even in the darkest of times,
if
one only remembers to turn on the light.”
~ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
and
“When
we have accessed the peace that is ever present in our self under all circumstances,
the body, mind, and world are profoundly affected,
and, in time, become increasingly permeated by it.
They begin to shine with the peace of our true nature.”
~ Rupert Spira, The Art of Peace and Happiness
(Presence, Volume I)
(Our True Nature; The Nature of Peace, Happiness and Love;
The Origin of the Separate Self; The Body; The World; Experience)
The afternoon did not unfold the way I had expected. I had been invited by a friend to attend a “Reader’s Theater” about 30 minutes away. I invited two mutual friends to join us. It was a lovely drive. Autumn colors dotted the woods on either side of the two-lane road, and we listened to the recording of a sermon given earlier that morning.
One car sat forlornly in the parking lot when we arrived a mere 15 minutes before showtime. A phone call solved the mystery: the event we had come to attend had taken place the prior week!
As so many people suffer profoundly, we find ourselves searching for the most appropriate way to be all that is happening in our political culture. For my part, I am reading Rupert Spira’s writings about nondual awareness. In an almost wordless way, it is clear our awareness is key.
Although Spira does not use the phrase, “If and when,” that seems an appropriate title for this post. It is a phrase used to say something about an event that may or may not happen.
Here are two books on nondual awareness by Rupert Spira:
1. The Art of Peace and Happiness (Presence, Volume I)
(Our True Nature; The Nature of Peace, Happiness and Love; The Origin of the Separate Self; The Body; The World; Experience}
2. The Transparency of Things: Contemplating the Nature of Experience
My friend recommended Spira to everyone who desires to experience liberation. She said to read the books in that order. Although they are both dated 2016, she thinks they may be reprinted from earlier material.
Our thoughts go out to people who are feeling so very afraid. Fears loom around loss of freedom, the environment, racism, sexism. There is no denying the fear. Fear haunts our thoughts. Fear is felt in our bodies. Fear makes us experience the world as a web of hatred and dissonance humanity is caught in.
But Spira makes a good point that our true self is not our thoughts, feelings, sensations, or perceptions. Rather, our true self is aware Presence. “Like someone whose fists have been clenched in defence for so long that they are no longer aware of it and thus feel perfectly relaxed, so our body and mind have been permeated by the tensions that are generated by the idea of a separate self.” (The Art of Peace and Happiness)
How interesting that what we thought we were going to enjoy had already been enjoyed.
If and when you read Spira, you will realize there is no separate self. Our “aware Presence” is inherently peaceful and, thankfully, this peace does not depend upon what may or may not happen.
We are peace itself.
