Buddhism, Krishnamurti, and A Course in Miracles

  Approaches to Individual Transformation: Buddhism, Krishnamurti, and A Course in Miracles Professor Emeritus Theodore Kneupper   Ted Kneupper, former professor of Philosophy at Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, led a weekend exploration into the perspectives and practices offered by three different teachings that have had a real impact in the world of self transformation. Prof. Kneupper has had significant experience with the three approaches being examined and was skillful in guiding us through them. On Friday evening Prof. Kneupper gave a public talk at the Krishnamurti Centre, which was attended by eighteen people in all. Ten of us were present for the entire weekend. Ted admitted to still being a seeker and did not claim to have reached the lofty goal of “enlightenment”. His humanness and humility turned out to be an important feature of the way the weekend unfolded and was one of the factors, along with authentic sharing by group participants, which enabled the group to experience realms of love and oneness that were perhaps unexpected. We looked into Buddha’s teachings about mindfulness, Krishnamurti’s ideas of meditation and dialogue, and the Course in Miracles’ method of contemplation using some of the 365 lessons. We engaged in experiential explorations of each approach so as to have a direct experience of their essence. The group also discussed with some passion the apparently contradictory concepts that were expressed. At times this made evident the limitation of philosophical debate but no doubt brought some useful awareness to our tendencies to be attached to and defend our ideas and beliefs. The difficulty of bringing about a transformation in ourselves was acknowledged. The retreat was a skillful blend of theory and practice, with time for nature walks, informal discussions, and excellent meals. As Prof. Kneupper said, it was a challenging endeavor to bring together and look into three approaches which have both differences and similarities. It seemed to be felt that it was definitely an endeavor of value.