Who Is the Self at the Heart of Suffering? 

For people asking about his John Smith/King Lear example. You understand this metaphor from some of his other videos. In this metaphor, an actor named John Smith plays the role of King Lear in a play. When the play is over, however, John Smith still perceives himself as King Lear and experiences deep suffering because of his daughters (that is, the imaginary daughters of King Lear, an imaginary character). John Smith's suffering disappears once he snaps out of the illusion that he is King Lear and remembers his true nature, John Smith. King Lear symbolizes the separate self. John Smith symbolizes pure Awareness, our true nature.

“Suffering is always a resistance to our current experience.”

Thank you for sharing these freely

12:26: Don't get busy cutting the branches (the specific suffering), get rid of the false separate self. Abide in there. 14:20: "We don't attempt to the stories of the separate self because even if we were to resolve those situations, there would be other causes to our miseries. We investigate who we are. The clear seeing of who we are puts an end to any subsequent forms of identifications, limitations (body-mind) and therefore unhappiness."

This video is another perfect illustration... "Suffering is always a resistance to our current experience..." "...and the clear seeing of who we are puts an end to any subsequent forms of identification, limitation and therefore unhappiness. And just to add an excerpt from another one of your videos regarding 'the ghost in the system' that is very pertinent and it serves as a message to the ghost itself. "What is this 'I" on whose behalf I spend so much time thinking and feeling? It is not my body, your body is not upset by some words, you can't upset a thought or an image. It's not my mind that is upset although my mind can express upset and it's not Awareness because Awareness is open and empty. What else is that in your experience? There isn't anything else. It is a fictitious eye, it's the ghost in the system that is not really there in whose behalf we spend most of our lives thinking and feeling." 'Ghosts in the system' out there once admitted that eventually they would get caught. They should listen in sequence a thick audio book called: 'A Long History of the Choices We've Been Making All Along and the Price We've Been Paying for It'. 1) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WHiGjNaytVQ.html - Otis Redding - (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay | The story behind the song | Top 2000 a gogo 2) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-dSHY8l44yt0.html - Full Goat Intestine Gravy | Lamb Intestine Masala Prepared By Grandpa | Cooking Goat Boti Curry 3) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-QCiIC9FNrAk.html - The Shawshank Redemption - Every Man Has His Breaking Point 4) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qZMUx2CfpXI.html - Dr Hook - Sylvia’s Mother | The story behind the song | Top 2000 a gogo 5) ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3mCeQLqB7TQ.html - 当腊味煲仔饭遇上胡椒猪肚鸡你又以为有故事？还是没有！Lap Mei claypot rice | pig maw and chicken soup with pepper Liziqi Channel Even the sadistic evil wears out at some point and gets tired of its own play. Why? Because it is unsustainable. Its foundation and principles are about 'crime and theft'. And it is begging to rest in peace.

The difficulty or challenge is that this imaginary sense of located, embodied existence is an impersonal "program" that is running. It is energetic. It does not simply stop because it is seen through. It can be seen through again and again, and each time resume running because it is a "program." It operates energetically, and it is all there ever is to a supposed body/mind.

I’ve listened to Krishnamurti about getting to the “root” as opposed to the “leafs/branches” and didn’t get it. I’m grateful for Rupert clarifying and making it much clearer

Wonderful teaching.

Thank you so much Rupert ❤️😚

Yes, yes, spot-on, thank you!

We are all one!

Thank you!

Thank you .

But is not about ending a suffering, but becoming intimately in love with a direct life experience, then it is no more suffering but just experiencing. Suffering cannot live any longer if theres not separate personality as such. We no longer seek happiness in anything outside ourselves. This process could not be immediate, and take years.

Thank you

Only Rupert can speak with such a clarity!

The self has got itself entangled in a mind wrap which is the source of everything illusionary that the self is suffering from. Consciousness is living the mind and the mind is living you and your experiences. Consciousness living Consciousness is Moksha.

Thank you, dear Rupert.

Class!!

So it seems.. 😊💜🙏

"If you use your mind to study reality, you won't understand either your mind or reality. If you study reality without using your mind, you'll understand both." (The Zen Teachings of Bodhidharma)

❤️ merci ✨✨✨

Real suffering in this life can be hunger, abuse, war, child abuse, do we o accept that and sit with it, is that a cop out, accept it and c if it comes to an end, I've known people whom accepted it and nothing changed, suffering is not always seeking happiness just wishing the enermous suffering would end, it sounds great to think like that but doesnt solve anything, its all grandeous but it doesn't change, anything!!

Thanks very much for sharing. With Love 🌹

wonderfully explained, thank you

There is only pure seeing

Does seeing who we really are put an end to a physical painful illness or put an end to our perception that it is painful and causing suffering.

Ego - a defence program which was supposed to protect the body from dieing, has taken over the entire system and runs wild

"To accept the ego, but not what the ego is resisting... is partial... my suffering is an appearance in awareness... suffering because I don't actually know myself... theory" Rupert Spira is so existential-level cool!

"Suffer, little children, to come [through] to me."

Rupert my saviour! Thank you.

If u r not suffering in life and if u r reasonably happy in your life reasonably content does it imply u r close your true self? Please clarify.

King Lear doesn’t find King Lear, he finds John Smith. John Smith finds John Smith... who is John Smith?

can l please give an insight into suffering.. J. K asked: Can there be such Watchfulness, that neither flattery nor insult, does not leave mark"?The suffering occurs only through being inattentive.. that is not listening...Whom is it that is talking now? All that is not of Love is NOT of Who I AM, that is, my True ID-entity That which is Not subject to duality, to change... I AM is Constant state of Harmony, Changeless 'background'..like the deep of the ocean supports the waves and Is never disturbed by ANY activity on the surface...ln the practical sense of Life, attachment produces suffering, and attachment I'd product of false identification, that is, identifying with mental image formed in thought through inattentiveness..this occurs because of the objective orientation and identification with what is 'seen' through the conditioned perception, concept, mental image formed in thought, and the ignorant 'acceptance', of that label, produces attachment to that judgement which in turn produces suffering, which due to unawareness that my GOOD comes from the other or the outside, instead of the Realization that I AM the SOURCE of ALL GOOD in my experience which flows OUT from me and comes back to me...if I know that LOVE is the SUBSTANCE, fabric and LAW of LIFE, and that if I accept anything unlike LOVE, l will experience that which l have accepted as the real-ity..If I have made direct contact with, and know my TRUE nature, l cannot be DECEIVED by any suggestion contradictory to THAT TRUTH.. l AM ALWAYS and only seeing through every appearance to the TRUTH, If "I and My Father are ONE", than that IS the TRUTH of ALL that I meet, & as l HOLD -STAND on that TRUTH..What ever unlike to that TRUTH MUST dissolve as long as l do NOT REACT to insult - flattery..The POWER RESIDE WITHIN my Consciousness to dissolve every ERRONEOUS appearance - claim..Therefore, "Ye shall know the Truth, and the Truth will set ye free".. Namaste..

Very well explained !!! Lucky to be able to access the videos (gems) of Rupert.

Thank you Rupert 🙏

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Amazing...He who has ears!

Rupert went all clockwork orange for this one :)

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I can understand what he is trying to say but i cant understand that as a reality in me . I have been deeply thinking but there is nothing that could be done with this suffering. I sometimes wonder people ask a person who commits suicide why did he do that but i have been asking why do people go on living with this separate self , i could just die .But i am scared of death too . I WILL ALWAYS REMAIN THIS SEPERATE SELF WITH ALL ITS FEAR AND SUFFERING THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS TRACING BACK TO SOURCE AND DISSOLVING IN ONENESS .I JUST WANT TO KILL MYSELF BUT I CANT

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thank you rupert...

He talks about seperate self, and i was wondering, what's that? To me, there's only trueth inside and thoughts without truth. Than he says seperate self doesn't exist? Hmm... will listen again.

I always understand his words but never have any revelations....

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King Lear doesn’t find King Lear, he finds John Smith. John Smith finds John Smith... who is John Smith? Isn’t John Smith the name of a body like any other? This is a very confusing example.

no comments hey? lol

Eckhart is way better . Atleast he is consistent in what he says and simple to follow

I have to disagree with Rupert this time around...at least in part....suffering could be the result of extreme physical pain caused by disease...like type one diabetes, pancreatic cancer or a toothache or worst of all...Physical Torture. All suffering is not emotionally based. Excruciating Physical pain or agony is suffering where the relief or removal of the pain takes precedence over seeking happiness. Seeking relief or escape from intense physical pain is not necessarily seeking happiness.

Why continue referring to it as the "separate self"? Instead, name it for what it is - the next thought, sensation, feeling, etc. To continually use the term, "separate self", reinforces the fiction that there is, indeed, a "self". There is immense power in language, essential for clarity and understanding. If you use the term "separate self" repeatedly, the teaching remains dualistic. This is not "compassionate". Truth must be the foundation of a teaching, and this Truth is what we are. It must be reliable and trustworthy if it is to be considered compassionate.

V wordy, not at all practical advice. Just going round n round in words. If I am to finally see my original self how will I do that ? You start by saying allow the separate self don’t resist and then you say that’s pseudo advaita so we do not allow suffering because it is not real but find the real self . But no direction on how to find the self. Not a good teacher at all. Still v much in your mind and v verbose and you don’t make sense