Introductory Meditation 3: The Space Of Awareness

The third of twelve meditations introducing the essential themes of Rupert's approach to meditation.Thoughts and feelings arise and disappear within an unchanging, empty space of awareness, which remains unaffected by the experiences it contains, similar to how the sky remains unchanged by the clouds and birds passing through it.

Transcript

Hello, And welcome to Luminous. Meditation 3 the space of awareness. Anything that is experienced. Must appear in some kind of field or medium. There cannot be a cloud without a sky. An email without a screen. Or a wave without a notion. So, For instance, In order for a thought to be present. There must be something in which it appears. Ask yourself the question. In what do my thoughts appear? Don't allow yourself to name or describe the field within which your thoughts appear, At least for the time being. To name or describe that place would be to reduce it to a concept. That concept itself appears in In what? Just as the sky is inherently empty of clouds. Likewise, The medium within which our thoughts arise is inherently empty of thoughts. What is that? The field in which our thoughts appear is inherently empty. So we might refer to it as a space, Not a physical space, But a knowing space or an aware space. See that all your thoughts appear in the empty space of awareness. Now ask yourself the question. In what medium do my feelings arise? See that your feelings arise in the same space as your thoughts. If you travel with your attention back and forth between a thought and a feeling. Your attention always travels through the same space. Go back and forth with your attention now, Between your thoughts and feelings. Being especially sensitive to the quality of the space through which your attention travels. What is the nature of this aware space? Just as a physical space is inherently empty of all objects. So the space of awareness is inherently devoid of thoughts and feelings. Awareness enables all thoughts and feelings to appear. But is not itself a thought. Or a feeling. It is empty. Spacious. Aware emptiness. Just as the emptiness of space enables physical objects to exist within it. So it is the emptiness of awareness that enables thoughts and feelings to arise within it. Understand and feel yourself. As the open sky of awareness. Within which all experience arises. See that your thoughts are like birds that fly through the emptiness of awareness. Feelings are like clouds that float more slowly through this aware openness. And just as neither birds nor clouds leave any trace on the sky as they pass through it. So our thoughts and feelings do not leave any trace on the space of awareness as they appear and disappear. Just as the people and objects in a room. Are continually changing. But the space itself remains the same. And is unaffected by them. So our thoughts and feelings continually change. But the aware space within which they arise always remains the same. No thought or feeling changes, Affects or harms the awareness within which it appears and with which it is known. Awareness is always in the same luminous, Pristine condition. Feel yourself as the sky of awareness. Completely open without resistance to all your thoughts. However true or false they may be. And to your feelings, However pleasant or unpleasant they may be. Be knowingly the allowing space of awareness. Within which thoughts and feelings arise. In which they exist. And into which they vanish. When they disappear. Notice that our thoughts may be agitated. But the space of awareness within which they appear is completely free of agitation. Awareness is calm. Always at rest. It is transparent. Silence. Feel yourself as this silent, Open, Still presence within which the entire flow of experience arises. Just as the people and objects in a room are continually changing. But the space itself remains the same and is unaffected by them. So our thoughts and feelings continually change. But the aware space within which they arise always remains the same. It is not changed or affected by the content of experience. The space of awareness within which our current thought or feeling arises is the same space of awareness within which yesterday's thoughts and feelings, Last year's thoughts and feelings. Or the thoughts and feelings we had as young children arose. Content of experience always changes. The space of awareness. Within which it arises. And with which it is known. Never itself changes. Awareness is the changeless context. Of the continually changing content of experience. Understand and feel. That you, Awareness, Are never modified, Moved or affected by experience. You are never hurt. Aged or qualified by experience. You are free. Open without resistance. At peace. Thank you.