For the August meetup, seven of us got together to listen to a recently released Eckhart Tolle talk titled “Being Alone”. Eckhart discussed some of the gifts of being ‘with oneself’… and in particular, finding joy in knowing one’s quality of inner spaciousness.  This quality is something that can be more easily deepened when we are alone, by attuning to the gaps between thoughts or the moment by moment changing sensations, beginning to sense an unending connectedness to each individual passing sensory-experience.

Of course, being with others can seem to fetter this sense of gentle ease… and some members noted that there can be a challenge in bringing a deep peace into current or past encounters, especially where there’s been emotional pain.  Eckhart indicated that the more we practice inviting stillness, the easier it is to bring that stillness into our interactions… He emphasized the value of remaining conscious when we are in conversation with others – simply observing without applying judgement:  passing thoughts, emotion or shifts in the body as well as the person you are with. 

 Krishnamurti also notes the subtle gift that can accompany simply noticing in a relaxed way…   

“Observe without past memories and reactions projecting themselves immediately in observation; observe purely, without any direction, without any motive; then one will find, if one has gone into it deeply, that thought does come to an end… This is real meditation”   Brockwood Park, 1st meeting 1980

 We finished the gathering in a shared space of silence, lovely and whole!

Thanks to the Krishnamurti Centre for hosting us this month!

 

 

Our monthly meeting at the Church of Truth focused this month on exploring our thinking. We began with a video clip of David Bohm speaking about Krishnamurti’s teaching, and particularly about the illusory nature of the thought-constructed self. Seven people were in attendance and engaged after the video in a very interesting discussion and exploration of the theme tackled by Bohm. In what sense is the idea of a separate self in which we tend to believe so readily actually not real? And why does it seem to be so persistent? We looked at such issues from different angles and with a quality of respect and openness in our communication, such that it was greatly enjoyed by all.

Healing Your Trauma with the Living Inquiries

July 21 – 23, 2017

This weekend retreat was facilitated by Lynn Fraser and Fiona Murphy. Lynn is a Senior Facilitator Trainer of Scott Kiloby’s Living Inquiries and a senior teacher in the Himalayan Tradition of Yoga Meditation. She works online and internationally with individuals and groups. Fiona, MSW, RSW is a Living Inquiries Certified Facilitator and an experienced therapist with a Masters in Social Work. Fiona works with people online and has a counselling practice in Victoria, British Columbia. http://www.livinginquiries.com/fiona-murphy/

The workshop, as described by Lynn, focused on freeing ourselves and healing from the residual effects of hurt and trauma. The intention was to “learn and understand how the events in our lives impact us on all levels – body, breath, energy and thought. Experiences of abuse, neglect and feeling unsafe trigger our fight/ flight/ freeze. This survival system activation generates a cascade of cortisol, adrenaline and other chemicals. Our Central Nervous System goes into a state of hyper-vigilance that can last for decades and we naturally seek ways to self-soothe and down-regulate our level of distress. Trauma and survival instinct underlie addiction, compulsive and catastrophic thinking, anxiety and suffering.

“Safety IS the treatment. In this experiential workshop we do practices to begin and deepen trust in yourself and authentic kindness and compassion within. We’ll cover the essentials of “how it works” so you understand your body, system, shame, judgment and the essential role of social trust. We strengthen our capacity to see through and release identification with these experiences that commonly lead to core deficiency beliefs of unworthiness, unlovability and feeling like there is something basically wrong with us. The Living Inquiries developed by Scott Kiloby allow us to freeze-frame and look directly at what is driving fear and anxiety.”

Beginning with a public talk on Friday evening, Lynn and Fiona created a very safe space for people to explore their difficult experiences and their capacities to be free of past hurt. A video clip of Scott Kiloby talking about his “Living Inquiries” was shown on the first night. Throughout the weekend a good number of very useful tools were taught for grounding ourselves and being with the issues that inhibit free expression and well-being. Guided awareness exercises were relaxing and nurturing and promoted release and letting go of limiting patterns. Gazing and Laughing meditations approached the subject from different experiential

angles. Gentle yoga was included as a complementary practice for healing trauma, with a focus on the breath and inhabiting our bodies. Group discussion and communication played a central role, and the quality of sharing was remarkable for its depth and honesty.

A large amount of material was covered over the weekend but there was also time for walks on the property and rest. Delicious meals were provided by nearby Pearson College. The retreat was very much appreciated by all and attracted a good attendance of twenty-four participants, facilitators included. We thank Lynn and Fiona for presenting a profoundly practical and valuable workshop.

Victoria Krishnamurti Event

July 7, 2017

This month’s meeting at the Church of Truth focused on the topic “Observing Without the Observer.” Four people were in attendance as we began with a sixteen minute video clip of Krishnamurti speaking at Brockwood Park on August 28, 1979. He approached the issue of attachment and began by asking if we are actually aware that we are attached, not just as an idea but as a fact. He then questioned if the fact is different from “you” who are observing it. Do we look at a fact like attachment as being something separate from us, or do we see that we are attachment. Attachment is the “me”. If there is no division or duality, what can I do about attachment? How can there be any action towards it? In seeing this there is only pure observation without thought, not “I am observing, choosing, etc.” What happens in this kind of observation? There is a gathering of energy, an intensity of attention in which attachment is not. We must be totally clear about this, K said.

We engaged in an in-depth dialogue about the material and our understanding of the issues involved. There was an authentic questioning and probing into the truth of how we perceive ourselves which provoked an intention to continue looking into our ways of observing. To finish off we watched part of a guided inquiry by Rupert Spira on the nature of perception presented at the Science and Nonduality Conference in 2013. It was an excellent exploration which some appreciated tremendously and others found difficult to follow. The session stimulated the participants to pursue further investigation in their own time.

Our morning session, attended by six people, focused on viewing a video of Gangaji on the topic of “Unravelling the Knot of Suffering”. It was made in 2002, but the subject matter was timeless in looking at the basic causes of suffering and the remedy for the condition. The issue of suffering was approached in a few different ways but the essence seemed to be the attachment to an identity as a separate self who has to defend and protect itself from the apparent threats continuously presented by the impermanence of life. Gangaji’s interactions with people made the topic relevant to daily existence and her pointers were clear and useful. Our group engaged in some discussion which sometimes strayed from the direct looking at suffering  and perhaps, in hindsight, became overly conceptual, but which was hopefully useful to some degree.

The afternoon session involved looking at three video clips of J. Krishnamurti responding to questions put to him at various talks and dialogues. As usual, K emphasized the importance of looking for oneself rather than looking to him or any other for an answer. He always comes back to self-knowledge as the essence of spiritual development and minimizes the significance of conceptual understanding in favour of direct seeing. The group of three present for the session enjoyed a lively exploratory discussion of each short video.