Rupert Spira is a spiritual teacher of the non-dual tradition who is known for his direct and uncomplicated approach to spirituality. He is from the United Kingdom and gained recognition as a ceramic artist before dedicating his life to exploring and teaching truths about life and existence in a more profound way. Rupert’s teachings are based on the tradition of Advaita Vedanta but are offered in a way that is easy to grasp and applicable to modern life.Rupert Spira has gained a huge following all over the world through his writings, retreats, and talks. What sets him apart from other spiritual teachers is that he is able to guide people towards a realization of who they really are through direct experience rather than philosophy. He does not require people to believe in something; rather, he encourages them to look within and discover the truth for themselves. He has a calm and precise way of speaking that makes spiritual concepts easy to grasp and relate to.The quote, “Only that which is always with you can be said to be yourself and if you look closely and simply at experience, only awareness is always ‘with you’,” is widely attributed to Rupert Spira. What this quote conveysAt its heart, this quote challenges us to think differently about our usual understanding of identity. We usually think of ourselves in terms of our body, thoughts, emotions, roles, or life experiences. However, each of these things is constantly changing. Our thoughts change, our emotions change, and even our body changes over time. The insight Spira offers here is that a changing thing is not who we are, but instead, it directs our attention to what is unchanging in all of our experiences.According to Spira, what remains unchanging in all of our experiences is our awareness of them. We are aware of our happiness, sadness, wakefulness, dreams, thinking, and not thinking. We are aware of everything that is happening to us, and nothing can change that. Our awareness doesn’t come and go like our other experiences do. Therefore, it’s a steady foundation that we can rely on to define who we are, and it can bring a sense of peace to us as we realize we are not completely identified with the changing experiences of our lives.The quote by Rupert Spira provides a very profound and simple guideline for self-realization. It invites us to look through the changing experiences and to become aware of the presence within. Once we are aware of this, we can attain a higher level of clarity, stability, and peace. In a world filled with distractions and change, this quote provides a gentle reminder that our real nature is not something to be attained; it is something that we are, and it is always with us.
