Q&A: Presence Made Clear

Q: Rodney, I would first like to thank you for the clarity and light in your writing.

Rodney: You're most welcome. And thank you for taking the time to pen a few words.

Q: For a long time, I have been reading all the nonduality people you said you had read yourself. And of late, mostly John Wheeler. I found your blog a few days ago from the Urban Guru cafe website and began to read the pointers and your replies to people.

Rodney: I'm happy that the blog resonates with you. One never knows how (or if) a particular statement or observation is going to touch some-one. The writing comes naturally and quickly. Thus, there is a certain detachment to the process, on one level, and a great love for the beauty and the directness to which truth can be pointed, on the other level. If something here is helpful, that's great. If it isn't, that's okay too.

Q: Well, it was while reading your words that it became utterly clear that there was something that never changes. ("Something" is probably not the right word, but it will do for now.) Then, I suddenly saw--even before I realized that it had happened--that I AM that something!

Rodney: Precisely. You are That! And the part about recognizing that something even before you "realized that it had happened" is absolutely on-target.

Q: When I saw this second discovery--I am that which does not change--it was like a flash of light. A delightful light, like the "radiance" in your blog-title. It was amazing, and yet so simple. I started to laugh and cry. I don't know if I will loose this understanding, because so many people seem to "get it" for a while and then loose it. Or at least they say they do when they write to people like you and John Wheeler.

Rodney: Once you see what you truly are, you don't loose it. Indeed, it is more real to you than your heartbeat or breathing, as you can now attest. But yes, the thought this felt-knowingness is going to suddenly or gradually disappear is probably the first fear or notion to emerge. It was certainly mine. Shortly after I came to this knowing, I stood up from the sofa on which I was reclining and gingerly made my way to my apartment's balcony, upon which I could see the evening's first slew of stars. It was then that I--like you--quickly discovered another ancient truth: That the universe was wholly within me! That there was no "distant" anything. This immediate and additional recognition pretty much confirmed to me, right then and there, that this was the Supreme Reality to which all the sages had pointed, and that it wasn't going anywhere! So as you can see, there is really no need to worry.

Q: Yes, I clearly see your point. How can that which never changes be lost? It can't go anywhere. In a way, it IS everything. At least it seems that way to me right now.

Rodney: Sterling points all. Your seeing is clear and your comments solid. Just relax with all that occurs, knowing--as Sailor Bob put it--that this isn't something from which you can ever be "tossed." After all, this is your natural state, which is neither an object nor an experience (either of which, by their very nature, do come and go).

Q: I have already noticed that thoughts and emotions hold less sway, as you say, but that they are just the same otherwise. I felt one of my old familiar emotional patterns yesterday, but the peace was there in the background, and the interest and belief in the emotion soon fell away. It was rather like a wave rising then subsiding . Problems occur--all as usual --but there does not seem to be the same worry or concern. And solutions seem (surprisingly) to simply arise. And oftentimes, I readily find myself gazing at something like a grass leaf swaying in the breeze or just sitting still and listening.

Rodney: Yes, what you describe is significant and telling, indicating (once again) that you understanding is unequivocal. Continue to let things settle, as you gather some experience with this, though I hasten to declare that there is no maintaining or stabilization of any kind going on here. That which is, has now been fully seen...All I can add is that I am totally thrilled. A huge hug to you.

Q: Thank you so much, Rodney. The hug feels good, even from afar. If any questions arise, I will certainly write to you again...And you mentioned Sailor Bob -- Well, I happen to live in Australia, also!