Being Myself

What is "Being Myself" by Rupert Spira about?

• Non-dual understanding: The book explores the essential, non-dual understanding that our true nature is awareness or being, which is ever-present and unchanging.
• Direct experience of self: It guides readers to recognize the sense of "being myself" as the most intimate and familiar experience, underlying all thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.
• Liberation from suffering: Spira explains how suffering arises from identifying with the content of experience rather than with our essential being, and how true peace and happiness are found by returning to our self.
• Practical contemplations: The book is structured as a series of contemplative meditations, inviting readers to directly investigate and experience their own being.

Why should I read "Being Myself" by Rupert Spira?

• Universal longing for happiness: The book addresses the universal search for peace and happiness, showing why it cannot be fulfilled through external experiences.
• Clear, accessible language: Spira uses simple, direct language and relatable metaphors, making profound spiritual insights accessible to all readers.
• Experiential approach: Rather than offering abstract philosophy, the book provides practical contemplations and meditations to help readers realize their true nature.
• Timeless wisdom: It draws on the perennial philosophy found in all major spiritual traditions, making it relevant regardless of religious or cultural background.

What are the key takeaways from "Being Myself" by Rupert Spira?

• The sense of "being myself" is the ever-present background of all experience and is our true nature.
• Suffering arises when we identify with the changing content of experience (thoughts, feelings, sensations) rather than with our unchanging being.
• True peace and happiness are inherent in our essential self and are revealed when we recognize and rest in our being.
• Enlightenment is not an extraordinary attainment but the simple recognition of our original, unconditioned self.
• The "I" or "I am" is the sacred name of our true self, which is shared by all beings and is identical with God's presence.

How does Rupert Spira define the "sense of being myself" in "Being Myself"?

• Ever-present awareness: The "sense of being myself" is the most ordinary, intimate, and familiar experience, present in all situations regardless of external circumstances.
• Unchanging background: It is the constant factor that remains the same while thoughts, feelings, and experiences change.
• Not limited by experience: Our essential self is not defined by any particular thought, feeling, or relationship; it is transparent, empty, silent, and still.
• Source of peace and happiness: When we recognize our self as this unconditioned being, we naturally experience peace and fulfillment.

What is the main cause of suffering according to "Being Myself" by Rupert Spira?

• Identification with experience: Suffering arises when we allow our essential self to become mixed with or identified with the qualities of experience (thoughts, feelings, sensations).
• Creation of the separate self: This identification gives rise to the sense of being a limited, vulnerable, and incomplete separate self or ego.
• Chronic sense of lack: The separate self lives in a state of insufficiency, always seeking fulfillment in external objects, relationships, or achievements.
• Forgetting our true nature: The root cause of suffering is the overlooking or forgetting of our true, unlimited being.

How does "Being Myself" by Rupert Spira describe the process of recognizing our true nature?

• Disentangling from experience: The process involves seeing that our essential self is prior to and independent of all thoughts, feelings, and perceptions.
• Two paths of meditation: Spira describes an inward-facing path (discriminating between self and experience) and an outward-facing path (recognizing the unity of self and all experience).
• Direct recognition: The book encourages readers to rest in the feeling of "being myself" or the knowledge "I am," allowing being to emerge from the background.
• Gradual or sudden unveiling: For most, this recognition happens gradually through repeated glimpses, but for some, it may occur suddenly and completely.

What is the significance of the "I" or "I am" in "Being Myself" by Rupert Spira?

• Sacred name of being: "I" or "I am" is the name that awareness gives to itself, and is considered the divine name or the name of God.
• Portal to true nature: The feeling of "being myself" or the knowledge "I am" is a direct opening to our essential, unlimited being.
• Universal and impersonal: The "I" is not personal or individual; it is the same infinite, self-aware being in all people.
• Foundation of meditation and prayer: Resting in the "I am" is described as the highest meditation and the essence of spiritual practice.

How does "Being Myself" by Rupert Spira relate individual experience to the Absolute or God?

• Non-dual identity: The book asserts that the individual "I" and the Absolute "I Am" are essentially the same; our being is God's being.
• Manifestation and reality: All experiences, objects, and selves are temporary names and forms of the one infinite, indivisible being.
• Love and unity: The recognition that we share our being with all others is the basis of love, compassion, and the resolution of conflict.
• Spiritual traditions: Spira draws parallels with teachings from Advaita Vedanta, Christianity, Sufism, and other traditions, showing the universality of this insight.

What practical methods or contemplations does Rupert Spira recommend in "Being Myself"?

• Resting in being: The primary practice is to rest in the feeling of "being myself" or the knowledge "I am," allowing attention to relax from the content of experience.
• Self-inquiry: Readers are encouraged to investigate the nature of the self by asking questions like "Who am I?" and tracing the sense of "I" back to its source.
• Twofold meditation: The book suggests both turning away from experience to recognize the self (inward path) and embracing all experience as a modulation of being (outward path).
• No effort required: Ultimately, no special effort, practice, or discipline is needed—simply recognizing and being knowingly the self that we already are.

How does "Being Myself" by Rupert Spira address the concepts of enlightenment, peace, and happiness?

• Enlightenment as recognition: Enlightenment is not a special state or attainment, but the simple revelation of our original, unconditioned being.
• Peace and happiness as nature: Peace and happiness are not experiences to be gained, but the very nature of our self when it is not veiled by identification with experience.
• Not dependent on circumstances: True happiness is unconditional and ever-present, not caused by or dependent on external situations or achievements.
• Gradual establishment: While the initial recognition may be brief, with repeated return to our being, peace and happiness become established and permeate all aspects of life.

What are the most important concepts or metaphors in "Being Myself" by Rupert Spira?

• Screen and movie: Our being is like a screen on which the movie of experience plays; the screen is never affected by the images.
• Actor and role: The analogy of John Smith playing King Lear illustrates how we assume the qualities of experience without ever ceasing to be our true self.
• Watercolour and paper: The sense of "being myself" is like the white paper beneath a painting, always present even if partially obscured.
• Space in a room: Awareness is compared to space, which pervades but is not limited by the room or its contents.

What are the best quotes from "Being Myself" by Rupert Spira and what do they mean?

• "The sense of ‘being myself’ is our most ordinary, intimate and familiar experience. It pervades all experience, irrespective of its content."
  This highlights that our true self is always present, regardless of what we are experiencing.
• "Enlightenment is, as such, not a new or extraordinary experience to be attained or acquired; it is simply the revelation of the original nature of our self or being."
  Enlightenment is not about gaining something new, but recognizing what has always been true about ourselves.
• "The name ‘I’ or the knowledge ‘I am’ refers to the element of experience that is unchanging and unchangeable."
  The "I am" is the constant, unchanging reality behind all experiences and is the key to self-realization.
• "Do not allow experience to persuade you that you are anything other than ever-present, inherently peaceful, unconditionally fulfilled being, the being you share with everything and everyone."
  This is a reminder not to let temporary experiences define or limit our true nature, which is shared by all.
• "The knowledge ‘I am’ is infinite consciousness shining in each of our finite minds. The feeling of ‘being myself’ is God’s presence pervading our hearts."
  This quote encapsulates the central teaching that our individual sense of self is, in essence, the presence of the divine.