The Nature of Consciousness: Essays on the Unity of Mind and Matter by Rupert Spira (PDF)

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“I’ve gained deeper understanding listening to Rupert Spira than I have from any other exponent of modern spirituality. Reality is sending us a message we desperately need to hear, and at this moment no messenger surpasses Spira and the transformative words in his essays.” —Deepak Chopra, author of You Are the Universe, Spiritual Solutions, and Super Brain Our world culture is founded on the assumption that the Big Bang gave rise to matter, which in time evolved into the world, into which the body was born, inside which a brain appeared, out of which consciousness at some late stage developed. As a result of this “matter model,” most of us believe that consciousness is a property of the body. We feel that it is “I,” this body, that knows or is aware of the world. We believe and feel that the knowing with which we are aware of our experience is located in and shares the limits and destiny of the body. This is the fundamental presumption of mind and matter that underpins almost all our thoughts and feelings and is expressed in our activities and relationships. The Nature of Consciousness suggests that the matter model has outlived its function and is now destroying the very values it once sought to promote.For many people, the debate as to the ultimate reality of the universe is an academic one, far removed from the concerns and demands of everyday life. After all, life happens independently of our models of it. However, The Nature of Consciousness will clearly show that the materialist paradigm is a philosophy of despair and, as such, the root cause of unhappiness in individuals. It is a philosophy of conflict and, as such, the root cause of hostilities between families, communities, and nations. Far from being abstract and philosophical, its implications touch each one of us directly and intimately.An exploration of the nature of consciousness has the power to reveal the peace and happiness that truly lie at the heart of experience. Our experience never ceases to change, but the knowing element in all experience—consciousness, or what we call “I”—itself never changes. The knowing with which all experience is known is always the same knowing. Being the common, unchanging element in all experience, consciousness does not share the qualities of any particular experience: it is not qualified, conditioned, or limited by experience. The knowing with which a feeling of loneliness or sorrow is known is the same knowing with which the thought of a friend, the sight of a sunset, or the taste of ice cream is known. Just as a screen is never disturbed by the action in a movie, so consciousness is never disturbed by experience; thus it is inherently peaceful. The peace that is inherent in us—indeed that is us—is not dependent on the situations or conditions we find ourselves in.In a series of essays that draw you, through your own direct experience, into an exploration of the nature of this knowing element that each of us calls “I,” The Nature of Consciousness posits that consciousness is the fundamental reality of the apparent duality of mind and matter. It shows that the overlooking or ignoring of this reality is the root cause of the existential unhappiness that pervades and motivates most people’s lives, as well as the wider conflicts that exist between communities and nations. Conversely, the book suggests that the recognition of the fundamental reality of consciousness is the first step in the quest for lasting happiness and the foundation for world peace.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Most reviewers seem to be familiar with Spira’s work. I am not. So, spoken as someone approaching this with a “beginner’s mind,” I’m quite impressed. He avoids New Age language, avoids jargon of all sorts, in fact, and avoids every -ism out there–he is thoroughly committed to (awareness of) consciousness. Nonetheless, his approach is open to science, religion, philosophy, citing various scientists, religious figures, and poets. But don’t get it twisted; these are products of the limited mind. His intent is to open the door to direct access to infinite consciousness, which is free and available to all. No need to pay a guru big bucks. That said, I wish he were more direct about the “direct method.” Laying out a few steps rather than circularly stating and re-stating the same things: everyone’s aware, but not everyone’s aware they’re aware, so relax and be aware. Still, it is perhaps the most honest approach to awareness I’ve ever read, and I’ll be checking out his other work.

⭐This new work by Rupert Spira fills a critical need in ourworld culture. Our culture is based on a time-worn paradigmof materialism, which of late has resulted in what seems asan elevated level of suffering. Rupert addresses our beliefswhich are dependent on materialism, or more specifically,on our assumption of separation, of the world of subject/objectduality located in the body. This old paradigm, stemmingfrom the Greeks, places our awareness, or consciousnessin a body which looks out upon a world of separated peopleand objects. Conflicts result. Within persons, between persons,and collectively among nations. How much time remainsfor a reversal of this increasingly painful well-seated assumption?A very necessary reversal, expressed with his unmatchedclarity, is the gift Rupert Spira gives to all of us.I have been a student for several years. What has beenimpressive to me is Rupert’s recognition of the limits of language,yet his scientific precision in carefully selecting and defininghis words. The powerful element of his teaching is its simplicity,and availability to all 7 billion of us. Asking ourselves the simplequestion: “Am I aware?” a question asked by the finite mind,followed by a search and pause, results in an answer by theserious person, as “Yes!” The answer is also formed by the finitemind, but the mind-less experience in the pause is an experienceof our true nature, our real Self. This “direct approach” canresult in an illuminating Experience which does not dependon years of meditation and study, and is available to everyone,right here and now! In a world which so urgently needs anew paradigm, this approach holds much, perhaps the only,promise.Our own Experience is key!Based upon this brief questioning exercise, Rupertexpands upon a simple path of realizing our true nature.The Q and A is essentially what he refers to as the “inwardpath,” which religions call transcendence, and it is followedby an “outward path,” or path of immanence, resulting inthe realization that everything is in Consciousness (God isthe religious name), and, actually made of Consciousness.Again, all of this is Experiential and available to everyone!Rupert appreciates the power of the metaphor, and usesseveral, claiming as his favorite a metaphor of the screenand the movie. The screen represents Consciousness, ourtrue Self, and the movie, appearing on and actually madeof the screen, represents our lives of seeming separation.The characters (us) in the movie, longing for happiness,search the world for the screen, not realizing we are madeof the screen, which is the very happiness we are seeking!The dilemma of our time! The movie characters are simplymodulations of the screen, as are we relating to our trueidentity: Awareness or Consciousness.Hopefully, I have touched on the essence of this uniquespiritual masterpiece. Rupert has written several bookspreceding this one, and there is a plethora of videos andshorter writings on the web…again, all presented withextraordinary clarity. His new book presents an excellentsummation of his well-stated approach, an old approach,(the Perennial approach) stated in new language and newluminosity for our time. It is vitally important!Are you Aware?~~~Charles R. Coon

⭐If there were a Pulitzer Prize for spiritual books, I would definitely nominate The Nature of Consciousness, by Rupert Spira to win it.Over the past 40+ years, I have immersed myself ardently in most of the great wisdom traditions of the world. This has included intensive practice of vipassana and Tibetan Vajrayana meditation with a number of excellent teachers. For the past 15 years, my main focus has been Advaita Vedanta, Dzogchen and Mahamudra.I have been a very enthusiastic follower of Rupert since I watched his interview with Iain McNay on Conscious TV in early July, 2011. Since then, I have watched well over 100 of his YouTube videos, each one of which I’ve regarded as an impeccable work of art. I’ve been so impressed with a number of them that I have laboriously transcribed them into Word documents. Of the many excellent teachers of non-duality I’ve been exposed to, I have consistently regarded Rupert as second to none. Unfortunately, I have not been able to meet him in person or attend any of his live retreats.I had been eagerly awaiting the publication of this book since I learned about it on Facebook, anticipating that it would be absolutely superb. I ordered two copies as soon as it became available–one for my grandson and the other for myself. My high expectations for it have been much more than fulfilled.As anyone familiar with non-duality is well aware, imparting an understanding of it in language, which is intrinsically dualistic, is all but impossible. In this regard, Rupert has more than accomplished the impossible. I cannot imagine any serious, open-minded person reading this earthshaking book without gaining at least a clear intellectual understanding of non-duality, including its many subtleties. Through the artful use of carefully chosen metaphors and analogies, Rupert elegantly offers a very gradual, systematic, highly redundant and comprehensive, spoonfed overview of non-duality, starting with the very basics and proceeding to what is by far the most advanced exposition that I have ever come across. In reading it, I have repeatedly experienced a great many surprising epiphanies and, again and again, have recognized how his masterful explication elucidates pith teachings from other non-dual wisdom traditions, as well as the deep insights of a number of great literary giants.Since I have come to a very deep conviction that non-duality is the ultimate and necessary antidote for the materialistic madness that increasingly threatens the very survival of civilization, I am rapturously delighted that Rupert has provided a very timely and highly user-friendly map to this magnificently liberating paradigm of ultimate Reality, or “God’s infinite being,” as he defines it. May it quickly gain the popularity it so rightfully deserves and virally offer massive impetus to a non-dual renaissance out of the Kali Yuga into the Sat Yuga.

⭐I was so excited to get this book. But, I misunderstood the purpose of it, so I was a bit disappointed that it wasn’t what or how I expected it to be. Nevertheless, although very repetitive, I did find value in reading it through. I’ve come away from it with a much clearer understanding about the nature of who and what “I” am. This understanding will never leave me. Spira’s repetitiveness hit it’s mark. I literally cried afterwards.

⭐Analogies, analogies, analogies!! – Rupert Spira uses them so good to explain deeply profound concepts.For example in a statement like ‘In the absence of that which you are not, that which you are is not’, is a very deep statement that has such depth and intrinsic meaning, but when you explain the same with an analogy ie., ‘In the absence of warmth, one cannot understand what being cold is’. The meaning of such intense concepts becomes so CLEAR! Rupert – my personal thank you for these ANALOGIES! (But, I still need an audiobook version of this please).This book is a tough one to chew, and a laborious read. Previously, I thought ‘Power of Now’ by Eckhart Tolle was heavy, but once those concepts are internalized, this book will be help one to advance to the NEXT LEVEL! Truly, at this time Rupert is the best exponent of modern spirituality.And for all those who complained about repetition of concepts in Spira series of books, I think its intrinsic by design by the author and it actually help me internalize and instill these understandings more deeply!

⭐For me, this is probably one of the best books I’ve ever read on the subject, who am I and why am I here. It is first class, beautifully written, so powerfully succinct with an impression that Rupert Spira is a man who has worked very hard in his search for Truth and has discovered it! His other work The Art of Peace and Happiness is of the same calibre. First class and for the serious student of any so called spiritual path this book is a probably one of the best. It’s a difficult read, it is repetitive in a way, but Rupert does that deliberately to hammer home, as if with a feather the Truths that evade us, the Truth that is beyond the mind, underneath thinking, and behind the lies of this illusory existence.

⭐I bought this the day after watching my first Rupert Spira YouTube video in June 2018. I tried reading it several times in 2018 but just could not assimilate the words despite having a reasonable nondual background. I then took it on holiday with my in July 2019 and could not stop reading it – certainly not the way that Rupert recommends reading this, but I could not stop. It opened something, I’ve read and watched a lot of Rupert Spira but this book is on another level. For me it is among the greatest works of nonduality of all ‘time’.

⭐I love the clarity of this book, and also those moments when the words trigger a stepping beyond into a longed-for wordlessness. It is a succinct presentation of Rupert’s teachings, very accessible and at the same time simply profound. I gave this book to a friend and his comment was that RS is hugely impressive as a teacher. I agree!

⭐Impressive and amazing, I have no more words. I have to put it down every now and then to meditate and cope with the overwhelmingly mind blowing revelations. Loving it! Thanks Rupert

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