Peter Brown’s Yoga of Radiant Presence
This page is dedicated to the teaching of Peter Brown. Peter made himself available to transmit and teach this yoga individually, in groups, and at retreats until he passed away in September 2022.
Peter’s teaching is known as ‘the Yoga of Radiant Presence’ which is primarily about noticing the primal intelligence, and meaningfulness behind everything, and which permeates everything. Discovering and tuning into this intelligence of life is the essence of spirituality, says Peter.
We find ourselves here in this situation we call life. There’s no operator’s manual. There’s no set of directions. Our unquestioned narrative is often, “I think I know who I am, what my life’s about, what my history is, what my goals are, what my problems are.” But how accurate are any of these beliefs? Do you really know who or what you are and what reality is? You’re in luck, says Peter Brown, because you have the “rays” of reality here explicitly and nakedly on display to examine, and you are equal to reality. You’re already aware of these ‘rays’ since you’re conscious of being conscious. You perceive only perception, sense only sensation, and intuitively feel your own beingness or aliveness. All you experience is experience, and experience is equal to reality. Therefore, this ordinary moment, right here and now, is your great opportunity and point of access. This simple yet profound truth is central to the Yoga of Radiant Presence.
When we notice this intelligence, we find that our life is incredibly meaningful and integral to the very fabric of reality. Our spiritual unfoldment is one with the creative expression of the deepest meaningfulness of reality. We have immediate access to this intelligence right now, and this is the divine force manifesting itself. This moment is the presence of absolute, unlimited, infinite divinity. Experience is an incredible explosion of energy appearing in inconceivable, infinite consciousness.
In noticing our actual condition, we discover an unthinkable fullness. We discover the deeper qualities of true Self beyond the superficial distortions that constitute the ego, the false self. Rather than a void-like nothingness, Self is the vibrant, dynamic, and diverse fullness of this present moment. We overlook this depth because we focus on mundane surface waves. What we are is an absolute fullness, an absolute completeness. There is no lack: nothing that needs to be added, nothing that needs to be achieved, and nothing that needs to be found that is not already here. When we see that for ourselves, factually, actually, as it is, we discover a natural state of satisfaction and fulfilment.
When you look for yourself, you will realise that you are complete. You are whole. You’re not broken in any way, so you don’t need fixing. You are already across the finish line.
Peter sums up spiritual practice this way: “If we want to study reality, we have to look here. If we want to study God, we have to look here. If we want to study Self, we have to look here. If we want to study intelligence, we have to look here. So approach your experience, open-endedly without expectation and without preconceptions. Let go of your notions, beliefs, and ideas about what it is and what’s happening. Instead, experience your experience as it is in this instant. See what it is that is here. See what ‘here’ and what ‘now’ is.”
Awakening is the assimilation of the direct evidence of what this actually is, to be completely aware of what this is, as it is. This is spiritual realisation. This is enlightenment. This is liberation. In essence, seeing this moment as it is and not piling it with imaginary interpretations. Just this simple event is the great goal, reward, and achievement. It’s what you are. This is the Yoga of Radiant presence.
“Play with this stuff, be with this in all its modes, and let yourself discover what it is. This is the Yoga. The Yoga is very, very simple; simply being with experience and letting it show you what it is. But the trick is to do it… with intelligence, do it with sensitivity. Be with your experience in a spirit of questioning, in a spirit of intelligent investigation, not analysis… You just need to let yourself access it. Notice it. Because the full range of the spectrum is already intrinsically present. Realisation is already present. This is and never has been anything other than reality, nakedly revealing. And realisation is simply noticing that fact. You don’t need to do anything. You don’t need to achieve anything or change anything… It’s a matter of letting it show you what it is by being sensitive to it, being with it as it is… How do you do that? You do it with subtlety, intelligence and intimacy.”
I’ve compiled many hours of introductory talks on the Yoga of Radiant Presence by Peter Brown – links below:
YouTube Playlist
Podcast Platforms
Introductory Videos
Blog Posts on the Yoga of Radiant Presence
- Spirituality is the art of distinguishing fantasy from actuality
“The entirety of practical spirituality consists of distinguishing fantasy from actuality. The spiritual problem consists of not being able to distinguish fantasy from actuality… It’s not that fantasy is bad, it’s not that fantasy is wrong, and it’s not that […] - Spiritual awakening is the assimilation of the direct evidence of reality
“You are not missing anything. You are not failing in the spiritual search. Your search has uncovered many things that you need. The problem is this issued architecture of beliefs. Take a look at that – what do you believe […] - It’s possible to discover what we are
“As long as you identify yourself with the projection of separateness, you will continue to deny that you are the Source of all projections. When you truly and absolutely awaken to this fact, and comprehend the overwhelming implications inherent within […] - The true goal of spirituality
“If you wish to fully appreciate the beauty of a rose, don’t try to add to the rose. Remove that which obscures the pure vision of the rose and keeps you from experiencing it in its perfect roseness. Similarly, if […] - Life is a wide-open mystery
“Is it possible to live in this world without a belief – not change beliefs, not substitute one belief for another, but be entirely free from all beliefs, so that one meets life anew each minute? This, after all, is […]
Links
Peter Brown’s website: theopendoorway.org
Yoga of Radiant Presence: Facebook Group