“A New Mind”
Three day online workshop with Mukesh Gupta
January 28 – 30, 2022
Mukesh joined us from Varanasi, India, for this three-session workshop which he introduced as “a meditative and transformative self-inquiry workshop.” The title of the event, “A New Mind”, was appropriate as we begin a new year. Each session was 1 ½ hours in length and, as usual, focused on questions and understandings inspired by the teachings of J. Krishnamurti and by the individual explorations of the presenter, Mukesh, and the participants in the event. The workshop was attended by twelve participants.
Mukesh began, after a short silent meditation, by asking what is the need for a “new mind”. This led to the question “Are we living with a sense of order, love, and beauty? In fact, the way we are living displays a lack of such qualities and the presence of self-centredness and violence, which indicates that our lives need a thorough exploration. We must first understand the limitations of the old mind which is conditioned, is a result of influences, lives in set patterns, and lives in the past, in memories, residues, and stories. It is dominated by the thinking process and the creation of images, is primarily concerned with pleasure and security, is attached to answers and prefers to remain in the comfort zone of the known. It is not a free mind.
Mukesh reminded us that we are looking at the structures of the old mind without any judgement or condemnation, as if studying the behaviour of our own child. The challenge is to become awake to the suffering of this old mind, with its constant generation of problems. It has too much reliance on knowledge, which binds us, lives with conclusions and beliefs, and is authority-bound, habitually repeating old ideas. Other qualities of the “old mind” are that it is self-centred, living in fear, reacting to life, inattentive, and not a loving mind. Paradoxically, without rejecting or attempting to get rid of it, this “mind” must be understood for freedom to dawn and for the qualities of the “new mind” to come forth.
The essence of the new mind is listening in openness, from a quiet space, without resistance or a motive. It listens from the heart, with the whole being, and breaks down the old patterns of thinking. The moment we start looking and listening there is immediate freedom and then staying with whatever is happening is itself the deep exploration. There is no effort or struggle necessary. After some group discussion, Mukesh asked participants to read over and contemplate some material (being emailed to us) on the topic being investigated and to consider experientially what might be the deepest pattern of the old mind functioning in themselves.
In the second session Mukesh right away emphasised that the looking and listening happen in this present moment. The “new mind” is immediately available. Is there really any block to this seeing, with its love and compassion? With this observing, there is an emptying of the egoic mind, a putting aside of the intellect, and an opening to the energies of the universe and the beauty of life.
After his initial talk, Mukesh suggested we break into smaller groups and inquire in a possibly more intimate setting. We could, if we wished, explore what is preventing the flowering of the new mind. Can we reveal the blocks? If we do, the transformation happens on its own. The breakout groups were allotted twenty-five minutes to discuss and inquire; the reports afterwards indicated an enjoyment of the process. Pretty much the same format was followed on the third day with some new questions being introduced. In the breakout groups participants could focus on a question that had particular relevance for them or could explore the nature of Presence and Awareness. Again this exercise was found to be enjoyable and valuable. We returned to the main group for a final sharing of what was significant for us over the weekend, which involved some expression of appreciation for the experience. Mukesh’s guidance was, as always, skillful and kind, providing a space for productive inquiry and insight. We are grateful for his work and dedication.
Meditative Self-Inquiry April 10, 2022
/in Event Summaries /by David BruneauMeditative Self-Inquiry
With Mukesh Gupta, April 10, 2022
Zoom online
In this session of Meditative Self-Inquiry Mukesh chose to focus on the question, “Can there be an end to fear and sorrow?” Seventeen people, staff included, attended the online presentation and discussion which began with a talk by Mukesh and then opened up for group questions and dialogue. Right at the beginning Mukesh posed another question which he felt to be crucial: “Am I present here and now?” Without answering that question Mukesh then gave a talk of about forty-five minutes to an hour about the nature of fear and sorrow, both being realities that everyone goes through in their lives. As long as we are caught in fear and sorrow, he said, we cannot flower, but when we understand deeply the roots of them then the issues and associated problems dissolve.
Fear arises when we are not facing the reality of our lives, when we are avoiding it. It is the shadow of desire, desire to dominate and have power. It exists when our self-centredness is not seen and we try to find security in thought constructs. Can it be seen that there is no security in identification with thought and in being driven by the egoic mind. Listening to Krishnamurti and other teachers the truth is seen. We must also listen to ourselves. Ego mind cannot heal itself but it can be looked at from the space of awareness and pure observation without naming what is seen and without trying to get rid of it. The “ego” can arise and dissolve naturally. It will be seen that the “observer” is the “observed”: both are creations of thought. The “I” is fear and sorrow. Our looking must be complete, a watching of what arises as thought and sensation. This watching awakens a different quality of intelligence which manifests compassion and passion for truth.
Following the talk we sat quietly for a short time then entered into dialogue. Questions and responses emerged concerning the need and possibility of peace, which must begin with ourselves. Any realisation of peace is significant. Can we also go to the very root of conflict and cut it? Can we feel responsible for the world and not feel guilty at the same time? Dialogue helps us to see the limits and falseness of our ideas and to realise the power of love and compassion, the depths of life.
Problems seem endless. What are we to do? Can we stay with the seeing of the “me” in action? Can we face the loneliness of the “me”? We must approach complex problems in a simple way. We need energy for creation, not for reaction. The participants seemed moved to explore such questions and to bring such inquiry into their daily lives.
The Only Revolution: Meditations on Interior Change.
/in Event Summaries /by David BruneauThe Only Revolution: Meditations on Interior Change
With Cynthia Overweg
April 9, 2022, Zoom online
This was the second in a four part series of presentations by Cynthia via Zoom from Ojai, where she resides. The focus of the session was on the issue of time and transformation. Is inner transformation limited by time? Seventeen people in total were present online for the event. As she usually does, Cynthia combined a rich selection of Krishnamurti quotes from various sources along with periods of silent awareness of the breath and the movements of thought and feeling as we observed ourselves and discussed the issues being explored through the quotes and our own inquiries. Musical accompaniment and beautiful photographs created an added background for curious looking and listening in the silent times.
Cynthia began with one of K’s fundamental teachings that it is through relationship that we begin to understand the functioning of the mind. Part of this understanding involves the issue of time. She also posed the question, “What is transformation?” It was proposed that transformation involves a shift into a level of awareness more subtle than our usual state. That quality of attention is free of the conditioned mind which often prevents us from seeing the facts of our own conditioning. “In the understanding of the total process of the mind, there is a radical change.” (K) This change releases us from the tyranny of the conditioned mind and from time itself. “To realise what is eternal, time must stop.” The moment to moment seeing of the self in action is the transformation. We must begin on a small scale with “me” and “you” in daily relationship, for self-knowledge is the foundation for the eternal. Ultimately, “the meditation of a mind that is utterly silent is the benediction that man is ever seeking.”
Following Cynthia’s talk there was an opportunity for participants to ask questions and share observations. The reality or illusion of time was questioned and the attempts to grapple with such deep questions by such scientists as Einstein and David Bohm were included in our own wonderings. We circled back to the importance of seeing clearly the problem of the “thinker” or “observer” as it is created by thought. Can this movement of thought be seen and understood as the whole movement of the “me”? This may be the basis of freedom.
Exploring Ourselves, April 3, 2022
/in Event Summaries /by David BruneauExploring Ourselves
With Jackie McKinley
Sunday, April 3, 2022
Zoom Online
Nineteen participants gathered on a Sunday morning to share in a process of “dialogue” which was led by Jackie McKinley from the UK. She is offering the sessions, sponsored by the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada, twice per month via the Zoom online medium. There were a number of participants new to Krishnamurti’s teachings and to the activity of dialogue. The meeting began with some discussion of the principles of dialogue as they were developed and presented by physicist David Bohm during and following his years of interactions with Jiddu Krishnamurti. The practice of “suspension” in particular was examined and questioned by group members. This is a practice of holding up an idea in a space where it can be looked at without previous conclusions or beliefs. Jackie spoke of an attitude of curiosity that is conducive to a freshness and spontaneity of investigation which can reveal meaningful insights into the processes of our own minds and hearts as we engage in relationship with others. This led to an exploration of what is effective communication in a group context such as this one and what is actually being received and shared by participants. Is there resistance to what is being shared and how it is being shared?
The subjects of awareness and attention arose and the differences between them were discussed, with some people making them significant. This seemed like familiar ground in Krishnamurti circles but was perhaps not so for everyone. There was both a sense of conflict and disagreement in the communication as well as gratitude for the willingness to look into issues which might be sensitive at times. Jackie often asks if there can be a looking without preconceptions and works hard at encouraging such an approach to understanding ourselves.
“Exploring Ourselves” with Jackie McKinley
Sunday, March 20, 2022
Zoom Online
This meeting was a part of an ongoing series with Jackie McKinley, an experienced dialogue facilitator from the UK. This time Jackie guided the session online from Ojai, California, via Zoom. Twenty people in total were in attendance. She began with an introductory talk about what we were attempting to address in the group meetings, focusing on the factor of separation which may be significant when we come together to look at any serious issues. The issue of separation within ourselves and with other individuals is mirrored by the separation happening in the external world at present, in the Ukraine, for example. Following the talk there was a period of silent sitting which was then reflected upon within the group. What is it like to sit in silence, in the “unknown”?
Participants were invited to bring forward any concerns they might be carrying. The first person to speak shared her tendency to hold on to anger and ill feelings towards others. This led to the question, “Why do we hold on to anything?” Another participant inquired why we so often ask the question “Why?” Would not “What?” or “How?” be more useful? The question then arose about the intention of both types of questions. Are all such questions not employing thought and being answered by thought? Is not thought always limited (as Krishnamurti points out)?
As the activity of sharing ideas unfolded, the issue of separation was brought back and looked at in terms of the group process. Are we actually together when we inquire into any issue, or are we mainly concerned about solutions for ourselves to the exclusion of others? What does it mean to “think together” as K speaks of it? Can thinking address this question adequately? And can I listen to another who seems so different from myself? Is there always something “behind” the surface of what is being said, and does that necessarily prevent effective communication? Can listening take place even when conclusions are being formed and shared? There was a sense in the group of the difficulty of exploring such issues in a way that can be clearly understood by all involved. A good deal of time was spent with these questions and it was suggested we might explore them further at our next meeting in two weeks time.
DB
Meditative Self-Inquiry with Mukesh Gupta, March 13, 2022
/in Event Summaries /by David BruneauMeditative Self-Inquiry with Mukesh Gupta
Zoom online
Sunday, March 13, 2022
Seventeen of us were present in total for this Sunday morning group dialogue. It was the first in a new series of events with Mukesh. He emphasised a question he feels to be essential in our self-inquiry: “Can we not live in a deep peacefulness in our daily lives?” What is the cause of war and conflict inside ourselves and in the world? Can we, Mukesh asked, explore the question without motive or expectation, from a place of quietness and stillness? Can we be aware of our inner disorder? The sense of a separate “me” or “ego” must be understood, not by thought but by awareness. Why have we accepted the separate self as a reality? Is it a thought? And is there any other instrument of exploration than thought? He suggested that awareness and attention are not dependent on thought; we must begin with them and move into our inquiry employing a deep looking and listening which has no past prejudices.
Our group was split into smaller sub-groups of three or four for a more intimate sharing. It was suggested that we approach the questions without having any quick answers. Could we explore as an activity of the heart in a quiet presence and observation? After a valuable twenty minutes of sharing in the small groups we came back together in the large group and engaged in further discussion. The importance of facing any crisis with a “new mind” was explored in some detail by Mukesh and other group members. There must be an openness, a stillness without old ideas and concepts which have little aliveness and creative discovery in them. It is the new mind that can respond adequately to the challenges we are up against at this time and perhaps at any time.
Some time was spent at the end of the meeting in silent sitting, being with our bodily presence and breath.
The Only Revolution, March 12, 2022
/in Event Summaries /by David BruneauThe Only Revolution: Meditation on Interior Change
With Cynthia Overweg online
March 12, 2022
This was the first session in a new series to be presented by Cynthia Overweg from Ojai, California, and based on the book by J. Krishnamurti entitled The Only Revolution. Thirteen people in total were present for the Saturday morning meeting which began with a setting of the context, which included the facts that the pandemic has now been active for two years and also that war is raging in Europe. Can we find a still point in a turning world? Sensitive people are interested in responding to the challenge in a loving way, and Krishnamurti’s teachings can be of help in this endeavour. K said that revolution is the deep abiding living change that transforms our consciousness.
Cynthia wished to focus the exploration in this session on the question “What is meditation?” She suggested that it is the purging of the mind of its self-centred activity, which is hard work. “Seeing” is the crucial element in meditation; in fact meditation is pure attention. The process of the mind freeing itself from the known takes great attention and energy. Can it be present in our every-day life? K taught that life begins where thought ends. When we go beyond thought we are more alive and connected with the life force. This can only take place immediately, when the mind is attentive to the movement of life in all its relationships throughout the day. Meditation is the awakening to our own sorrow and the ending of it. It is silence, a lack of self.
After Cynthia’s initial presentation the audience was invited to pose questions and make comments. One participant offered that the mind has a tendency to want things to be different than they are and is often attached to those differences. Cynthia suggested that we can make a meaningful difference by shifting the quality of our own consciousness and embodying a deeper silence and quietude in our presence. This involves a decreasing of the dominance of the mind and a bringing forward of “the heart”. The discussion seemed to naturally produce a quality of silence and peace in the group, apparently a natural outcome of this type of inquiry and self-observation. When we cease identifying with the “ego” and its suffering and come back to the quiet beingness of the body and the breath, then we are more able to extend loving kindness to the suffering world around us.
DB
Exporing Ourselves with Jackie McInley, February 20, 2022
/in Event Summaries /by David BruneauExploring Ourselves
Dialogue session with Jackie McInley (online)
Sunday, February 20, 2022
Present: 17
This was the second of a series of bi-monthly 2 hour dialogue sessions on “Exploring Ourselves” with Jackie McInley. She started with asking what people would like to discuss. Several brought up questions relating to fear, so the dialogue started with the question: What is fear?
This was followed up by participants probing into various aspects of Fear:
How is it created? It seems based on memory and uncertainty about what could happen.
It seems to be related to a feeling of ‘not being good enough’ and lacking self-acceptance, but how can I accept myself if I don’t really know myself?
There seems to be a sense of threat, and even in a benign setting such as this dialogue session there may be fear of speaking up, with related sensations in the body, such as a pounding heart, sweaty palms, etc.
What is maintaining this sense of fear now? It seems to have to do with our sense of a separate self.
Several persons mentioned that once they heard that their fear or anxiety was shared by others in the group (not only I have it, but we have it), there was a sudden noticeable dissipation of fear.
Towards the end, Jackie raised the question if it is possible to view fear as a signal and part of a system to be observed, without seeing it as a problem that needs to be worked out? And not even calling it fear. What happens then?
It was a lively dialogue session that bodes well for the series and seemed well appreciated by all.
RT
Exploring Ourselves with Jackie McInley, February 6, 2022
/in Event Summaries /by David BruneauExploring Ourselves
Dialogue session with Jackie McInley (online)
Sunday, February 6, 2022
Present: 13
This was the first in a series of bi-weekly dialogue sessions, from February to June, with Jackie McInley who was this time facilitating from Ojai where she had been invited to help support KFA activities. Participants from Canada were joined by others from the US, Sweden and Australia. Introductory comments by Ralph were followed by an introduction to dialogue by Jackie. It is meant to be a space for finding out about ourselves, observing who or what we are, and not to come to any conclusions. Also, to see how thoughts and emotions can cloud communication. She suggested we start by looking at where we are stuck in our lives. Several people commented and one person raised the question: Why do we tend to take things personally? and this question became a main theme for the session. Insecurity and a sense of vulnerability were raised as factors of reaction, leading to the question: Are we aware of the past operating when we react? Also we tend to take the familiar as our reality and can we venture into the unfamiliar?
One person mentioned that a sense of caring in his work in a group home allowed him to see also the other person’s perspective, which made him less reactive. This generated an exploration of what is ‘caring’. Is it conditioned by the past and is there a caring that is not attached to people? Also, is there a caring for one’s own reactions? Jackie skillfully guided the dialogue around these questions and the central theme of why we tend to take things personally. When one person new to this kind of dialogue said he was still not clear about the purpose of the session so far, she clarified that it was about looking at what we don’t always look at and ably addressed his concerns to his satisfaction.
As an aside, David is away in February and will return in early March.
“A New Mind” with Mukesh Gupta January 28 – 30, 2022
/in Event Summaries /by David Bruneau“A New Mind”
Three day online workshop with Mukesh Gupta
January 28 – 30, 2022
Mukesh joined us from Varanasi, India, for this three-session workshop which he introduced as “a meditative and transformative self-inquiry workshop.” The title of the event, “A New Mind”, was appropriate as we begin a new year. Each session was 1 ½ hours in length and, as usual, focused on questions and understandings inspired by the teachings of J. Krishnamurti and by the individual explorations of the presenter, Mukesh, and the participants in the event. The workshop was attended by twelve participants.
Mukesh began, after a short silent meditation, by asking what is the need for a “new mind”. This led to the question “Are we living with a sense of order, love, and beauty? In fact, the way we are living displays a lack of such qualities and the presence of self-centredness and violence, which indicates that our lives need a thorough exploration. We must first understand the limitations of the old mind which is conditioned, is a result of influences, lives in set patterns, and lives in the past, in memories, residues, and stories. It is dominated by the thinking process and the creation of images, is primarily concerned with pleasure and security, is attached to answers and prefers to remain in the comfort zone of the known. It is not a free mind.
Mukesh reminded us that we are looking at the structures of the old mind without any judgement or condemnation, as if studying the behaviour of our own child. The challenge is to become awake to the suffering of this old mind, with its constant generation of problems. It has too much reliance on knowledge, which binds us, lives with conclusions and beliefs, and is authority-bound, habitually repeating old ideas. Other qualities of the “old mind” are that it is self-centred, living in fear, reacting to life, inattentive, and not a loving mind. Paradoxically, without rejecting or attempting to get rid of it, this “mind” must be understood for freedom to dawn and for the qualities of the “new mind” to come forth.
The essence of the new mind is listening in openness, from a quiet space, without resistance or a motive. It listens from the heart, with the whole being, and breaks down the old patterns of thinking. The moment we start looking and listening there is immediate freedom and then staying with whatever is happening is itself the deep exploration. There is no effort or struggle necessary. After some group discussion, Mukesh asked participants to read over and contemplate some material (being emailed to us) on the topic being investigated and to consider experientially what might be the deepest pattern of the old mind functioning in themselves.
In the second session Mukesh right away emphasised that the looking and listening happen in this present moment. The “new mind” is immediately available. Is there really any block to this seeing, with its love and compassion? With this observing, there is an emptying of the egoic mind, a putting aside of the intellect, and an opening to the energies of the universe and the beauty of life.
After his initial talk, Mukesh suggested we break into smaller groups and inquire in a possibly more intimate setting. We could, if we wished, explore what is preventing the flowering of the new mind. Can we reveal the blocks? If we do, the transformation happens on its own. The breakout groups were allotted twenty-five minutes to discuss and inquire; the reports afterwards indicated an enjoyment of the process. Pretty much the same format was followed on the third day with some new questions being introduced. In the breakout groups participants could focus on a question that had particular relevance for them or could explore the nature of Presence and Awareness. Again this exercise was found to be enjoyable and valuable. We returned to the main group for a final sharing of what was significant for us over the weekend, which involved some expression of appreciation for the experience. Mukesh’s guidance was, as always, skillful and kind, providing a space for productive inquiry and insight. We are grateful for his work and dedication.
The Urgency of Change Dialogue Group Meeting, January 16, 2021
/in Event Summaries /by David BruneauThe Urgency of Change Dialogue Group Meeting
Sunday, January 16, 2021
Zoom online
Eight people were present for this Sunday morning meeting focused on the study of Krishnamurti’s teachings as expressed in the book The Urgency of Change. Four group members had alerted us that they would not be able to attend. The agenda for the meeting was a very open one, with participants being invited to share any quotes from the book, or from another K source, that had a particular relevance to them or any issues currently needing exploration in their process of self study or self-inquiry.
The meeting began with a guided meditation employing a short passage from a K talk in Saanen (August 8, 1964): “Find out a state of mind that exists without any cause, that is awake without any reason… that keeps itself alive, aflame, without anything being added to it to keep it aflame.” The meditation led into a discussion of the nature of awareness and the potential limitation of calling it “a state of mind.” A few participants suggested that such awareness is more fundamental and unchanging than any state of mind. What was Krishnamurti really pointing to? The questioning flowed into spontaneous exploration that was apparently of significant interest and value for all.
This was the last meeting of this group for the time being, but the possibility was acknowledged of a re-forming of a similar group at some point in the future. Other options that will soon be offered by the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada were mentioned as a way to continue with inquiries into the nature of consciousness and the self.