In a recent episode of “Rupert Spira,” the renowned spiritual teacher delves into the profound topic of awareness and its relationship with the mind.
The discussion centers around a fundamental question: How does awareness perceive itself, and what implications does this have for understanding the true nature of reality?
Table of Contents
The Mind’s Limitations in Perceiving Reality
Rupert Spira begins by explaining that everything known through the mind is inherently filtered by the mind’s limitations. The human mind, with its faculties of thinking and perceiving, shapes our experience of the world. These faculties—seeing, hearing, touching, tasting, and smelling—are the lenses through which reality is interpreted.
As a result, what is perceived as the world is merely a collection of sights, sounds, tastes, textures, and smells, all of which are influenced by the mind’s inherent constraints.
Spira uses an analogy to illustrate this point: just as snow appears orange when viewed through orange-tinted sunglasses, the world appears in a certain way because of the medium—the mind—through which it is perceived. However, just as the real snow is not orange, the true nature of the world is not defined by the mind’s perceptions.
This analogy highlights the idea that while we may be perceiving reality, we are not seeing it as it truly is.
Subject-Object Relationship and Duality
The discussion then moves into the concept of the subject-object relationship, which is the basis of all experiences known through the mind. In this relationship, awareness (the subject) perceives something outside of itself (the object).
This duality, Spira explains, is the only way the mind can know anything. Whether it is thoughts and feelings on the inside or the world on the outside, all experiences are filtered through this dualistic lens. This duality extends to self-perception. When one attempts to know oneself through the faculties of the mind, the self will appear limited and shaped by those same faculties.
In other words, just as the mind perceives the world in a limited way, it also perceives the self in a limited way when it uses thought and perception as its tools.
Awareness Knowing Itself
However, the true nature of awareness is not something that can be fully understood through the mind’s dualistic approach. According to Spira, awareness must look directly at itself without the mediation of thought or perception.
This direct knowledge of awareness by awareness is the only form of true knowledge—what Spira calls “awareness’s knowledge of itself.” Spira further explores this concept by asking what awareness would say if it were to describe its own experience.
Awareness cannot stand apart from itself to view itself as an object, because it is always too close to itself. This impossibility of separation means that awareness’s knowledge of itself does not take place in the subject-object relationship that characterizes all other forms of knowledge.
Spira invites the audience to contemplate their own experience of awareness. When awareness turns its attention away from thoughts, feelings, and perceptions, and instead focuses on itself, what does it find? The answer, Spira suggests, is simply “I am.” This simple statement is the most profound truth, as it reflects awareness’s direct experience of itself.
The Pinnacle of Knowledge: “I Am”
The phrase “I am” represents the culmination of all knowledge and experience. Spira argues that this statement is higher than any other form of knowledge, including the concept of “God is.”
This is because asserting that “God is” still involves a duality—an implicit separation between the knower and the known. In contrast, the statement “I am” transcends duality, as it refers to the pure, unmediated knowledge of awareness by itself.
In closing, Spira emphasizes that the experience of “I am” is the most intimate and immediate experience one can have. It is the origin and culmination of all knowledge, the alpha and omega of understanding.
While the mind may attempt to describe awareness using terms like peaceful, infinite, or eternal, these descriptions are ultimately relative to the mind’s own limitations. The pure experience of “I am” is beyond all such descriptions—it simply is.
Recommended Reading
“The Transparency of Things: Contemplating the Nature of Experience” by Rupert Spira is a profound exploration of the nature of consciousness and reality.
In this insightful work, Spira invites readers to examine the transparency of their own experiences, guiding them to a deeper understanding of the self and the world.
The book skillfully dismantles the perceived separation between the observer and the observed, revealing that all experiences arise within and as consciousness itself.
With clarity and compassion, Spira’s teachings resonate with both newcomers and seasoned spiritual seekers, making complex concepts accessible and deeply transformative.
——
Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. This means that if you click on the link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. We only recommend products and services that we believe will add value to our readers. Thank you for your support!