The Urgency of Change Dialogue Group Meeting, September 19, 2021

The Urgency of Change Dialogue Group Meeting

Sunday, September 19, 2021

Zoom online

 

There were eleven participants in attendance for this monthly meeting. Three group members had informed us prior to the meeting that they would not be able to attend and one other did not show up. We began with a period of quiet sitting, being fully present with whatever was arising without naming it. In the silence of an attentive mind the subtle movements of thought and the associated feelings can be seen and this seeing can have an impact on the consciousness. The intention for the meeting was to explore the topic of fear based on our own personal explorations since the previous meeting in August and, if time allowed, to look into the chapter entitled “Fear” in the Krishnamurti text The Urgency of Change. After the initial meditation participants were invited to share their discoveries regarding the source of their fears and the connections between thought and feelings. There was a great willingness to delve rather deeply into various aspects of fear as each one experiences them and to share them in a way that stimulated some meaningful sharing and insight. We touched on the issue of “emptiness” and the resistance to it, as well as the tendency of thought to project negative ideas onto the unknown. The conversation flowed harmoniously as people respectfully listened and expressed their insights and questions.

The richness of the sharing was such that the whole meeting was taken up with exploring the specific discoveries of the participants in their process of self-study. It was decided that we would visit the chapter on fear at our next meeting and perhaps choose a further selection to look into if time allows. There were a number of appreciations shared at the end of the session acknowledging the depth and value of the group communication.