Exposing Ourselves to Ourselves, April 21 – 23, 2023

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Exposing Ourselves to Ourselves 

With Jackie McInley 

April 21 – 23, 2023 

Zoom Online 

 

While Jackie was visiting us at the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada, located in Metchosin, BC, she was most willing to facilitate a number of meetings both in-person and online. This particular offering consisted of three two hour sessions online and was attended by fourteen people, including staff as well as participants from various locations in North America. To begin the workshop, Jackie gave an opening talk on the nature of dialogue or group inquiry. She shared that her intention was for the participants to be directly aware, as the event unfolded, of what is happening in the present moment in their thoughts and feelings. She also invited the participants to question ourselves in a way that could reveal ourselves to ourselves or bring insight and understanding about how our consciousness is operating as we interact and relate with other members of the group. She then questioned what is “understanding” and how it is different from interpretation of what others are saying. This led to some sharing of fears about exposing ourselves and some discussion of the place self-images play in such experiences of fear. The sharing moved on to wondering what produces cohesion in a group and how we know that we are understanding each other. It was an interesting first engagement of the group with the process of dialogue. 

 For the second meeting there was an attendance of 16 people. The dialogue focused on a number of issues that were of primary interest to participants: 

  • Looking outside ourselves for help. Awareness of this tendency is a central aspect of Krishnamurti’s teachings and is deeply woven into the nature of many spiritual groups. It may be believed that the world is not enough to resolve our problems, so we look for assistance in many ways, from God, guru, other people, and so on. 
  • Can thinking solve the problems created by thinking? 
  • Dialogue is only intelligent when we are able to open to what is being said rather than arguing about who is more correct. This is dialogue rather than discussion. 
  • Are we entirely different from each other? Can the separateness be broken down? Do we need help in this enterprise? Are we maintaining a sense of separateness? 
  • Do we have to get rid of thinking or is it just necessary to expose the “me”?  
  • Thinking and the “me” cannot be avoided. Can we see the problem in the question? Is the seeing enough? 
  • What is “seeing”? 
  • The importance of interest. Am I interested in seeing the thoughts that create separation? Am I able to face what is happening right from the beginning? 
  • Our way of listening and our attachments to our own ideas. Is our sense of connection with each other actually a limited connection? 
  • Our need for outward validation 
  • The tendency to force others to see 
  • Looking into who or what I am is a fundamental activity 
  • What is left when my self-images fall away? 
  • The fear of being alone 
  • What is the urge to enter into the conversation, to assert one’s viewpoint? Can one stay with the feeling? Does this create an opening? 

 Many other questions were raised on the third day related to awareness and observation. A few of the participants asked if we are not missing something essential in the inquiry when we give thought the power to block the exploration? Are we not ignoring the presence of something beyond thought which is part of our capacity to see clearly? Could we call that “thing” (or no-thing) awareness without giving its power away to the label “awareness”? Can that awareness see the truth or falseness of our concepts? 

Participants expressed appreciation for the quality of inquiry generated by the group and supported by Jackie’s facilitation without her being a “leader”. It was a very interesting weekend.

 

DB