Archive for category: Event Summaries

Self-inquiry, October 31, 2024  

with Ralph Tiller and David Bruneau 

At Esquimalt Park Pavilion 

Victoria, BC 

 

Five participants were in attendance for this Thursday afternoon meeting at the lovely new pavilion in Esquimalt Gorge Park. The meeting was  sponsored by the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada. The facilitator asked if any participants had a burning question they would like to explore with the group and one person shared that he would like to examine the issue of pain, both physical and psychological. Other group members offered input to the discussion which branched out to include the pain triggered by the many changes that we all undergo as life is experienced. We talked about chronic pain, the grief of losing vitality, the fragility of life, and what could happen when we accept that pain is a part of our lives, with old age for example. 

We took up the question of what can be done to be with our pain or suffering so that life is not made constantly unbearable – or at least it can be less so. Krishnamurti and others have given many helpful clues as to being present with our problems which we could well benefit from. We looked at the issue of naming our experience vs. not naming it and allowing the sensations, thoughts, and feelings to unfold in our awareness. Participants have found that this approach is particularly helpful when it comes to emotional pain and discomfort. They spoke of the effects of going towards our pain or “leaning into it”. Krishnamurti spoke about “total attention” to all that we think and feel and this seems to be a very useful “strategy” or non-strategy. 

The quality of the dialogue produced an atmosphere of lightness and enjoyment of the interactions and communication. 

 

DB 

Self-inquiry with Ralph Tiller and David Bruneau 

Thursday, October 24, 2024 

Esquimalt Park Pavilion 

Sponsored by KECC 

 

Only three people were present in the Esquimalt Park Pavilion for this meeting on a lovely sunny day in Esquimalt, BC. We began with a ten minute silence wherein we had the opportunity to observe the movements of the mind. After the silent period we talked about questioning vs. not questioning beliefs. We spoke of the history of beliefs and stories which can bring people together and at the same time can separate them. The belief in the “me” as a separate individual seems to be perhaps the basic source of the world’s problems. 

We spoke of the practice of koans in the Zen discipline which seems to create an opportunity to “jump out” of the mind and somehow go beyond thought. 

We commented on the fact that small groups can sometimes allow the participants to delve more deeply into whatever is looked into than larger groups can. Today seemed to support that idea. 

 

 

Self-inquiry with Ralph Tiller and David Bruneau

Thursday, October 24, 2024

Esquimalt Park Pavilion

Victoria, BC, Canada

Sponsored by KECC

 

Only three people were present for this meeting sponsored by the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada and located at the lovely Esquimalt Park in Esquimalt, British Columbia. Ralph commented that sometimes smaller meetings can be more profound and indeed we did find the meeting to be interesting and meaningful. We began with a reading from The Book of Life: Meditations with Krishnamurti which we found to be quite powerful in expressing some of K’s ideas about the “Detriment to Change” presented by knowledge and the seeking by “a centre” of personal satisfaction when the mind must be “free from the known.”

The dialogue began with a silent period wherein it was suggested we take the opportunity to observe the movements of the mind. After the silence we discussed a few subjects such as questioning vs. non-questioning and the history of belief and stories promoting it. Belief has brought people together and at the same time separated them. One of the most significant beliefs has been the idea of the “me” as a separate individual and it seems that the source of the world’s problems is the accepted idea that we are all separate individuals.

We talked about the use of koans in Zen practice which sometimes enabled a jumping out of the mind and a “going beyond”.

Exploring Ourselves with Jackie McInley  

Saturday, October 19, 2024 

Zoom Online Meeting 

 

Eight people were present for this meeting sponsored by the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada. After the usual period of silence it was suggested that we might wish to explore the phenomenon of fear, especially as we had gone somewhat deeply into it in previous meetings. The idea raised many questions. Is fear owned by an individual or can it be a shared experience? Is it an expression of egotism or is that an accusation or judgement? It was noted that fear can manipulate people and participants started to admit some of their own fear. We looked at a number of forms that fear could take and the elements of its structure. The desire to continue in one’s self-identity was acknowledged as a cause of fear. Jackie brought up the interesting possibility of being with fear without really knowing anything about it. There is the fear we know about and are aware of and the fear we are not. There may be a kind of paralysis which comes with fear and humanity itself may be held in this state. It was asked if fear is the most fundamental issue we must deal with, which would give it a depth of importance. It may be that love is as important as fear and we may need to look deeply at fear in order to be with love. 

Many questions arose as we continued to look at the issues: 

• What is it like when fear takes precedence? 

• Are fear and love mutually exclusive?  

• How do we navigate these questions? 

• How do we look at fear without getting overwhelmed? 

• One participant was feeling angry about the fear she was feeling. 

• What are the differences between real danger and psychological fear? 

• How much is imagination involved with fear? 

• What is the Void if there is no fear?  

• Is fear and identity the same thing? 

• Fear is related to time, the future, avoidance, belonging, loss, and security. Money can be a source of fear 

• When faced with the true insecurity of existence a feeling of instability is experienced. There is a sense that anything can happen, which is the ”true nature” of everything. 

 

     DB 

Self-inquiry 

With Cynthia Overweg 

October 10, 2024 

Esquimalt Gorge Park Pavilion 

Esquimalt, BC 

 

This meeting was sponsored by the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada and was held at the Gorge Park Pavilion in Esquimalt with Cynthia Overweg as facilitator. There were eight of us present to enjoy the lovely setting of the pavilion. Cynthia began with thoughts about peace and the suffering of human life. We must be at peace in ourselves, she said, in order to address the issue of peace in the world. Must we not discover how we interact with the rest of the world and how we create suffering? There must be inner peace before there can be outer peace. 

Why should we even care about peace? A powerful response may arise in us but then fade away before long. The situation is very complex. Can we respond in small ways that can make a difference? Can the “new brain” of which Krishnamurti speaks emerge from the old, violent brain? What kind of life do we really want to live? Can differences become less meaningful and love be more predominant? Can we see what we and others really are? Can we love each other? Can we address our fear? Can we do so without being overwhelmed by our situation? How we meet with “what is” is highly significant. Can we act without being attached to the outcomes of our actions? Although self-orientation may be difficult to move beyond, self-awareness is the beginning of compassion. “Seeing” is the essence: we must really look! 

 

DB