Meditative Self-Inquiry with Mukesh Gupta

Sunday, June 9, 2024

Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada

Metchosin, BC

 

There was a small turnout of six people on a sunny but windy day at the Krishnamurti Centre on Swanwick Road in Metchosin. It was difficult to find a suitable place to sit in a tight circle where we could hear each other talk. Mukesh chose a place sheltered from the worst of the gusts and we settled in as best we could, given the situation, to share our questions, understandings, and insights. It seemed appropriate to address the subject of listening and Mukesh did so right away. “Listening is a complete act,” he offered, “which brings its own freedom. It requires no effort, no seeking; these just get in the way. And listening is connected with “seeing”.

Mukesh read a couple of passages from The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti. The reading was followed by a quiet sit which was described as the experience of a “space of affection” within which words were not the primary reality. Several participants acknowledged that there is awareness prior to thinking, and this could be called a power of “negation” and a “clarity” which arises when something is seen as false. This brought us to question what it is that we are most interested in as human beings living together and exploring our daily lives. As we often do, we admitted that perhaps our greatest challenge is that of facing fear as we move through our world, both physically and psychologically. We looked at a variety of ways that thought and fear could affect our lives and inquired what could be effective responses to such disturbances when they arose. We discussed our challenges with fear to a significant depth, it seemed, then were treated to another quote from The Book of Life and a few moments of silence which were felt to be a kind of “awakeness” relevant to our dialogue. It was an interesting and meaningful afternoon under the oak trees.

 

DB