Urgency of Change Dialogue Meeting, August 9, 2020

The Urgency of Change Dialogue Meeting

Sunday, August 9, 2020

Zoom online

Eight of us were present for this online meeting, intending to explore the topic of relationship. We began with a guided meditation exploring what might be arising in the form of self-images and images of others in the group. Does thought filter our experience of relationship through images and ideas from the past, thus veiling the immediacy of the contact and/or the possibility of real communion? It was a question that was further explored in the dialogue that followed. The focus of our sharing was the chapter in The Urgency of Change by J. Krishnamurti entitled “Relationship”, in which K and his inquiry partner ask whether it is possible to break through the barriers that create isolation and separate us from each other and the experience of harmony and unity. We examined a number of aspects of the issue, with group members offering their perspectives and reflections.

During the half-time break in the session, I (David) was feeling a little at a loss for direction and, looking at a passage in the book, was inspired by a few of K’s words in the text. “Don’t explain anything: just feel your way into it”….. I opened to the sense of confusion and uncertainty I was experiencing and immediately felt a shift in my consciousness, a sense of peace and happy enjoyment of simply being present in the moment. It was a living demonstration of what K was pointing to with his suggestion – or at least a version of it. It also seemed like a significant reminder for all dialogues. It sometimes seems easy to get pulled into overly mental discussions of concepts and problems created by thought, and it might be helpful at such times to bring in our feeling capacity. Dialogue provides ongoing opportunities for learning.

The next chapter to be explored is the one entitled “Conflict”.