Self Study Meeting

Sunday, December 20, 2020

Zoom online

Fifteen people were in attendance for this online meeting on a Sunday morning. As has been the case for the past year, we focused on J. Krishnamurti’s teachings as found in The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti. In this case the readings for study and discussion were the December 8 – 21 selections, which dealt mainly with the meaning of true religion and the approach to God. Krishnamurti asks some fundamental questions about the nature of belief and conceptual understanding versus the more authentic state of not knowing what God and love are. When we can honestly admit that we do not know the answers to fundamental questions about life, he says, we are in a state of humility in which real learning and discovery can take place. True religion is going beyond the “known”.

The participants entered into a keen exploration of the ideas presented by K, raising quite a number of deep questions and offering insights found through their own inquiry and meditation. As is often the case with this group, it seemed we could have continued the dialogue almost indefinitely. It was a satisfying session for the last one of the year.

Self Study Meeting

Sunday, December 6, 2020

Zoom online

There were thirteen of us present for this Sunday online meeting sponsored by the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada. As is often the case, the session was opened with a guided meditation inviting a “total attention without effort”, which was apparently expressed by Krishnamurti on his deathbed to be the essence of his teachings. After some short discussion of the meditation we moved on to a group sharing of what had struck people about the readings suggested for this meeting. These were the December 1 – 7 entries in The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti, which focused on the topic of aloneness. K goes deeply into the difference between loneliness and aloneness and the importance of being able to enter the state of aloneness, or the “innocence” beyond dependence and influence. It seemed to be a topic of great interest and relevance for the participants, who expressed a richness of observations about their own experiences of loneliness and aloneness. Everyone had an opportunity to speak about his or her questions and insights, and the meeting seemed to have a particular quality of depth to it which may be a result of the consistent participation of many of the inquirers in the Self Study meetings and other events offered by the Centre

Self Study Meeting

Sunday, November 15, 2020

Zoom online

This Sunday morning meeting online was attended by 16 participants, all included. We continued with a question asked by Mukesh in his presentation a week previously: “Is There a Completely Different Way of Living?” The Self Study Meetings have been using The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti as an inspiration for our inquiry into the nature of ourselves. In this case participants had been asked to read carefully at least eight selections from the November entries and to bring observations and questions to the meeting for sharing and discussion. The entries quoted passages from Krishnamurti’s talks on the subjects of “Living, Dying, Rebirth, and Love” and seemed to blend well with Mukesh’s question.

After a guided meditation exploring awareness without naming or conceptualizing, we entered a group discussion of people’s experiences and insights during the meditation along with those that emerged from their readings of the text. A number of participants reported profound insights and the dialogue as a whole was quite deep and engaging. Such topics as the meaning of psychological death were explored with keen penetration, and appreciation was expressed for the opportunity to share such inquiry with others in this way.

Is There a Different Way of Living in This World of Confusion and Uncertainty?

With Mukesh Gupta

November 7, 2020, online

This was the last in a series of eight presentations by Mukesh Gupta on the general topic of “Meditative Self-Inquiry” which began in July and took place twice a month. Twenty-three people in total participated in this Zoom online meeting focusing on the question “Is There a Different Way of Living in This World of Confusion and Uncertainty?” Mukesh began, after a short silent sit, by pointing out that what is outside us is a reflection of what we are inside and of our day-to-day relationships. Are we willing to look into “the mirror of relationship”, as Krishnamurti puts it? We must begin where we are, paying attention to what is around us and within us, noticing our inattention, our fear and uncertainty, and our obsessive self-concern and lack of love. Can we be awake to these facts without judgement?

Mukesh explored the nature of attention as pure seeing:

– Choiceless, non-selective

– Deep, total listening

– With a quality of love

– A quality of wonder and innocence not dependent on acquired past knowledge

– A space of stillness or “emptiness”

Not to react like a robot is a different way of living. Can we live and face the world with the intelligence of a still and compassionate mind that sees clearly?

The half-hour presentation was followed by a Q & A period wherein participants shared insights, experiences, and questions. It was suggested that we need love right from the beginning, which produces a “letting go”. Attention without an “ego” brings a different quality to our living. Mukesh’s presentations have been much appreciated and helpful to those seeking greater understanding of Krishnamurti’s teachings. We look forward to his next series of talks in January, 2021.

Self Study Meeting

Sunday, October 18, 2020

Zoom online

We had sixteen people present for this meeting. The usual format of the group is to start with readings from The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti and to discuss what insights and questions have been awakened by the study of the readings assigned for that specific gathering. Usually participants have spent time at home with the material. In this case the readings were a selection taken from the July 9 – 29 entries in the text, which largely deal with being fully present with suffering and sorrow.

We began with a guided meditation focusing on being aware of the habit of thought to split into an “observer” and that which is observed, a central aspect of Krishnamurti’s teachings and the prescribed readings. The participants silently followed the meditation to a point and then some began to respond verbally to what had been presented. There was a lively engagement with ideas surrounding the duality created by the mind, as well as other aspects of suffering covered by K in the readings. The conversation spontaneously generated itself in such a way that material from the text was hardly mentioned. After two hours of dialogue it was hard to wind down the momentum and bring the session to an end. One could certainly say that the participants were involved and interested in the investigation.