The Urgency of Change Dialogue Group, April 12, 2020

The Urgency of Change Dialogue Group
Sunday, April 12, 2020

This was the second meeting of this group and the first one conducted online. The expected number of participants did not materialize but nine of us logged in for the two and a half hour session. The group is focusing on the study of J. Krishnamurti’s book The Urgency of Change as a platform for studying ourselves and the activity of self-inquiry. This meeting we explored the first chapter of the book entitled “Awareness”, wherein, in discussion with Alain Naude, K lays out some of the fundamentals of his teaching.
As there were a number of new members, the meeting began with brief introductions. After the sharings, it was pointed out that the act of listening itself, almost regardless of the content, was a kind of meditation which could invoke a different quality of awareness. David then led a guided meditation inviting full attention and presence and asking us to notice if thought was creating a division between an observer and what is being observed. The question was asked, “What happens when the division is noticed? Again, is there a different quality of attention or awareness?”
We then began to read the chapter a paragraph at a time, pausing to allow for comments, questions, observations, and insights to be shared in the group. The participants were fully engaged in the dialogue and generated a sense of shared meaning as we explored the questions and responses that arose. The interest in the inquiry was such that we covered less than half the chapter’s contents and will continue with the remainder of the first chapter next meeting. Participants expressed appreciation for the opportunity to come together in this way and to share the exploration of Krishnamurti’s pointers and our own discoveries.