Rupert Spira is a noted author of books about our essential nature. Through his seminars, held online and in various locations throughout the world, he also relates valuable information about non-duality. To him, I owe a debt of gratitude; for he has played an important role in deepening my level of understanding about true Self. This article was inspired by one of his free daily notes that really struck a chord within me. I hope that its message will also resonate with you. All credit is given to Rupert Spira for the following quote:

“See thoughts and feelings like a train that enters a station and then leaves;

be like the station, not like a passenger.”

From the moment of our arrival on “Earth,” we are conditioned to believe–with absolute certainty–that we are the apparent body-mind (the “train,” in the analogy). This perspective is directly opposite to the one that Rupert advises us to be. As young children, we are told that our train (the body-mind) has a name, and that it functions autonomously in the world. As our egoic “train” gains momentum and apparent realness, it also gathers various judgments and opinions about itself and its journey. Through comparison, our train habitually judges itself as worthy or unworthy based on shifting criteria that it deems important. One day, our body-mind feels blessed by wonderful circumstances; on another, it feels cursed by terrible conditions. When we blindly assume that we are the train, we are bound to suffer. Due to this perspective, which has been ingrained in us since childhood, we see no choice but to take life’s vagaries personally and very seriously, indeed.

We may, however, investigate the validity of this perspective. What if our perspective (as the train) was based on uninvestigated assumptions–not Truth? Can we, through a practice of meditation that allows our mind to become still, understand that we, in Truth, are the Station of Awareness, in which, and through which, we experience our train (body-mind) and the world? A deeper understanding related to Rupert’s note may arise within us when we realize that our body-mind (which feels so incredibly real and autonomous) is actually being rendered by the mind. In The Law of Success, Paramhansa Yogananda wrote the following: “Mind is the creator of everything.”

Mind creates our ephemeral experiences in the dream state; and it also creates our high resolution 3-D experiences in the waking state. This world (assumed to be reality, by the masses) is populated with a variety of characters with continuing plotlines and histories. In Truth, we recognize that we are actually the empty station of Awareness, dreaming an apparently human train ride. Knowing this can make our apparent human journey more joyful. Self-inquiry is the ticket.

Dare to Dream (and care for one another).

With heartfelt regards,

Art

Copyright © – 2022 – R. Arthur Russell

P.S. Please share this article if you enjoyed it. If you’d like to view my latest book (This Taste of Flesh and Bones–released September 8, 2020), press here. My YouTube videos may be found through this link. May the content of either or both help you along your spiritual journey. 🙏🧡

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