Francis Lucille and yourself focus on the necessity to embody the understanding, that is, to practice daily Tantric Kasmir yoga (Eric Baret), yoga of presence, or bodily movements as Francis does in his seminars. Are those sorts of body practices a continuation of the search, and thus a risk of the reinforcement of the sense of me? I tried some of those practices and there was more me than ever, and I felt very bad!
Thank you again for your answer,
Jérôme
Dear Jerome,
Just for the sake of clarity and accuracy, I do not (and nor does Francis) ‘focus on the necessity to embody the understanding’.
This exploration and subsequent dissolution of the sense of solidity and separation at the level of feelings, at the level of the body, is simply available to one who wishes to go deeper than mere intellectual understanding. It is available for one who wishes to feel rather than merely ‘know’ that the body and the world are made out of the same transparent, open, luminous, loving substance that perceives them or in which they appear.
In this exploration there is no risk of reinforcing the sense of ‘me’, precisely because they proceed from (rather than go towards) the understanding that there is no experiential evidence for the existence of such an entity. This exploration of the body and the world is a way of realigning the way we feel the body and the world with our understanding that there are no separate entities anywhere to be found and that consciousness is both the witness and substance of all appearances.
So it has to be understood from the outset that this exploration of experience at the level of the body is not undertaken by an entity, a person. It is an exploration ofthe apparent person at the level of the body, not bythe person.
If you felt very bad as a result of trying this, I would stop immediately and try first to spend some time with someone who is established in this understanding and can explain the rationale behind it and suggest ways in which it might be explored more deeply at the level of the body.
With love,
Rupert
Thank you Rupert for your answer. I had the strange impression reading your book that you were saying that in a sense all this mental understanding you developed was the first step before a complete body exploration. In my case, I don’t like body practices and I don’t intend to try another one, but I understand that for some, it could be valuable if there is a motivation. If not, better to play the piano I think.
You are right, Jerome, I do think that the investigation of the belief in separation at the level of the mind is a prelude to the exploration of the feeling in separation at the level of the body, for anyone who is interested in being established at all levels, in all circumstances, in their true nature.
What I meant in response to your first email is that it is not something that I focus on nor is it necessary. It is just that this exploration is available for those who have a deep interest in feeling the body and the world in a way that is consistent with their understanding of the non-dual nature of experience.
With kind regards,
Rupert
