Krishnamurti Study Session
Sunday, October 7, 2018
Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada

Six of us gathered on a rainy Autumn day to explore the Q & A chapter 33 in J. Krishnamurti’s book The First and Last Freedom. The title of the chapter was “On Superficiality.” The questioner asks K, “How is one who is superficial to become serious?” K begins by pointing out that we must first of all be aware that we are superficial and then explores various ways that we distract ourselves from what is important. We look to external sources for meaning and become dependent on them, which leads to mischief on all levels of our existence. The essence of superficiality is the avoidance of looking at ourselves and at what is the nature of our dependencies and conflicts. We must look at ourselves without judgement and without trying to change it. This kind of looking is “arduous” but is necessary in order to bring about any transformation.
As we moved through the chapter participants asked questions and offered insights which created a meaningful sharing and inquiry. It was felt to be a very worthwhile and engaging meeting.

An Uncommon Collaboration: David Bohm and J. Krishnamurti
September 21 – 23, 2018
Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada

David Edmund Moody, Ph.D., is the author of An Uncommon Collaboration: David Bohm and J. Krishnamurti. He is the former director of Oak Grove School, founded by Krishnamurti in Ojai, California, where he worked closely for more than a decade with both Bohm and Krishnamurti. His experiences there are described in his previous book, The Unconditioned Mind: J. Krishnamurti and the Oak Grove School. Moody took his doctoral degree in education from UCLA (1991), where his research focused upon the role of insight in overcoming student misconceptions in the sciences. He is a co-author of Mapping Biology Knowledge (Kluwer, 2000), and he is the author of numerous articles in popular and professional journals on topics in science and education. He is currently working on a new book containing transcripts and analysis of several conversations he conducted with Bohm. The tentative title is Philosophy, Science, and Religion: Dialogues with David Bohm.
This was David Moody’s first retreat at KECC. It opened with a presentation on Friday evening introducing himself, the topic of the weekend, and a video to be watched. The video featured Krishnamurti, Bohm, and Narayan in dialogue at Brockwood Park in 1980 considering the subject of “Senility and the Brain Cells.” K asks if it is possible to see clearly that the mind is caught in a pattern of time and the danger of such habit. Otherwise senility is inevitable. What is needed is direct perception, which is immediate action.
On Saturday morning the fifteen participants all introduced themselves. Dr. Moody commented on the quality of presence in the group members and the extent of their first-hand experience of Krishnamurti and David Bohm. Dr. Moody then gave a power-point presentation on the material in his new book, outlining key aspects of the relationship between K and Bohm. Group dialogue filled the time until we viewed a second dialogue at Brockwood on the topic of “Cosmic Order.” It was explored whether there may be an order that is not man-made, a cosmic order which man cannot conceive. K pointed to the necessity of facing the fact of “emptiness” without moving away from it, which means no movement of thought. Can the mind untangle itself from time and “be the universe”? This is order and meditation.
Sunday was largely spent on looking at aspects of Krishnamurti’s teachings which seem to be contradictory or especially challenging for people to understand. Perhaps more inquiry is needed into these issues in order to clarify them further and increase the possibility of the teachings having the hoped-for effect of a radical transformation of human consciousness. Issues explored were “no effort” vs. the “arduousness” of self exploration, “choiceless awareness” vs. apparent judgements made by K about others, what is meant by “meditation”, the ideas that “thought can be aware of itself”, “the observer is the observed”, and that “psychological time” can be ended.
It was a stimulating and interesting weekend. Dr. Moody’s humble approach to the questions posed was much appreciated and there was a sense as the weekend drew to a close that we would be holding the unresolved issues as subjects for ongoing inquiry. Perhaps this holding of the important questions is a most meaningful response.

Approaches to Self-inquiry
September 9, 2018
Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada

The Sunday afternoon session was attended by three people. We looked at a video clip entitled “Mystics and Masters: A Course in Miracles Meets Rupert Spira.” This selection was Part 2 of a series; we had watched Part 1 in a previous meeting. The issues discussed ranged from making decisions from a place of love and understanding to an exploration of the nature of time. Rupert skillfully found the common ground between the Course and his own perspective in ways that shed light on the areas being examined. We engaged in an interesting group dialogue which completed a day of meaningful inquiry.

Exploring Awareness
September 2, 2018
At KECC

Five of us were in attendance for this Sunday afternoon of guided meditations which aimed to deliver an experiential, direct knowing of the nature of awareness and our essential being. The weather allowed us to sit outside under the fruit trees. The session began with David guiding us through an “Inner Body” meditation derived from Eckhart Tolle’s teachings. We brought attention to the aliveness in the body and then further explored the nature of this Presence, the sense of Being, and the awareness of it. Is the sense of Presence limited or bounded? Is Awareness itself located in any position?
We took a twenty-minute walk on the property, observing nature without attaching to labels and concepts. Can we see the “essence” or beingness of a tree or a flower? The walk was followed by a CD featuring Mooji inviting us to pay attention to our sense of Being and its qualities. Appreciation of what is, that which is here without effort or thought, was a central aspect of the half-hour meditation. We ended with a period of silence, some sharing of our experience, and further inquiry. Participants expressed an enjoyment and a positive value in the experience.

Krishnamurti Study Session
Sunday, August 26, 2018
KECC

A small group of four met to study J. Krishnamurti’s book The First and Last Freedom. We resumed our investigation of chapter 31 in the Q & A section, entitled “On Immediate Realization”. The questioner asks Krishnamurti, “Can we realize on the spot the truth you are speaking of, without any previous preparation?” K responds by asking, What do you mean by truth?” He puts the question differently: “Can you understand a problem directly, fully, and be free of it?” As we slowly read the first couple of paragraphs in the text we probed into the meaning of looking, listening, and seeing. Can there be seeing or insight at any time but immediately, in this moment, the now? The seeing is immediate, but perhaps we cannot know what the results will be and how insight will translate into action or transformation. We discussed K’s idea that insight produces a mutation in the brain cells, which are then “permanently” changed in some significant way. Does this mean that psychological thought comes to an end or is less predominant? Is psychological thought necessary? We examined our ideas of what K is actually saying and its implications. There were some differences in our understanding of what he was pointing to, but as we explored more deeply we seemed to transcend those differences and come to a more common perception. All participants were familiar with such inquiry and contributed to a meaningful and rich sharing of questions and insights.