Self-inquiry, May 17, 2023

Self-inquiry in Victoria

With Harshad Parekh

May 17, 2023

Esquimalt Gorge Pavilion

 

Six people in total were present for this Wednesday meeting at the beautiful Esquimalt Gorge Pavilion on Tillicum Road. The session lasted from 4 pm to 5:30. It is sometimes difficult to describe what goes on in a dialogue meeting if one is paying attention to the interactions and how one is responding to those interactions and not so much to the content being discussed. The form of the conversation can often seem to dissolve into more of a formless and indescribable happening than something that can be easily described. Some of the dialogue was focused on the very occurrence of a melting away of shape and form in favour of an experience of Beingness which is made more of a “consciousness” which has no form than it is anything concrete. The awareness of such a subtle reality was perhaps more interesting for most than anything more solid. In fact, as I write this report it seems to reflect something even less solid than what can be described with our normal language and I hope it is not too confusing or difficult to grasp hold of. Some of the participants were interested in the kind of inquiry that Krishnamurti says can involve no effort and consideration of such a phenomenon attracted our attention for some time. It was also acknowledged that inquiry may have to begin with an intellectual understanding which can become more subtle and refined as one observes the workings of one’s own thoughts and feelings. Harshad emphasised that the most significant observation is that which looks from a place that is beyond the mind (or thoughts and feelings). Other participants expressed the same idea by giving importance to the concept of Being over the directing of energy in any particular manner. These participants tended more towards quietness than towards verbal expression.

DB