's there in front of our very eyes, but we're missing out on it. What's the very first thing I Am. There's a cause of all the psychological suffering and they are the effects, so-called karma, me, cause and effect. Take away the cause and effect, what are you left with? Just what is. And what is is not what was, it's not what will be.

It is this actuality because time again, as I've said before, is a mental concept. That's what we point to, the absolute, that everything is that, and quite a few in here already know that, have looked into it and investigated, and been unhappy the way things were and looked deeper and seen it for themselves. Now that's where we ask you to share, let's know if you've got anything to say, don't hesitate because it might be said in a way someone else who doesn't recognize it fully might hear it and resonate with them and help them to understand it. And others that just knew might, you know, need to recognise it and knows they've got any doubts or have any questions, don't hesitate to ask them.

But keep it going, keep it active, keep it alive, because that's the only way it's been passed down through the ages. Nisargad tathgati, Gyanmati, Tathagati, Ayan, Ayan, Ayan. In the past, there were very few that really knew it. That's why these big spiritual religions and that formed around them. They said of those that understood it and grasped it as saints, sages, saviours and seers, and worshipped the messenger and missed out on the message. The message is not worth a pinch of shit. It's the message itself that is the reality. And you are already that because that is all there is. So Kaap Nui Rai Ye, you can host it now and call on you to do it.

The kids not going to help you Thank you for your attention James who says, so grateful to Bob for the community pointing out that we are love to you all. Sat Chit Ananda. Anyone would like to start and maybe highlight something? I just, what's been coming up is how it was before I met Bob and how it was was I spent my entire life believing I was separate as Bob has pointed out and was often in conflict not only with myself but with others. I had been searching since I took a recovery from a 12-step program for a concept of God that worked for me.

And so I was doing meditation. I'd been sort of deprogrammed, if you like, by another teacher and his followers and was given four techniques of meditation. I am a member of the Nisargad I was trying to raise two kids and I was doing this meditation and trying to work and study and God knows what. Around that time I met Bob. I'd met him actually before that, speaking at meetings, and I wanted what he had. There was something in him that I wanted, you know. Around that time other people started talking to him and I started going to these talks. He was doing very small little talks above the health food shop and he gave me a copy of I Am That which I read.

He said read it and then just read it again. I knew that I had gone beyond the need for further help. I knew that what he was transmitting to me was the truth. But that didn't mean that for a long time the mind or the memory came in to take ownership of things. There was still lots of conflict in my life. I had a hard road, but I knew deep down that this was it. I stopped sitting down. I used to hear my kids screaming up and down the hallway, you know, play fighting. And I just had this profound realization that I just am and that, you know, I'm the action figure and action needs to be taken in the moment spontaneously without any story.

I Am the One I am very grateful to Bob for pointing that out. Something vibrant and strong. Yes, there are better days and there are worse days and today was beautiful. So if anyone would like to highlight whatever you heard from Bob speaking, maybe a sentence stood out or maybe a description, a particular metaphor, or maybe there is anything at all that kind of rang true in your heart that is worthy of highlighting because as Bob said before, And for sometimes hearing it from someone else who just realizes it might be more of the wavelength of the group than someone with 48 years of clarity.

So if there is anything that anyone would like to highlight or clarify or bring forth, particularly from the Spiel, we don't necessarily focus on what other people say or other books say. It just really about this moment what actually stands out and resonates now I think today in the spiel, Bob, when you were talking about kind of no past, no future, I'm a And I think I find myself sometimes like, oh, you know, the last two weeks I wasn't, wasn't present enough or things like that. And like, I need a plan to be more present. And, and it's funny because that is practicing the exact opposite.

And all there is, is right now seeing that, you know, that's, that's just a thought about the past. That's just a thought about the future. The only thing you ever have to do is right now, like the practice is right this moment. And it's actually such a relief every time I come back and see that truth because there's this inevitable tension when you start building up a plan to achieve some imaginary state. And it's like, oh no, now I have to make sure I achieve that plan. And this tension is the opposite. I Am That, Ramana Maharshi, I Nchagiri, Dzogchen, Veda, Veda, Veda, presence-awareness, Mahavakya.

That's just a thought. So, yeah, that was what I was coming up today. Thanks, Lin. You're very lucky. That's beautiful. And that's really the essence. You see how we set ourselves for failure by planning for future achievement and missing out on this moment right now. You call it practice of recognizing now, and I know it's a common sort of a theme. Bob calls it recognition because you can't practice the now but if the now kind of makes itself clear, ah, that's the recognition, spontaneous recognition. It's just seeing or being and seeing the attempt to create a practice is it, just like every time. That's what the Buddha calls cognizing emptiness.

We think we're cognizing emptiness. It's the emptiness that's doing the cognising. He made the statement then that emptiness is form, and the form can be nothing other than the emptiness. And when it's all empty forms appearing as real. Thanks. And also when you again look from the perspective of life, life doesn't mind. You know, the life, the space like awareness, the whole field of consciousness, it doesn't mind whether you are alert, fascist, counting every second whether you were right here or not. From the life's perspective, time of inattention is equally precious. That's the experiencing and expression. Even if the whole life right from the age of two to yesterday was inattention, life doesn't mind.

Or there is no such thing really, it's just attention being scattered or attention moving wherever it needs to be. It's just that thought arises and judges it and says, no, I shouldn't have watched Netflix or I shouldn't have done this, I should have done something else. But that's impossible. Life is unfolding as it does. It's impossible to... It's only an imagination that can tell you that you could have or should have or would have do something different. And just realizing that again like, ah, this moment is lucid. And the next hour may not be. Who cares? Life doesn't. It's just acknowledging those moments when the realization is present and just giving them a big warm smile.

And the rest are fine. It's like the wildlife, you know, they need to chase or be chased or do all the other things. And then when there is nothing else to do, they bask in the sun. Anyone? That's such a beautiful highlight because I have years and years of seeking behind. Like nine years ago I was on that path of seeking where I would self-sabotage by beating myself up every day that I'm not doing enough, that I'm not trying enough, I'm not trying hard enough, I'm not present enough, I'm not meditating enough. I don't deserve it. I don't deserve the freedom or enlightenment. Because I bad I not giving my best This is the most important thing in my life I am still not doing the best See how solid and reinforced the sense of I is in such narrative My goodness, the I is so solid, I mean of course it isn't, there is no such thing.

But the sense of feeling of I, I that doesn't do enough, I that doesn't put all heart into a practice, that is such a solid I. It isn't, but it feels like this, and the suffering is so immense. That suffering coming from self-inflicted pain, that I'm not enough, I'm not doing enough, I'm worthless, I don't deserve it, I'll never get it. Well that's true, the I will never get it, because I isn't real, it can't get it. And it's nothing to get either, it's just this moment now as it unfolds. The I has the story, the I is a story, and that story is part of a story, that there There is someone who can achieve something.

There isn't really anything. There's nothing going on. And it's never enough of highlighting it. Just seeing how that narrative is betraying this moment, this aliveness, this radiant moment of being present. And go exchanging it for the story of past or future, a story of me. And just realizing that, it can either cause extreme suffering if the I is still involved, or it can just be a cosmic joke, it can make you laugh. Whoops, it did it again. And it's funny because there's no one doing it. It's just a mechanical habit pattern. Everyone has that sort of a habit pattern. There's no guilt, there's no shame, there's no one who is doing anything wrong at all.

It's just a narrative, it's as mechanical as digestion. So why take it personally? Yeah, just adding to that truth about there is no person. It just reminds me, I was sitting with a friend some time ago I am very interested in this path as well, but has trouble not thinking and being burdened by thinking and so on. and she kind of said well look even when I see a leaf over there I start worrying about well what are leaves about how do they relate to everything and the whole thought process you know starts again and and I kind of just said well yeah but there's nobody actually worrying it's just worry taking place as There's nobody actually worrying.

It's just worry happening sort of thing. And I think that's such a kind of relief. But you tend to keep forgetting that because language operates on subject-object. Like it's just a subject-object system. Right, and so even when you're thinking, we tend to think in language, so it's very, it's very, it's very, it gets in there again, you know, very subtly. That's beautiful, absolutely, there's just a worrying happening. I love when Bob brings up the whole nonduality collapsing the language into the ing, into the process, ing. Seeing is happening and the language, the dualistic translator, the machine translating singularity into duality straight away says, no, seeing is not going on, it's the I and the seeing, the two things.

But if not for the seeing, those two, the subject-object, couldn't have existed. And same with the worrying is happening and then there is an I and there is an object of worry. You can feel the difference so distinctly when you come to the awareness again. You can feel the difference so distinctly. Absolutely. And it's beautiful how you actually pointed it out to her, because then you can translate it to anything that doesn't inherently contain the I. Like digesting is happening. But you don't say, I digest the breakfast. No, it's digesting happening, or the circulation of the blood is happening. But that language doesn't actually give credit to anyone that circulates the blood.

And the same happens with the narrative. The same ink translates to every activity, and then the I is completely redundant, and life just goes on. Forgotten is happening, ruminating is happening, planning is happening. It's just a part of the happening. Yes. Catherine says, thank you so much Jane, beautiful heartfelt sharing. And Primali says, wow Kat. And John David says, while most practices revolve around the mind to see that we are not the body, wipes out the mind, we see all thoughts are connected to the body. This has been coming up more often in my experience lately. Yeah, you can notice that, how the thoughts are usually related to the whole body-mind system, personalizing things.

And Julia says, while there appears to be a preference for the expression intelligence energy, That expression is synonymous with the expression truth, God, and or I am, prior to the words I am. I am that I am. There is only that I am. I used to pray to God while not recognizing that what apparently happened was imagination, thought, talking to thoughts. The way I see it now is if I ever feel separate or I'm wanting to connect with the actual God or any other idea, the way is simply to relax, rest and know the truth that I am rather than believe it. Belief requires a thought.

Truth is beyond thoughts. That's beautiful. Thank you, Julia. And Catherine says, James says, the seeds of ultimate truth are being planted all the time by Bob and Kat. Stay with them and they will definitely sprout. Let them unfold. That's beautiful too. Yeah, that's why I always invite to look for what resonates because if there is something that doesn't, along the way it may. It is funny how the nonduality is really a description. It's like when Bob is giving a spiel, moment to moment he is describing his direct experience. And whatever is the consequence and showing it in many, many different ways. Sometimes some things may not resonate or may feel heavy, but the level of relaxation as it deepens, as it sinks in, You kind of realize, aha, this is what he meant.

Initially it kind of doesn't sit well. But if you actually really bring up and highlight and stay with what does ring the bell, all the rest will ultimately just make itself clear. Anything anyone would like to highlight or ask or dispute? Everything can be disputed and that's fun too. It is fun not to get attached to any ideas. Thank you for the pointers and insights brought forth in words Bob. The most powerful pointer for me is what's wrong with right now if you don't think about it. I am a member of the Nisargad community. I Am the One Who Is. They still carry forth patterns and habits and things like that.

But that's the point where a messenger might have dealt with a lot of these habits and patterns. They're worth listening to and worth more than a piece of shit. Thank you. Yeah, that's beautiful. That's beautiful. The idea of Christianity was to pretend that you are Jesus, pretend that you are a saint. That's not what he meant. The thing is, yes, Nisargadatta was smoking cigarettes. I wonder how many people took up smoking because he did. That's not what he was pointing at. And that's why I love when, although he is the most precious thing in the whole dream for me. He is the ultimate manifestation of life for me.

He's just speechless. But you're right, it's just a mouthpiece. It's the message that counts. I was doing a lot of smoking and drinking but recognizing the most habits and patterns, they just dropped away. Not to say that I won't have the occasional social, but that just it not a habit or a am a human being I am a human being And Bob has that sort of a trait in the makeup of the dream character to actually just look after the body, just look after it. But if someone doesn't like Nisargadatta didn't, there is no superiority or inferiority because again from life's perspective, life has it all.

Every single junkie and every single millionaire and every single beggar is an expression of life. And every flower and fish and bird is an expression of life. And neither is better or superior. But for those that haven't quite got the pointers yet, if there's a message being delivered, the message just seems to, you know, if someone is taking care of their body, The end. It doesn't matter, see if you again look at life. There is more attraction to an athlete, a football player or an actor who is pretending to be other people than to guru who is healthy or unhealthy. The way the life is expressing and finding that attraction, the way the attention moves is unrelated.

Again, life from the life's perspective, it realizes it all. Attraction to an actor or musician, an attraction to a spiritual teaching, an attraction to self-improvement, and it all works itself out. And again, neither one is better than the other. Attraction to a particular diet or particular way of spending time. And for you, it may be, you know, the resonation may be kind of stronger and it may be just the same sort of a closer wavelength to someone who lived by example. But believe me, I know people who actually are more attracted to charismatic hypocrites than to someone who is genuine but is not self-marketing. Thank you.

And... Oh yeah, that's it. Keep it a go, dude. Come on! Yeah, well there's nothing really to it. I can't say anything because like... What could you say? I might just leave it because I've got a sore throat. I don't need a sore throat. What resonated with me today is like the instantaneous what's happening, like that you're just seeing, hearing, I Aam That, Raman, I Aam That, Raman. And really, if there was no people, I think insects and stuff are just the same, really. Like animals, but we think we're bigger and better sometimes. Yeah, that's all. That's beautiful. I love when you say the idea of talking and now there is a Bob talking.

The idea of just sphere of hearing and now the mind comes and says oh this is Bob oh this is Jane oh this is that oh this is that But without those labels or even inclusive of those labels it just the whole field of hearing Subtitles by the Amara community Just hold space for it and let it do whatever it does, even if it habitually tells you that you're not good enough. What an incredible idea! How could you not be good enough? That's stupid. Hello, yeah, how stupid is that? You are that Source, Life Essence, vibrating into infinite amount of shapes and patterns and forms.

And even that one pattern called Brendan is still the same absolute. Couldn't be anything but perfect. It's not separated. It's laughable sometimes. It is, yeah. How lovely to laugh at the idea of the narrative which used to hurt. What a freedom. And not needing to change it or, you know, like you have different... And they are absolutely wonderful and helpful, the ideas. They are also an expression of that life essence, of different therapies, or hypnotherapy, or CBT, or trauma-related therapy, which is kind of attempting to rewrite the narrative. How beautiful! But then you step back and you also see there is a freedom from any sort of narrative without a need to even touch it.

Again, not to undermine all those fantastic tools which are also an expression of life, absolutely beautiful and perfect as everything in life. Sometimes they're needed to slow down some stuff. Yeah, and other tools like music or running, jogging, whatever works. And then seeing that life unfolding in all those ways and just being that relaxed space for life, always, every moment, because it's nothing else you ever are. Even if you imagine to be something limited within that space, that imagination, that image is also contained in that field of knowing. Gilbert says, attraction is duality. There is no duality in nonduality. One without a second is totally free of attraction.

And being free of attraction, it can totally watch how the attention is moving from the chocolate ice cream to the peppermint ice cream. And how the attention can switch the attraction. But yes, as he says, the field is absolutely free. It's free from attachment to any of those movements. Kat mentioned the phrase that rang a bell here, charismatic... Hypocrites. Hypocrites. I was watching this little bit of entertainment, it's called the AFL Grand Final, And all of the players, when they did something which was spectacular, like take a great mark or kick a goal, they celebrated these moments with spectacular fashion. And it's an example most of the time of this charismatic expression.

Charismatic hypocrites if you like. And there was one thing that happened, one instant that happened that I've never seen before. And it was such a lovely expression. This player usually celebrates a goal and he kicks a lot of goals. Usually celebrates a goal with a impersonation of someone on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle, a Revingley motorcycle. This time the television camera had a medium distance shot and it showed thousands of people behind the goals. And this player turned around with his back to the camera, looked at the audience, I was very happy to meet you. Thank you very much It is beautiful and on that note we are also deeply deeply appreciative of having you guys around to just you know stain that warmth of that campfire investigation looking into the essence of things We don't really do it by ourselves.

When we sit together we usually don't discuss nonduality. It's nothing to discuss. And it is really, it is sweet to just look into that source of the light. So, thank you. I must be having a talkative talkative day but just on the the the grand final and sport and gestures that I'll just admit I'm less of an AFL person more of a Champions League person but soccer but a lot of the a lot of the players if soccer like when they do something pretty amazing they will I'm a little bit of a fan of the And often when they score an amazing goal or something, they will make some sort of gesture upwards.

I mean, I know it can be an empty ritual, but it kind of often looks genuine, which is quite nice, especially in contrast with a lot of the egotistical stuff that goes on. I was just going to say, on the subject of bits of language that resonate, it's amazing to me how you can hear the same thing over and over and still not get it, and then finally get it. But also how a tiny little tweak of language can just do something. I think as you were saying Bob, it's almost like there are two processes going on. One is the sort of netty-netty process where, okay, I can't be that, I'm not that.

But then, okay, so what am I? And the intelligence energy, the presence. Now, for me, the phrase I am that was perplexing. Somehow I couldn't quite focus. But when I turned it into I am this, this is where I'm looking, what's happening here. And for me, I mean, it's just an anecdote, but it might not work for other people. But for me, that just allowed me to somehow get some kind of a direct glimpse of presence, I think. Oh, gosh, okay, all right. And you know that sense that it's something so simple, that's why it's overlooked. And just that little tweak of I am this rather than I am that just for me, just did something, you know, yeah.

Mention that. If everything is that, this is that too. Touche. Yeah, that's right, that's right. It's just a language thing, yeah. And Mahavakya, the great mantra in direct translation isn't I am that, but that I am. That the only knowing that there ever is, is the knowing that I am. That I am. Not what I am, but that I am. I am that is actually, because that has been translated, Bob beautifully put it down to the showing that that represents everything. So he kind of got out of the conundrum of what's that? But the truth is, the only thing that you ever know is that you are.

Not this you are, but that you are. You know that you are. Everybody knows that they are. There's no one who doesn't know that they are. Non-conceptual knowing. If you look at the newborn baby, you see the consciousness lead out their eyes. There is the awareness of presence even though there is no concept that they are. There is no conceptual knowing. A conceptual knowing isn't really a knowing. But a knowing that they are. I look at the cats, they obviously conscious, they know that they are. Although of course not in the same way that we translate it to the words. Like you know Bob sometimes says, you know, two plus two is four.

You know it without conceptualization or the, you know, the taste of water. Once you've tasted it, you know it without needing to describe it or have words for it. That knowing, but that we are is even more primary. I think for me the... So, you know, you can kind of eliminate, process elimination, the netty sort of, right? So, then what's left? And the way you mentioned, Bob, that, you know, it's absolute and perfection. These are extremely positive words. And so it's obviously not just an absence of everything else. It's not something but it's like wonderfulness and splendor and it's at the top of the range In terms of what language can say.

In terms of... And so I think that for me, once you get a little glimpse, then that kind of grows and develops and that all starts to make sense. Not just sense, but yeah. Do you want to say something? No? I want to say what Bob usually, I find it really incredibly beautiful when you were saying that it is not a nothing. That's precisely how Bob describes it because the only accurate description is to put it in negatives. If you put it in positives then of course the mental images will straight away appear. Okay, absolute, oh it will be brilliant, ecstatic, blissful, pleasurable, all that stuff it gets straight away associated.

But when Bob says it is not a thing, but it's not nothing, it's not nothing, it's not a vacuum, not a void. It is no thing, it can't be objectified as a thing. But at the same time, yes, it is the very prolific vibrational radiance That expresses the whole universe as the absolute and yet is still not a thing. Not nothing. And I think what happens is you become so much more attracted to that than the narration, you know, and that narration sort of loses its power. That's what happens here. And then I'll be just doing the little action figure thing around. And then a solution will come up, not from the mind, about something I need.

Like as I'm going about my daily thing and I've noticed I'm always saying thank you. Thank you. You know because it's like it puts everything in my place you know in front of me in my place and I haven't done anything you know and there's no story about it but it's just all these things come up and I just go wow thank you you know whereas there used to be this agonizing trying to figure everything out that does that doesn't happen here it's just you know something I am a person who is not aware of the reality of the world. I'm not used to this thing.

Feels weird. I used to come here many, many years ago and I was a very earnest seeker in those days. I'm a man of the word. We went to this one place and while we were there it occurred to me that there were no fossils there because the rocks actually predated life, yet I really felt connected. And maybe to the intelligence in the actual rocks and stones and just the landscape and the incredible impact it had on us I am a member of the National Association of the World Most Valued I work in construction. It's a very testosterone-driven industry and highly competitive and cutthroat. I got back to work and people would say, you know, how was your holiday?

I'd say it was really good. They'd say what was special about it? I'd say, well, the whole time we were away I was where I was. You can't wish for a better experience than that. But the bedrock of that experience is actually from coming here years and years ago. Like Jane, I bumped into Bob at a meeting many years ago and he came up to me after and said, I'm a very grateful person. Thanks Bob. A whole lot of stuff and drama and intensity and a whole lot of life happening. I was just feeling that today like it just doesn't matter that that happens and behind that there is this kind of loving-to-be and love and warmth towards that.

You know like you were saying it too Kat I think just about the, you know not getting down, you know going, I was like, oh god, you've done it again or whatever, but it's fine. It's just fine. I suppose in terms of the homage a bit today too, because it's been a little while since I've been up here and seen you Bob. I suppose just that constancy over the years too about that it is all okay. And the no judgement and the smiling and nodding at it all. It's great. I'm just very grateful for that Bob. I just want to state the obvious, but what, when Jane was speaking about these, this expression of everything being provided for you, I wonder what this little blue book behind where Bob's I Am Sittinging is called The Precious Treasury of the Basic Space of Phenomena.

And that's it, what Jane was talking about. This illusory creation is providing everything that we need in the moment. And it's this precious treasury that Longchenpa gave it that name, I think. Precious treasury, the basic space. Thank you, Ross. Beautiful. And thank you, Jane, for the sincerity and earnestness of your contribution. Thank you. Yeah, maybe I'll give you this one. Hello. Something that I always feel here and something that I felt a lot the last two years is that although you might not see it, you're held. And just when I come here, it's just like such a relief and there's just such a trust and a gratitude.

And when you were sharing Jane just like I was crying behind you So It really touched me Thank you I don't really know what I'm going to say, but it's very appreciative and grateful. I just like sitting here as the silence and as the stillness. And for me, that's just like everything. It just feels like everything's energy. And it's like a refuge from what's going on on the surface. Not that there's a split. And I like what you said just about life just unfolding on its own. And it's all just happening spontaneously on its own. And the more like everything's, everything's happening on its own, everything's just flowing, how it's going to flow.

And then the mind wants to get on top of it and grapple with it and sort of fight with it. And, you know, there's no one there, but that still appears at times. And it's always like, wrong as to what the outcome is, like, it's always different to what the mind I'm a bit of a And it's like a deep, it's like just jumping in the river and let it flow on with the river, but at times, you know, it wants to change the direction of the river, but it can't actually influence what's going on. And it's an appearance anyway that doesn't, has no power.

So it's really a big magic trick. And yeah, that's a lot, well, people are getting fooled by. But yeah, I just, sometimes I think I've got to have the right words for this, but I just Just like I say, just the space and the stillness and that just feels where that, like everything, all the resources are. And yet the appearances come out of it and give the impression that there's someone there and yeah. Anyway, that's all I got. Beautiful. Yeah, it is amazing how everything is included, even the behavior patterns, you know, sometimes you get up and you didn't sleep well at night and this, the narrative may be negative or it may be picky or maybe a little irritable and it may be just cursing under the nose.

But really that's all included. That's kind of funny as well. You know for a moment it might just go on and we sometimes catch ourselves in that sort of a predicament. You know Bob's having different pains at different times and it can be a little tiring. But it never lasts. The moment the complaint arises and it is noticed it becomes laughable. It's the best joke in the world to listen to the mind complaining because just like Adrian was saying, the mind is only narrating what is inevitably already happening by itself, of its own. And that narrative doesn't change anything apart from the fact that if it is believed it causes psychological suffering.

But that's only if it is believed. But if it isn't believed, it may still go on. And it is kind of hilarious, it's kind of funny. It's like there was that metaphor, I think Jamie brought it once, it's an old Zen metaphor about the mouse on the head of the elephant. And the mouse sitting on the head of the elephant, and the elephant runs through the forest. And the mouse representing the mind says, okay, run ahead, and the elephant runs ahead. And then the mouse says, okay, turn to the left now. And the elephant turns to the left. And the mouse, pop, pop, oh, I have a power over the elephant and over the forest.

He will tell whatever I, he will do whatever I say. And then the mouse says, elephant, stop now. But he keeps running. Turn to the right. But he keeps running. Shit! And that's actually the human condition. The mind having that persistent illusion that it is in charge and it controls the events. And if I will get offended, I will just swear under the nose and some god of a mercy will actually do things as I dictate. That's just laughable, isn't it? That's the mouse on the head of the elephant. Elephant is doing as it does. It doesn't even know the mouse is there. And realizing that, that this is the function of the narrative, to narrate, not to control, not to dictate, but just to translate the urges.

If the urge is to go forward, the body will go forward, whether the mind will narrate what is happening or whether it will try to somehow alter, modify and change it or correct it. Nisargad tsa, I Am That, realizing that everything has a function to assist life that loving to be, meaning provide the safety and the pleasure for the body whatever in the means available But it can really it doesn have any power of its own I am the one who is in charge who takes responsibility and controls myself and everyone else That's just laughable. It's funny when you see it. It's just a narrative, it's a pattern, the same way as you have the automatic subtitles.

Subtitles. We had couple of times people emailing us, why don't you put subtitles straight after Sunday meeting? Why do I have to wait three days? Well, we never put them, ever. I did spend few days putting it like five years ago in Polish language for my nation. But this is automatic captions. The program reads or listens to what people say and put automatic captions. They're not great. But for someone who doesn't speak English, they're better than nothing. That same way the narrative works. It takes apparently, Libet experiment proved it takes about half a second when the urge arises or decision arises or choice arises before it gets translated into the narrative.

And sometimes it gets mistranslated and sometimes the belief seeps in and says, oh, this is me, this is I, I can do better than that. But it really is much, much, much simpler. Everything works on autopilot and the consciousness is that field of knowing of that autopilot functioning. Autopilot heartbeat, autopilot breathing, autopilot narrating. Noises happening outside the house, noises happening, seemingly happening inside, even though outside-inside is only again separation by image, by thought. If I don't have mental image that this is my body and I'm inside and now that is outside, well everything happens here and here is limitless. It's only this thought and mental image that creates any illusion of separation.

And it's a beautiful illusion because the world full of objects, like, you know, full of plants and flowers and birds and people is gorgeous. It's just like in the dream. There are also flowers and mountains and people and animals and birds and music and conversations and food. And they appear I Am is the capacity for appreciation. That capacity for loving to be is the capacity for appreciation. Just something that came to mind, when the river of life turns against you and over, turns your boat, don't swim against the undertow, turn on your back and float, that's Paul Hogan. Just occurred to me. Thank you. Catherine says, as an aside Bob, did you think that Nisargadatta was a piece of shit?

That's a good point. Thank you, James. He was the same as that bloke who just asked the question. But you can't help but have love and gratitude whenever the thought of him arises, doesn't it? Even though he was just a mouthpiece. That's how we feel. Yeah. It's only the one essence of patterns, shapes, forms, experiences, everything, and you are that. That's right. I've got a fellow, this is a tale from the Arabian Nights, you've probably heard it a million times. This fellow. Sends his servant down to the marketplace to get some supplies and he's down there and he gets the supplies and he comes racing back.

The hunter says, quick, quick master, he says, quick, quick, lend me your fastest horse so I can flee tonight to Baghdad as though I was escaping. A And the Master's taking the stroll later on in the day and he comes face to face with the Dithi and says, hey Dev. He says, what's the idea of scaring my friend away? He's frightened the hell out of me. He said, well I didn't mean to frighten him. He said, I didn't mean to scare him. He says, I got such a surprise to see him here in Baghdad, I know that tonight I've got a point with him in Samaria.

He said, they gave him a nasty look. What happens is what happens. Inevitably. Even though it isn't really exactly predetermined the way people usually ask. It's spontaneous. But it's a good illustration. Beautiful. Thanks Bob. Thanks Kat. Thank you everyone.