The Illusion of Continuity of the Body

The Illusion of The Continuity of the Body

Some express anger and resistance when we begin to explore the reality of our true experience of the body and world. It seems that this fundamental deconstruction threatens our desire to “change the world” as opposed to changing our beliefs about it.

No where is this more obvious than with respect to our experience of the body as being localized and continuous.

These explorations must be deep, thorough and gentle to yield the fruit of the secrets held by our sensory perceptions and bodily sensations.

It is here that the experiential prize of advaita is hidden: behind the ignorance of the body.

What does the observation of our actual bodily sensations and sense perceptions tell us about the body? Explore this question with Rupert Spira and he investigates The Body/Cluster of Sensations:

Question: You say we take our body/cluster of sensations as ourselves, and conversely the fan or chair as not ourselves, due to habit/cultural
learning. However, the key difference I think is that, at least in the waking state, my body is always connected with me, while the other objects
are not. Wherever I am, whether at home, work, or the grocery store, my body is always present in my experience.

Rupert: That your body is always with you is a belief not an experience. The body consists solely of sensations and perceptions. These sensations and
perceptions appear and disappear in Knowing Presence.

It is simply a thought which imagines the sum total of all these sensations and perceptions to be a permanently existing object called the body. No such
entity has ever been experienced.

If we look simply, closely and honestly at our experience we will find many occasions when the sensations and perceptions that the mind labels 'the
body' are not present. During such times there may be thoughts, images or perceptions of the so-called world, appearing in Knowing Presence, or there
may be no thoughts, sensations or perceptions at all.

In either case do you, Knowing Presence, disappear? No!

In other words, we often have the experience of the disappearance of the body but we never have the experience of the disappearance of our self.

Question: The other objects come in and out of my experience, so it only makes sense that I draw the conclusion that my body is somehow a part of me,
attached to me.

Rupert: If you use the experience that "objects come in and out of my experience" to ascertain whether or not those objects are a part of you (and
that is a very good place to start) then it should be easy for you to see that intermittent bodily sensations are no more a part of you than
intermittent perceptions, thoughts or images.

In other words simply apply your own understanding to your actual experience and the nature of experience will become clear.

Question: I realize that my body is an object in consciousness, but if the body is always part of my experience, it seems reasonable to say its a part of
me. The body seems a special case of objects in consciousness. Agree?

Rupert: The thought that says "The body seems a special case of objects in consciousness" is the thought with which the separate entity seems to be
created.

However, I hope by now it is obvious that the body is not always a part of your experience. Again use your own line of reasoning to ascertain the truth
about yourself. You quite rightly write that it seems reasonable to say that whatever is always a part of your experience is a part of your self. Simply
apply that criteria to your actual experience.

Ask yourself what is always present in your experience and know that whatever you find is your self.

Knowing is always present because 'something' is known in every experience. Even if what is known is an illusion, the illusion is known.

Being is present in every experience, simply by virtue of the fact that experience IS.

Therefore you know for certain that you are Knowing and Being or Knowing Presence. These two elements (apparently two) are obvious in all experience.

This Knowing Presence is in fact not two things. When the dualising mind rises up and seems to separate this oneness of Knowingbeing into two
apparent things (an entity residing in the body and an outside, separate world of objects and others) this Knowing of our own Being seems to be lost.

This Knowing of our own Being is simply the familiar experience of peace orlove. In other words peace or love is also inherent in our self but seems to
be veiled by the apparent separation of experience into two things.

So Knowing, Being and Loving are inherent in what we are - that is our simple moment by moment experience. Just live this understanding in your
everyday life in relation to people, animals, objects, situations and events, and everything will fall into place.

Try these execises for yourself . Click here for the DVD "The Transparency of Things" which directly explores the reality of our experience of the body, mind and world through exercises designed to examine the possibilty that consciousness is all we ever experience.

More on Rupert Spira is available on the website by clicking here.

Rupert's stellar book, The transparency of Things is available by clicking here.