Exploring Ourselves, December 18, 2022

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Exploring Ourselves

With Jackie McInley

December 18, 2022

Zoom online

Fifteen people in total were present for this Sunday morning meeting, the last of the year in this series. Jackie joined us from the UK on Zoom and we took some time to discuss our experience of the online format versus in-person meetings. Many expressed a preference for the in-person mode while at the same time appreciating the alternative offered by online meetings, especially in the time of the pandemic. The discussion was followed by a period of silence which spontaneously gave way to an exploration of looking and listening as opposed to thought and analysis. There was an extensive questioning and sharing of thoughts, with some quick answers being offered. Jackie asked if there could be an observation of the thoughts, which seemed to be perhaps the core question or issue in self-observation. Questions arising from the participants inquired if we were invested in thought and were not seeing the error in a manner free of thought or apart from the movement of thought.

At times the inquiry became more personal and touched into the fact of individual sorrow in the forms of jealousy, feeling lost, and other such challenging experiences. Jackie asked if it would be possible to stay in an unfamiliar place or feeling without seeking a solution. What happens when this takes place? She suggested that this question could be our homework until future meetings – which would obviously be welcomed by participants.

DB

To Be Human, December 11, 2022

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To Be Human

With Javier Gomez Rodriguez

Sunday, December 11, 2022

Zoom Online

 

A total of fourteen people showed up for the last session with Javier in the series entitled “To Be Human: Examining the Core of the Teachings”. Javier had subtitled this presentation “The Way of Negation”. It was focused on the last paragraph of Krishnamurti’s summary of his own teachings as published in the small booklet “the Core of the Teachings”. Javier began with a quote from the booklet: “Total negation is the essence of the positive.” He then delved into the meaning of such a statement, including the apparent paradoxes contained within it and the meaning K gives to the “positive” and the “negative”. In seeing the falseness in the positive expressions of thought, they fall away and the “truth” can emerge.

How is truth attainable? Javier asked. Krishnamurti suggests that it is through the ”mirror of relationship” that we can understand ourselves, through observation and not through analysis. The mind must be in a state of “unknowing”, which is intelligence. Our ideas of freedom must be examined to see which are false and which true. And what price are we willing to pay for our “freedom” and “security”? Our layers of conditioning must be looked into and emptied. Our identity must perhaps be abandoned, which brings compassion.

Thought, which is time, cannot capture freedom, which requires “choiceless awareness” in the present moment or “the now”. Thought must be negated, including the division between “the observer” and “the observed”. “Self, observer, and identity must all be denied. Then insight, intelligence, and love will arise.

Javier spoke for about an hour, at times seeming to become somewhat complicated in his manner of expression but still skillfully challenging the participants to question and explore the ideas shared and the concepts of Krishnamurti’s teachings. The talk was followed by an hour of dialogue which investigated the ideas in a deeper way and which Ralph found difficult to slow down and bring to a close. Participants were interested in how they could pursue such discussions more fully and link with Javier in the future. A number of options were suggested, the main one being to keep in touch with the events posted on the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada website.

Javier’s dedication, wisdom, and humour in sharing his understanding of K’s teachings was much appreciated.

Exploring Ourselves, December 4, 2022

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Exploring Ourselves

December 4, 2022

With Jackie McInley

Zoom Online

 

Ten people were present, all included, for this Sunday morning meeting with Jackie, who facilitated the session on Zoom from the UK. She began by outlining the challenge we face in these meetings given that thought often operates outside of our awareness. Therefore, being aware of our thought processes, as Krishnamurti suggests we “do”, is a paradoxical kind of activity. Awareness of thought takes great humility, for we cannot assume that we are truly listening without the interference of thought. The nature of thought is to know and in a basic sense thought lacks humility. It may be best to have no conclusions about ourselves and our way of conducting ourselves. A question arose about the mind’s habit of asserting that there can be little awareness of our thinking processes and whether or not this is true. There was a good deal of discussion amongst the group about this and related issues in the attempt to “be aware”.

As the conversation was opened up, there was some use of the term “self”. One participant wanted to explore the meaning that was being given to the nature of a “self”. It was suggested that it might be best to look at what meaning we were giving to the term rather than trying to describe what the self actually is. This might be more in the spirit of the “negative way” which Krishnamurti seemed to think was the most effective when engaging in inquiry. To see what something is not is perhaps more useful than to assert what we think it is. We then explored the significance of being widely interested in everything that thought produces as ideas about who or what we are. This might introduce a more unbounded and inclusive sense of awareness than anything divided up by thought or chosen as a focused approach to self-knowledge.

The investigation was perhaps challenging and “arduous”, and yet participants expressed that the “process” still had real value.

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Unfolding Conflict

November 23 – 27, 2002

With Jackie McInley

Zoom Online

 

This workshop facilitated by Jackie McInley from the UK was designed as five two-hour sessions intended to encourage a deep exploration of conflict as it shows up in our daily lives. The sessions were usually attended by fourteen participants, with occasional absences from one or two. Recordings were provided for those who were unable to attend all the sessions. Some participants also took the opportunity to watch sessions a second time, and this was reported to be a valuable activity.

Jackie introduced the first meeting with some pointed questions and ideas looking at our orientation towards the examination of conflict. Would we call it a difficult endeavour? Would we call it a “serious” activity? A number of descriptive words were offered, such as “challenging”, “weighty”, “consequential”, and “universally relevant”. Jackie said that conflict is always potentially present. We are all in the same boat, all conditioned, and the source of conflict is in each one of us. Krishnamurti said that to look at conflict in ourselves is “arduous” and we must ultimately see it for ourselves. Is thought the best tool for examining conflict or is there an observation beyond thought? How is time involved? Can we look as if we have never looked before? Can we listen to each other that way? Can we explore without the memory of what we already know, without assumptions? When we use the word “I” in our conversations, what is it exactly that we are referring to? What does it mean to be an individual?

The subject of belief or conviction was introduced. Why does human consciousness keep going back to thought and its convictions? This led to a fairly complex discussion with a great deal of input from the participants. Does our investigation rely on thought, and what are the implications of that? It was agreed that the issues around conflict and observation must be unfolded slowly and more fully. Some “homework” was given with readings from Krishnamurti’s contemplations on conflict to be studied if we so chose.

Each session began with a short period of silence, often followed by a concise review by Jackie of the previous day’s questions and inquiries. There then followed a group dialogue which attempted to look very deeply into important questions about conflict. Jackie regularly asked if we were looking freshly or looking from past knowledge or “the known”. Did our investigations produce a kind of tension and, if so, what was its cause, was it “dangerous” in terms of our relationships with each other, and could tension be of value as something to be explored? What place, it was asked, does “emptiness” or “nothingness” have in our self-observation? These topics stimulated quite a rich variety of insights and comments. It was suggested that friendliness towards the unconscious aspects of mind is necessary for any deep listening and exploration. The energy of the group seemed to be generally friendly and conducive to penetrating and effective self-examination. The sessions always went on longer than planned and continuously challenged us all to keep going beyond the verbal level of investigation and to see clearly whatever is preventing us from doing so. The result was experienced in the writer’s case as a process of clarification and deepening of the sense of Being and Presence. Participants expressed gratitude for the experience.

Exploring Ourselves, November 20, 2022

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Exploring Ourselves

Sunday, November 20, 2022

With Jackie McInley

Zoom online

 

Including staff and facilitators, fourteen people attended this Sunday morning meeting on Zoom from 10 am to about 12:15 pm. After the usual silent period, Jackie spoke for some time on the role of the facilitator, whom she said is a participant in the dialogue process. She clarified that she herself is not interested so much in the well-being of the individuals in the group but is more concerned with the well-being of the whole of humanity. This affects how we are treated in a dialogue setting. We ask what the human being is, not the individual particular person. We attempt to observe what we actually are and how we give attention to what we are, and we do not engage in speculation or intellectual discussion. It is a somatic activity, including our felt senses, and not just an exchange of ideas. And can there be observation without the division of observer and observed?

One of the group participants asked the question of Jackie, “What is the source of what was just said?” and Jackie responded, “Well, let’s see what happens when we have space to observe the reactions that take place.” Another participant asked if there is a collaboration within the group to relate from a sense of separateness. Other questions followed concerning the presence of abstraction in our relating and the tendency to adjust ourselves to others so we are liked. There was some exploration of these themes until a suggestion was offered that we investigate the meaning of “choiceless awareness”, a term often used by Krishnamurti. A number of the group indicated that it would be a good topic to pick up on at the next meeting.

Before the meeting was closed, some time was given to a description of an upcoming workshop which will run for five days from November 23 to 27 for two hours each day and will be entitled “Unfolding Conflict”. Facilitated by Jackie, the event will offer an opportunity to explore the subject of conflict deeply. Interested people are invited to sign up on the website for the dialogue series. https://krishnamurti-canada.ca

DB

To Be Human: Examining the Core of the Teaching

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To Be Human: Examining the Core of the Teaching

Thought and Time

With Javier Gomez Rodriguez

November 13, 2022

Zoom Online

 

Fourteen people were present, all included, to continue our ongoing exploration of J. Krishnamurti’s brief summary of his teaching, which he entitled The Core of the Teaching. This time we were looking into the fourth paragraph, which begins with the statement “Thought is time”. Javier quoted that sentence and then asked a number of questions which probed more deeply into the meaning of K’s words and the ones that followed. Can we perceive the fact of his statement? Can we see that thought is destructive and that knowledge is working against us?

There are different kinds of knowledge – technical and psychological. Knowledge on the technical level is necessary, whereas it brings conflict when the psychological takes the primary position in our actions. Then illusion is predominant. The notion of a self is an illusion and, in that sense, “an enemy”. Thought as the self creates a desire for security while at the same time it destroys security.

In relationship, action based on knowledge (the past) is divisive. For Krishnamurti, the new is truth. Are we alive to the freshness of life in the present? Can we suspend the intrusion of the past, which is the “me”, which is machine-like? Thought and knowledge are always limited, as is memory. We live in conflict as we do not meet the present moment fully.

Javier questioned, along with K , the idea of psychological evolution. Biological evolution may be a fact, but it does not apply to the psychological realm where one can theoretically become a better person. He also tackled the issue of the thinker and the thought. Is the observer different from the observed or are they equally images projected by the mind (thought)? If we see the projections of the “me” and the “you” then they may come to an end and division may cease. This is very important and must be clearly seen. Such seeing will bring about a radical mutation in the mind.

After his opening presentation, Javier opened the floor to group dialogue and discussion. Various questions and perceptions arose from the group participants. Can there be awareness of the human suffering which we cannot avoid? Is this sensitivity strong enough to bring inquiry and a deep questioning of our lives? Can we think our way out of thought? What is the key? It was suggested that what is needed is a quality of perception and insight which sees how thought is operating in our daily lives.

The subject of death and the search for immortality was brought in. “Can the sense of time dissolve?” it was asked. It was pointed out that death and life go hand in hand and are not separate. The challenge of understanding these apparent dualities is a very significant issue for all of us to investigate!

DB

Understanding Ourselves, November 6, 2022

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Understanding Ourselves

Sunday, November 6, 2022

With Jackie McInley

Zoom Online

Twelve participants joined Jackie online at 10am on a Sunday morning. There seemed to be a readiness to jump right in without delay with some deep inquiries concerning our identities. Are we truly interested, it was asked, in exploring such fundamental questions as “What or who is the thinker?” and “Is the thinker separate from thought?” Are we assuming that we are mature enough in our understanding to make conclusions about such issues and is there clarity about the difference between our observing and our thinking about our observations? Such questions stimulated a good deal of discussion about a variety of related topics, including the asking “Is there an I at all?” Jackie inquired if Krishnamurti himself said that there is no “I”? Is “I” just a thought? Is the “I” thought a product of the subconscious mind, and is the subconscious real or is it comprised of that which we do not want to look at?

The focus turned from observing to the issue of listening and the possibility and difficulty of listening without reaction. The value of sitting quietly and watching the mechanisms of thought was discussed along with the difference between deliberate and mechanical thought and what Krishnamurti spoke of on those subjects. Do we see what is real or do we just perceive the appearance of realness? And what place does fear have in our observing and being with what is? Again it was asked if we can truly see the robotic nature of our thinking in such a way that we are free of it?

The consideration of the various questions occupied the group for well over the time put aside for the gathering (two hours). The session was then brought to a close by Ralph with an announcement of the upcoming supplementary workshop with Jackie towards the end of the month. In addition to the regular Sunday meeting on November 20, there will be a five-session workshop for two hours per session from November 23 to 27, Wednesday to Sunday, The workshop, entitled “Unfolding Conflict”, will be an opportunity to penetrate even more deeply than usual into basic issues of interest to the participants, with perhaps a focus on conflict, a subject given great emphasis by Krishnamurti in his teaching.

DB

Yoga Nidra and Healing Trauma, October 21 – 23, 2022

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Yoga Nidra and Healing Trauma

With Lynn Fraser

October 21 – 23, 2020

Zoom Online

Lynn Fraser is a trauma specialist and meditation teacher. She is the founder of the Stillpoint Method of Healing Trauma and specialises in holding a safe, trusted space for healing trauma in her online groups, classes and private sessions. She also is a senior teacher in the Himalayan Yoga Meditation tradition and a Certified Facilitator of the Kiloby Inquiries, a somatic mindfulness approach to healing developed by Scott Kiloby. Lynn has been interviewed on major podcasts in her field and is the author of Healing Ordinary Trauma, the Stillpoint Method, a suggested resource for this workshop. Her website https://lynnfraserstillpoint.com/ includes trauma education, links to recent podcasts and interviews, and the latest information on classes, small groups and working with Lynn. She lives near family, ocean and forest in Nova Scotia, Canada.

This workshop consisted of three 90-minute sessions. Each session included a talk, resource materials, guided practice and time for participants to share their experience and ask questions. Yoga Nidra offers deep nourishing rest, and the experience of stillness in the mind. Participants can experience staying grounded in the present – the only moment where we can breathe, relax and heal. It includes a state of conscious sleep in which a person is both alert and deeply relaxed on a physical, nervous system, mental and emotional level. It supports and improves physical and mental health and calms our nervous system survival responses of fight, flight, and freeze. By quieting the mind, Yoga Nidra can help enable a transformative shift in consciousness. As J. Krishnamurti points out, “If you as a human being transform yourself, you affect the consciousness of the rest of the world.”

Lynn shared with the group a basic understanding of trauma, which arises from the pain of human life. Many of us don’t know we are scared, hurt or only just coping, because these feelings are the water we have always swum in. We don’t know we have ordinary trauma, or that we are living with core beliefs of unworthiness. What we don’t know and can’t afford to feel, we can’t heal.

Lynn pointed out that we process collective fear and grief on top of our own individual pain. In this time of crisis, it is more urgent than ever to settle our nervous system, and to cultivate kindness for ourselves and others. When we look at life through a trauma lens, it becomes easier to understand the intensity of people’s actions and beliefs, and to have compassion. Lynn shared a cornucopia of techniques and practices for calming the mind and letting go of self judgement and fear of being overwhelmed by feelings and emotions. Practitioners are able to gradually access deeper levels and states of being, including deep sleep and turiya, the space beyond states. Dreaming diminishes and Presence increases, bringing many benefits. Participants reported sleeping better than usual at night. Lynn’s presentation was an experiential program of relaxation without any sense of right or wrong as we explored different centres in the body, aspects of the subconscious mind, conscious breathing, and mindful awareness. It was a restful dipping into a deeper sense of Being, which seemed to be most welcome for the attendees. Lynn invited us to join her online classes and presentations.

Understanding Ourselves, October 16, 2022

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Understanding Ourselves

Sunday, October 16, 2022

With Jackie McInley

Zoom Online

 

Jackie joined us from London, England, for the second meeting of the month of the “Understanding Ourselves” series. There was a total of sixteen attendees at the meeting, some of whom were new to our dialogue. Jackie opened with a comparison of the online meetings and life itself in that both have their limitations – the limitations of the technology, the lack of direct contact with each other, and the inherent limitations of our human conditioning. We respond to dialogue not as a process manipulated by an expert who has perfect knowledge but more as an exercise in thinking for ourselves with no one’s thoughts or insights being more important than anyone else’s. What is our relationship with authority? Is Krishnamurti an authority for us? Or is dialogue an opportunity to pay attention, to observe each thought we have, including thoughts about others and feelings of being hurt by another? And can we share from a direct experience of what is happening in us in present “time”? Can a part of this be a perceiving of our psychological defense system in action?

After the exposition of what we are doing essentially in our meetings, there was a period of silence followed by a space for questions, comments, and discussion. Jackie asked if anything had touched us deeply and if we felt any sense of urgency in addressing any particular issue. The conversation turned to an exploration of our need for connection with others and ourselves and the contrary sense of disconnection many of us may often feel. This topic carried the meeting for a good length of time until it was brought to a close after 2 ¼ hours. At one point there were some comments by a couple of individuals that they were not understanding much of what was being said, which was leading to a loss of interest. For the most part, however, there was animated sharing and investigation of questions and issues felt to be significant.

To Be Human: Examining the Core of the Teachings, Session 4

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To Be Human: Examining the Core of the Teachings

With Javier Gomez Rodriguez

Sunday, October 9, 2022

Zoom Online

 

This was the fourth in a series of six sessions hosted by Javier from the Netherlands via Zoom. The series is an examination of the short summary written by J. Krishnamurti outlining what he felt was the core of his teachings. In this presentation Javier discussed the section of the summary he entitled “Freedom”. There was a total of twelve participants in attendance.

Javier began with a brilliant analysis of the history of freedom on the outer level (which is limited and temporary), then moved to the inner dimension of freedom which was Krishnamurti’s main interest. For K, freedom was a factor of perception and is to be found in the “mirror of relationship”. The key is observation, which must be engaged by each individual. The images and ideas used by thought in seeking security are the problem from which there must be freedom – freedom from the content of consciousness or “the known”. When there is no limitation in consciousness engendered by the known then there is “love” and “freedom”. Where conditioning is operative there is no freedom. As Krishnamurti said, “freedom is pure observation without direction”. This means observation without motivation and is described by K as “choiceless awareness” (of the movements of thought or of the reactions of the human psyche).

Javier asked a number of deep questions about the issue of freedom. Can we choose to be free, to be kind, or to behave in a certain way? Is choice an expression of confusion, as K maintained? Is it freedom when we identify with people or ideas, when we have preferences, likes, and dislikes? Is perception shaped by our conditioning and are our images and concepts always partial and fragmentary? Javier’s exposition lasted about forty-five minutes, after which he opened the session to group discussion, which produced further interesting questions and insights. Aspects of freedom explored were as follows:

– Freedom is at the beginning, in the moment, in perception now, before thought interferes or takes control.

– Choiceless awareness is the space of freedom.

– “Freedom from” is different than “freedom” itself.

– Freedom is in emptiness, silence, nothingness, and in the place where we are not, which is also “love”.

– Freedom involves seeing things “properly”.

 

It was a harmonious session imbued with an atmosphere of cooperation and friendliness. There will be more to investigate at our next meeting in two weeks “time”.