In this post I’m going to offer snapshot answers to actual frequently asked questions I’m asked on a regular basis. Each of these answers could be expanded upon almost indefinitely, but I’ll do my best to be as concise as possible.
Do you believe in God?
I don’t believe in some entity out there separate from existence that supposedly created all that we see (whether deistic or theistic). So, if that’s what you mean by the word “god”, then no I do not. God, in that sense, is irrelevant. Just a belief.
I exist. Right here, right now. All that exists is this moment. This is existence. Existence is. I am not separate from existence, neither are you. Separation is an illusion. And, because existence right here right now is, and because separation is an illusion, I am existence right here right now. Existence is = I am. You can say that too. You are not separate from the universe. You are not separate from existence. There is ONLY existence, which makes YOU existence itself. You can simply say, “I am.”
Do you meditate?
I don’t have a regular “practice” of meditation. However, I live what I call a meditative life. I am continuously aware of my true identity, true nature, true reality, which is that I am inseparable from the whole. I am existence itself. I am the flow of cosmic energy taking on the form of all seen and unseen. I am continuously aware of the illusion of a separate, independent ego. That all that “happens” is just that, the happening of the whole. Waves of the ocean of being. And, you know, waves aren’t separate from the ocean. Waves are forms of the energy of the ocean. “Wave” is a word to describe the forms and movement of the ocean, but it is only the ocean waving. So it is with all “things” and “events”. It is existence. The ocean of being waving.
Being aware of this truth on some level is precisely the meditative state. It is experiencing yourself as the whole; inseparable from every supposed “thing”.
Why did you leave Christianity?
I came to the intellectual understanding that Christianity is not true. In short (extremely short, but you can read more on this topic here), when I really got an in depth grasp of the historical context out of which the New Testament and Jesus stories emerged, it completely transformed the way I read and understood the New Testament, which expanded into my understanding of the Bible as a whole, along with all other “inspired” religious texts.
Specifically with Christianity, when I understood the absolute importance of the destruction of Jerusalem with its temple (the war between the Romans and the Jews) that occurred around 70 CE, the purpose of the New Testament and the importance of Christianity in it’s own context profoundly emerged.
Again, in extreme short, the coming of Jesus, the judgment, hell, etc. are all about and ultimately concerned with an explanation of the destruction of Jerusalem, interpreted by the writers and believers as their god’s covenantal judgment against unfaithful Israel. The religion has nothing to do with our own context. In fact, it has nothing to do with anyone outside of its own immediate context. There are no coming end times, no judgments, no heaven or hell as believed by Christians, and no Judeo Christian god watching your every thought and move.
I was a pastor when I understood these things. No longer being able to believe because of the intellectual journey I had taken, I could no longer preach what I knew to be false. I got out of ministry, left the religion, and embarked upon my own path of self-discovery and realization.
What DO you believe?
Nothing. Belief is unnecessary. I experience what is. I experience existence, this moment, right here, right now. There is existence, the universe, energy, name it what you will (the unnameable), and it is inseparable. I do not believe that we were placed into this existence from somewhere else, by anyone else. I do not believe in any god or gods, or devils or demons, or heavens or hells, or any other religious belief. I experience this inseparable moment as all that exists. When you live in this state of awareness, belief becomes absolutely unnecessary.
What is belief to existence? What does existence itself have to believe? Existence is…right here, right now. Belief is irrelevant. Therefore, I mean it when I say that I have no beliefs. I am. Period.
Do you have any book recommendations?
First of all, I do have a book recommendations page where I’ve written short blurbs on some of my favorite reads. I’m an avid reader, so I really could recommend lots of books. However, I’ll name a few here that truly stand out among the rest for me.
Alan Watts has had a profound effect on me. I discovered Alan perhaps a year or so after leaving Christianity. I highly recommend his talks, book, and articles. The first book I ever read by Alan was The Wisdom of Insecurity. I think it’s a good place to start with Alan. However, a couple of my absolute favorites are The Way of Zen; Tao: The Watercourse Way; In My Own Way (autobiography); and Cloud Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown.
Besides Alan, I would recommend several nonduality themed books, such as, Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj’s book I Am That; Astavakra Samita; the ancient Zen poem called Hsin Hsin Ming; The Other Shore by Thich Nhat Hahn; and Waking Up by Sam Harris.
What happens when we die?
No one knows, and anyone or any book that tries to tell you what happens after death is either telling you what they believe, as opposed to what they know, or they are giving you a product of their wild imagination. Most people who claim to know what happens after death are merely stating their beliefs in the beliefs of ancient human beings. They get their beliefs of the afterlife from either a book of other’s beliefs (and typically from someone explaining their beliefs of beliefs), like the Bible or Quran, or they get their beliefs from others who claim they know because of some type of special revelation like a near death experience.
On near death experiences, about which I’m often asked, in my understanding of the scientific research, there are bursts of brain activity even up to hours after “death” and during resuscitation efforts which seem to be the cause of NDE’s. These are NEAR death experiences, not DEATH experiences. No one has ever come back from a black brain, dead brain, death experience to tell about it. No one has ever completely died (irreversible brain death) and returned to tell about it. No one has been beheaded and returned to tell about it. NDE’s are explained by these bursts of activity still present in the brain. The experiencer may believe their experience was reality much like a DMT experiencer questions and sometimes believes the reality of multidimensional experiences or even entity experiences.
For me, I have never died, I’ve never experienced life after death, so if I were to tell you what happens after death I would be employing my imagination or beliefs, just as anyone else who provides you an answer. What happens after death? No one know. In fact, the question is again irrelevant! You exist right here, right now. Existence is this moment. What has the question to do with this moment? Better yet, what is death to existence?! Existence is never born and never dies. You are existence. Connect the dots.
More to Come
These are a several common questions I get asked all the time. Again, with each of these I could spend countless words, but my aim here is to offer brief snapshots of replies for a quick read. I’ll provide more frequently asked questions and responses in the future as well. These replies may resonate with you, or they may lead into more questions. Either way, I’d love to hear your thoughts.
Also, if you have a specific question you’d like to ask, please visit my Ask Rick page to submit your questions. I’ll provide a video response within 1-3 days. You can also ask your questions during my weekly lives on TikTok and YouTube.
As always, if you’d like in depth one on one sessions, you can always book a session with me by visiting my Private Sessions page. I have various offerings there for one on one sessions.
♥️♥️♥️