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Presence, Volume II: The Intimacy of All Experience
All that is known is experiencing, and experiencing is not divided into one part (an inside self) that experiences and another part (an outside object, other, or world) that is experienced. Experiencing is seamless and intimate, made of “knowing” or awareness alone. This intimacy, in which there is no room for selves, objects, or others, is love itself. It lies at the heart of all experience, completely available under all circumstances.
214 pages, Paperback
First published October 7, 2011
434 people are currently reading
1735 people want to read
About the author
Rupert Spira
53 books567 followersFrom an early age Rupert Spira was deeply interested in the nature of reality. At the age of seventeen he learnt to meditate, and began a twenty-year period of study and practice in the classical Advaita Vedanta tradition under the guidance of Dr. Francis Roles and Shantananda Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of the north of India. During this time he immersed himself in the teachings of P. D. Ouspensky, Krishnamurti, Rumi, Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta and Robert Adams, until he met his teacher, Francis Lucille, in 1997. Francis introduced Rupert to the Direct Path teachings of Atmananda Krishna Menon, the Tantric tradition of Kashmir Shaivism (which he had received from his teacher, Jean Klein), and, more importantly, directly indicated to him the true nature of experience. Rupert lives in the UK and holds regular meetings and retreats in Europe and the USA.
www.rupertspira.com
www.rupertspira.com
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews
February 21, 2017
Rupert's ability to find words to frame the ineffable nature of awareness is in a league of his own.
Unlike the majority of earlier enlightened folk that came spontaneously to an unsought awakening, Rupert was an ardent seeker so he has a rare sympathy and understanding of our plight as seekers. This understanding informs and permeates his every word.
He is the master of the metaphor and uses these with finesse to point us towards the deeper truth and find our own answer to the mystical question of "Who am I?"
Unlike the majority of earlier enlightened folk that came spontaneously to an unsought awakening, Rupert was an ardent seeker so he has a rare sympathy and understanding of our plight as seekers. This understanding informs and permeates his every word.
He is the master of the metaphor and uses these with finesse to point us towards the deeper truth and find our own answer to the mystical question of "Who am I?"
October 11, 2022
Me atrevo a decir que este es el mejor libro que lei en mi vida. Admiro mucho a Rupert Spira y en este libro logra transmitir el mensaje de la no dualidad de una manera muy clara y simple de entender. Realmente este libro es un regalo a la humanidad y una caricia al alma. La paz y el amor que puede transmitir un simple libro es una locura.
July 22, 2022
Beautifully written book on the topic of non-duality. The chapters are divided into sections where Rupert Spira answers questions rated to the topic of the chapter which makes it easy to follow.
Every sentence in this book is full of wisdom so best is to read it slowly to not miss anything :) Highly recommend it.
Every sentence in this book is full of wisdom so best is to read it slowly to not miss anything :) Highly recommend it.
April 15, 2022
Absolutely Wonderful Book
Attends beautifully to to paradoxical unity, non-duality, and full inclusiveness. The key understanding for me is to always transcend and include. Thus we take all ways under consideration, and be open to a Third Way of novel resolution. Thus resolving conflict with, courage and compassion. (We must remember our past or be condemned to repeat it). Contemplative practice and meditation entered my life where in punitive moments I was given to at tune to my inner voice, Sophia Christos). I Am a "throw-away Catholic deacon". I became one because I became too controversial both creatively and co creatively. I choose my Inner Voice over the voice of the magisterium. I was told that I was not needed about six years ago by my pastor. When I left the church, I walked fully into the open Presence of Sophia. She has taught and guided me in full forgiveness, so as to transcend and include. I have always quipped that " without my enemies I would have no one to love". Goddess forgets no one even the least of people and beings. I see that at our last breath, each of us is Refreshed and Renewed. Suddenly we see our Original Good, our Pristine beauty. Someone once said at her dying breath "I Am not afraid, it is so beautiful here". Since then I have practiced dying a bit each day in meditation. Its so beautiful there !
Thank you !
Dave Schutt
Attends beautifully to to paradoxical unity, non-duality, and full inclusiveness. The key understanding for me is to always transcend and include. Thus we take all ways under consideration, and be open to a Third Way of novel resolution. Thus resolving conflict with, courage and compassion. (We must remember our past or be condemned to repeat it). Contemplative practice and meditation entered my life where in punitive moments I was given to at tune to my inner voice, Sophia Christos). I Am a "throw-away Catholic deacon". I became one because I became too controversial both creatively and co creatively. I choose my Inner Voice over the voice of the magisterium. I was told that I was not needed about six years ago by my pastor. When I left the church, I walked fully into the open Presence of Sophia. She has taught and guided me in full forgiveness, so as to transcend and include. I have always quipped that " without my enemies I would have no one to love". Goddess forgets no one even the least of people and beings. I see that at our last breath, each of us is Refreshed and Renewed. Suddenly we see our Original Good, our Pristine beauty. Someone once said at her dying breath "I Am not afraid, it is so beautiful here". Since then I have practiced dying a bit each day in meditation. Its so beautiful there !
Thank you !
Dave Schutt
April 4, 2023
Mr. Spira clearly has a deep, poetic mastery of the subtle art of simply being aware. And there are a few passages that are worth further contemplation. But I'm only giving it three stars because I also found the entire work to be very, very repetitive. The chapters read like a transcript of a talk, with each one feeling like a self-contained unit that basically says the same thing over and over.
August 30, 2022
Masterful, as always. This is his most accessible book, and likely a good entry point for anyone starting with him.
December 13, 2020
Having already read The Transparency of Things and Presence, Volume I: The Art of Happiness, the final book in the two-part Presence series, The Intimacy of All Experience is a nice companion piece to its first segment, and very much in line with what I have come to expect from Rupert Spira's writings. Dare I say it, it was perhaps even excessively in line with such expectations. I mean this in the sense that the double-edged sword that is writing about these notions is that they will naturally be repetitive, at least in essence and upon reaching a certain point, blatantly so. While this isn't necessarily the fault of the author, you begin to realise that there are only so many ways that you can describe the very same something from varying angles and degrees; I would just like to make it clear that this is actually a feature, not a bug of this content.
With that being said though, it eventually does take away from the reading experience as you find yourself perhaps slightly too comfortable with its contents. Despite this being the case, I still found myself highlighting many passages - not because they are new to me (especially having read previous publications by Spira), but because as is often the case, they are articulated impeccably, this I cannot deny.
For anyone wondering what to read from Rupert, I would simply recommened the Presence series, this is especially for those who have had Awakening experiences themselves. These books function more effectively as a means of clarification for what you do already Know, rather than to fundamentally indoctrinate you. This I know the author would agree with, given the nature of how powerful inside-out realisation is compared to outside-in realisation, otherwise, known as belief.
I must acknowledge that I most probably would have rated this at least four stars given it was not the third of his that I had read given the hugely similar writings between each of the books I have read. For those of you that are earlier on in this journey, please check it out for I am sure that while you perhaps may not understand everything from the get go, it will hold a greater potential in its capacity to expand your Consciousness and shift you deeper into contemplating the nature of your direct experience, here and now.
Three stars (***)
With that being said though, it eventually does take away from the reading experience as you find yourself perhaps slightly too comfortable with its contents. Despite this being the case, I still found myself highlighting many passages - not because they are new to me (especially having read previous publications by Spira), but because as is often the case, they are articulated impeccably, this I cannot deny.
For anyone wondering what to read from Rupert, I would simply recommened the Presence series, this is especially for those who have had Awakening experiences themselves. These books function more effectively as a means of clarification for what you do already Know, rather than to fundamentally indoctrinate you. This I know the author would agree with, given the nature of how powerful inside-out realisation is compared to outside-in realisation, otherwise, known as belief.
I must acknowledge that I most probably would have rated this at least four stars given it was not the third of his that I had read given the hugely similar writings between each of the books I have read. For those of you that are earlier on in this journey, please check it out for I am sure that while you perhaps may not understand everything from the get go, it will hold a greater potential in its capacity to expand your Consciousness and shift you deeper into contemplating the nature of your direct experience, here and now.
Three stars (***)
March 14, 2014
A poet of the art of being present and discovering your true nature.
September 27, 2016
I loved this book. I won it in a contest and I really enjoyed reading. It was an Experience!
November 14, 2016
I won a copy of this book.
I enjoyed this book. Very interesting.
I enjoyed this book. Very interesting.
September 25, 2022
Absolutely brilliant!
May 21, 2025
Presented as an essay with segments depicted as interviews and- I’m assuming- conferences, Rupert Spira’s proposal adopts plenty of his own philosophy mainly from Buddhism, but in general, his focus lays on the nature of our own beings as the main source of the happiness we’re meant to find within, and that’s the cornerstone of the book; happiness its meant to be discovered in ourselves, not found somewhere, or someplace else, therefore, the realization of our own awareness outside of the spectrum of thought, experiences, and superficial elements in our everyday lives holds the key to live our lives plentiful.
Spira also stablishes the necessary parameters for meditation, and how this is key to achieve realization of our own awareness, and thankfully, his writing is easy and digestible enough to follow it in an effective way, noticing how it usually gets overcomplicated in general terms, but his book dives deep into it without toying or messing with the reader’s comprehension, and that’s essential for us to go through the entire 170-pages long essay. The entire philosophy condensed in the book is just as simple to follow, although, not lacking in depth and complexity, at least, in terms of the substantial nature of Spira’s proposal. His constant references to his master, the general core ideology of the religions he quotes and exemplifies works in favor of the complementary experience of his work than against it. Not only that, but he also utilizes several exemplifications in the form of casual situations for his reader to understand easier how his ideas work. For example, in trying to teach how finding our own awareness, and the realization that we’re already complete, he uses as an example the scenario in which a man dreams of another one, eventually meeting this man he dreamt of, he informs him that in his own house there’s a treasure buried underneath, returning to his home just to confirm the other man’s affirmation.
Speaking about it of course isn’t enough, the best way to fully get a grasp of what Spira wants to share one might as well check the book. It is a great recommendation for anyone who’d likes to know a little more about the nature of meditation, Buddhism, and of course, the nature of the self, the being, the duality of these two concepts, and the awareness all human beings, but without the complexities and convoluted terminologies other works of this likeness might possess, this is an ideal introduction to more complicated philosophies, and psychology. Some could find this as potential “self-help”, or “self-improvement” regarding the category in which this can be put, however, being someone who tries to avoid those more than often, I’d say Rupert Spira’s work has more to it than simply being a text book on “how to be happy”, which yes, that’s part of its objective, but Spira’s insights are deeper, and way more interesting than “self-help” books usually are. His messaging is concise, he has a great handling of exemplifications, and his arguments read solidly, and the nature of his ideas are compelling, and engaging to get through.
Rather than a guideline, this feels more like a collection of thoughts and academic ideas placed together alongside the author’s own experiences. It’s a great introduction for anyone wishing to know more about these subjects, and the way Spira writes is quite friendly and lighthearted for casual readers to dig the information and finish the book in a spam of a couple of days. In many ways, it increased my interest in more on the subject, and some of the advice he offers I’m planning to put into practice. It’s a little book that I wouldn’t mind revisiting from time to time, and as for Rupert Spira, I’m already looking forward to more of his works, whichever subject they’re meant to address, it already gained my full interest.
Spira also stablishes the necessary parameters for meditation, and how this is key to achieve realization of our own awareness, and thankfully, his writing is easy and digestible enough to follow it in an effective way, noticing how it usually gets overcomplicated in general terms, but his book dives deep into it without toying or messing with the reader’s comprehension, and that’s essential for us to go through the entire 170-pages long essay. The entire philosophy condensed in the book is just as simple to follow, although, not lacking in depth and complexity, at least, in terms of the substantial nature of Spira’s proposal. His constant references to his master, the general core ideology of the religions he quotes and exemplifies works in favor of the complementary experience of his work than against it. Not only that, but he also utilizes several exemplifications in the form of casual situations for his reader to understand easier how his ideas work. For example, in trying to teach how finding our own awareness, and the realization that we’re already complete, he uses as an example the scenario in which a man dreams of another one, eventually meeting this man he dreamt of, he informs him that in his own house there’s a treasure buried underneath, returning to his home just to confirm the other man’s affirmation.
Speaking about it of course isn’t enough, the best way to fully get a grasp of what Spira wants to share one might as well check the book. It is a great recommendation for anyone who’d likes to know a little more about the nature of meditation, Buddhism, and of course, the nature of the self, the being, the duality of these two concepts, and the awareness all human beings, but without the complexities and convoluted terminologies other works of this likeness might possess, this is an ideal introduction to more complicated philosophies, and psychology. Some could find this as potential “self-help”, or “self-improvement” regarding the category in which this can be put, however, being someone who tries to avoid those more than often, I’d say Rupert Spira’s work has more to it than simply being a text book on “how to be happy”, which yes, that’s part of its objective, but Spira’s insights are deeper, and way more interesting than “self-help” books usually are. His messaging is concise, he has a great handling of exemplifications, and his arguments read solidly, and the nature of his ideas are compelling, and engaging to get through.
Rather than a guideline, this feels more like a collection of thoughts and academic ideas placed together alongside the author’s own experiences. It’s a great introduction for anyone wishing to know more about these subjects, and the way Spira writes is quite friendly and lighthearted for casual readers to dig the information and finish the book in a spam of a couple of days. In many ways, it increased my interest in more on the subject, and some of the advice he offers I’m planning to put into practice. It’s a little book that I wouldn’t mind revisiting from time to time, and as for Rupert Spira, I’m already looking forward to more of his works, whichever subject they’re meant to address, it already gained my full interest.
March 10, 2025
oh man. this book could easily be a 2 but i feel bad rating it that low. i thikn the overall concept of the book was pretty interesting and made me think/stuck with me. BUT, i think it was sooo repetitive, and even though it was repetitive it did not do a good job of making the intangible concept more tangible through examples in real life. and some statements were a little too crazy. but yeah i think this book could have achieved teh same purpose in like .5 the space but still a cool concept that did make me think a bit differently so i appreciated that. dont read unless ur very into this type of book.
July 1, 2024
An eye-opening book that will most certainly change your perspective for the better.
It shares a lot in common with Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now—even down to the Q&A format. While Tolle’s book doesn’t deal exclusively with non-duality, Spira’s message is essentially the same: the present moment is all we have, and it is here, in resting awareness, that we may find the peace and happiness we so often seek outside ourselves. We cannot find happiness, lasting and real happiness, outside of ourselves because happiness is our true nature and who we are.
It shares a lot in common with Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now—even down to the Q&A format. While Tolle’s book doesn’t deal exclusively with non-duality, Spira’s message is essentially the same: the present moment is all we have, and it is here, in resting awareness, that we may find the peace and happiness we so often seek outside ourselves. We cannot find happiness, lasting and real happiness, outside of ourselves because happiness is our true nature and who we are.
December 4, 2024
Brilliant Read
Rupert’s book, written I believe during lockdown, is a brilliant exposition on non-duality and the direct path to presence. This very readable and enthralling book had me highlighting so many paragraphs and passages that, when I look back through it there are not many pages left without my markings; it all seemed so important to take in and remember. I highly recommend this book to all who seek inner peace and happiness, which, as Rupert says, is inherent in all of us and is in fact the very essence of our being.
Rupert’s book, written I believe during lockdown, is a brilliant exposition on non-duality and the direct path to presence. This very readable and enthralling book had me highlighting so many paragraphs and passages that, when I look back through it there are not many pages left without my markings; it all seemed so important to take in and remember. I highly recommend this book to all who seek inner peace and happiness, which, as Rupert says, is inherent in all of us and is in fact the very essence of our being.
August 29, 2024
Having read Spira's The Nature of Consciousness I went into this expecting mind shattering revelations, but found that the core ideas are the same, just packaged slightly differently. If this had been my first foray into non-dualism I probably would've been blown away but there's only so many ways to say one very simple thing and this felt like a complication of that to me personally. So for my own personal records this gets 3 stars!
November 14, 2025
If the author does not integrate modern psychology (like Gabor Maté's work on trauma), readers may be tempted to use the teaching as a spiritual bypass—using the idea that "I am already whole" to avoid facing and processing genuine emotional wounds.
For those who accept the radical truth that their search for happiness has been misdirected. Still need to re-read as I have not been able to get out of the hedonic treadmill yet.
For those who accept the radical truth that their search for happiness has been misdirected. Still need to re-read as I have not been able to get out of the hedonic treadmill yet.
January 25, 2026
I struggled with this book since I felt there was just one sentence repeated throughout the entire book and I would really say that for me, making the intangible tangible was just not successful here. When you are in a place where letting go, surrendering, and just being does not yield any of the broadening, sense of connection, or insight into the divine, it is also true that happiness does not naturally result. I would say the same is true for grief as well. Just did not resonate for me.
May 30, 2023
A Great Offering of Clarity and Wisdom
Rupert Spira is simply one of the clearest guides supporting the remembering of the One we are. His communication carries clarity because he speaks from the authenticity of his own Being. He is not to be followed, though. He is not to be seen as “better” than any other. He introduces us to ourselves.
Rupert Spira is simply one of the clearest guides supporting the remembering of the One we are. His communication carries clarity because he speaks from the authenticity of his own Being. He is not to be followed, though. He is not to be seen as “better” than any other. He introduces us to ourselves.
February 23, 2025
Let down
The first volume is outstanding. This one is a great let down. Repetitive intellectual debate emphasizing concepts not experience. Experience becomes abstract, untouchable yet all encompassing. I was expecting applications, examples to propel experiential learning and understanding. Ou get a superficial intellectual discussion void of depth and substance.
The first volume is outstanding. This one is a great let down. Repetitive intellectual debate emphasizing concepts not experience. Experience becomes abstract, untouchable yet all encompassing. I was expecting applications, examples to propel experiential learning and understanding. Ou get a superficial intellectual discussion void of depth and substance.
July 4, 2023
you should read this. if you know, you know
Do we have your attention?
Thank you so much Rupert! You excellently distilled the eastern flavored wisdom I already had in abundance. So useful!!
Do we have your attention?
Thank you so much Rupert! You excellently distilled the eastern flavored wisdom I already had in abundance. So useful!!
January 8, 2024
could not put it down!
Of all the spiritual books I’ve read this one was deeply heartfelt and experienced by me as peace and happiness. The authors soul, through his words or presence, touched my soul.
Of all the spiritual books I’ve read this one was deeply heartfelt and experienced by me as peace and happiness. The authors soul, through his words or presence, touched my soul.
April 15, 2025
rupert spira is highly articulate, and I enjoyed the book, the deduction in stars is due to how repetitive the message is. not much new, this book literally just phrases "you are the happiness you seek" in a million different ways.
September 15, 2025
Spira is a marvellous teacher and the key contents of this book are like his teachings- priceless. But this book in particular came across as if someone really wanted him to write a new book and that too a big one at that. Hence most of the book is low quality verbal gymnastics.
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September 3, 2023This is the September, 2023 selection of South Austin Spiritual Book Group.
December 18, 2023
This deserves an actual review... for the book & for my rating... TBCeekers.
May 16, 2024
Amazing. Time to read everything he’s ever written.
July 3, 2024
If you’re interested in non-duality understanding and the “direct path” to infinite awareness, Rupert Spira is the person to read.
November 30, 2024
I found certain portions of this book rather illuminating and there is certainly a lot of food for thought. Now, that being said, I felt like at times he was needlessly wordy and often repetitive.
January 8, 2025
the subtle art of simply being aware, Self inquiry and realizing consiousnous. Now time to practice and make it a muscle memory :)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 48 reviews