Self-inquiry with Cynthia Overweg, June 2, 2024

Self-Inquiry with Cynthia Overweg,

Sunday, June 2, 2024

Metchosin, BC

KECC Gatehouse

 

Thirteen people showed up for this Sunday afternoon meeting facilitated by Cynthia Overweg. Her quiet and gentle manner accommodated a good number of participants new to the teachings of J. Krishnamurti and the ways in which we explore our understanding of his words and our understanding of ourselves as we contemplate observations from his books and the ideas shared by members of the group that gathers for any discussion or “Dialogue” session. In this meeting Cynthia offered a passage from The Book of Life: Daily Meditation with Krishnamurti wherein K posed the question “What would you do if you suddenly were faced with having only one hour to live?” The question stimulated some very interesting responses from the group, some related to the sense of relationship with individuals we would never be seeing again and the desire to acknowledge the preciousness of having been with them for whatever times of heightened meaning were provided by the feelings of love and connection that had been and perhaps were even more valued now that an ending of those experiences was approaching. Would people hold on to resentments and judgements about others/ Would they be more forgiving? Would there be anything to forgive? Is forgiveness an action of the mind or of the heart?

Along with the heightened feeling of appreciation for good human friendship was the possibility of greater appreciation of our surroundings and of nature. Would there be an embracing of what is most important to us and to our true “identity”, which has no need to cling to superficial aspects of our being and activities? How, in contemplating death, do we feel about the famous advice to “die before you die”? Can we live in that state in the present moment.

It was mentioned that the participants seemed very ready to contemplate the subject and displayed little fear of the fact of death when invited to discuss it. One person commented that not only is death the unknown but also life is full of unknowns we must face in our daily existence.

This will be our last meeting with Cynthia before she returns home. We have much appreciated her presence and guidance in our self-inquiry “practice” and will look forward to future times together.

DB