Making Peace with the Mind, June 11, 2022

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Making Peace with your Mind: Can We Quieten the Mind without Effort?

With Cynthia Overweg

June 11, 2022, Zoom Online

 

This was the last instalment in the series of four presentations by Cynthia entitled “The Only Revolution” after the title of a book of talks by J. Krishnamurti. Thirteen people in total were present for the event. Cynthia began by asking what prevents peace in the mind and suggested it is the “never-ending machinations of the thinking mind” which constantly moves between the past and the future in its attempts to find security and other objects of the mind’s desires. She quoted K’s statement that “you cannot bring about a quiet mind without understanding desire”. She then discussed a number of aspects of desire and wondered whether we really understand them. We seem to have a fundamental desire to be happy, but the “thorn of self-interest” seems to destroy our happiness. We want security, safety, power, pleasure, sex, and more and there is frequently conflict between what I want and what actually is. K has said that desire means conflict. In order to be at peace “seeing” the nature of desire is essential. Then one could leave desire alone and there would be freedom from conflict. We often, however, do not look at the process of our thinking, whether it is directed outwardly or inwardly.

The activity of the “inner critic”, Cynthia pointed out, is usually not clearly seen in ourselves. In many ways we judge ourselves to be inadequate or not good enough, and this central aspect of our conditioning generates much unhappiness. Any effort to change ourselves will produce distortion but, as K said, “the ability to observe ourselves without evaluating is the highest form of intelligence” which brings about “a silence not put together by thought.” “Without being aware and experiencing the ways of thought, love cannot be.”

Cynthia provided periods of quiet observation during which we could observe the movements of thought. One of the participants supplemented the meditations with beautiful classical guitar music, assisting relaxation and quiet watchfulness. Cynthia added that “if we make peace with the divided mind, we make peace with the world.” Only when the mind is quiet does the heart come alive. As Krishnamurti said, “if I really want to understand something, immediately there is a quietness in the mind.” And “transformation is the result of a quiet mind.”

Cynthia ended her presentation with seven suggestions for supporting the emergence of the peaceful mind and heart:

1) Take time to align yourself with the world’s beauty and the beauty of nature

2) Sit quietly beneath a tree and listen. Lie down and feel.

3) On awakening in the morning, savour the silence and notice when the “me” shows up and time begins

4) Express gratitude

5) Be kind in each interaction and with yourself

6) Breathe in the vast star-lit sky at night

7) Watch and listen to birds without naming

 

The last twenty minutes of the meeting were open for discussion and feedback. There was some exploration of the place of thought in our daily life and the value of awareness and observation. The issue of language and division – and the unity beyond – was examined. The essential idea was “be attentive”! There was some expression of appreciation for Cynthia’s commitment and skill in communicating these profound insights and concepts

Exploring Loneliness and Fear, May 14, 2022

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The Only Revolution: Exploring Loneliness and Fear

With Cynthia Overweg

May 14, 2022

Zoom online

 

This presentation was Part 3 in a series of 4 comprising a collection labelled “The Only Revolution” after the title of one of J. Krishnamurti’s books. Cynthia opened the session by connecting the universal issues of fear and loneliness with the current world situation, including the Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and climate change. Covid, for example, with its isolating effect, is forcing us to look at ourselves in a way that is unusually demanding, and war asks us to look into the sources of division and violence. We are particularly interested in the psychological aspects of these human behaviours. Fourteen people were in attendance.

Bringing in Krishnamurti’s teachings as she usually does, Cynthia shared his statement that “fear is what makes us accept our conditioning.” We are perhaps too afraid to challenge our conditioning and its sources in fear and loneliness. K says that “to find the truth, we must stand alone, and that is arduous.”

The discussion took the direction of contrasting loneliness and aloneness, expressions of “what should be” and what actually is. Fear is created by thought; can we look at it when it appears? We are unconsciously aware that we are empty, nothing, and the “me” is just a construct of thought. Emptiness must be understood if we are to go beyond it. We must look at our psychological dependence and be with the feeling of emptiness without any condemnation or effort to get away from it. The sense of “not being” may be the cause of all fear. K said that the mind cannot separate itself from emptiness because the mind itself is that emptiness. Loneliness is the very essence of the self, the “me”. Can it be seen without naming it? Can the mind go beyond it? Only then is there absolute freedom. We must understand the whole process of our own thinking, and out of that understanding comes love.

After about an hour of presentation, with some periods of silent meditation, watching the breath, and listening to music, the group turned to more interactive sharing and exploration. Appreciation was expressed for the hard work of stripping away our masks in order to see what is underneath. It was noted that the witnessing of the “me” in relationship with others is very challenging but can be seen against a background of silence, in nature for example. It was noted that Krishnamurti himself never let up from the urgency of looking at ourselves. How, we might ask, can this discussion be bigger in the world and how does it affect the whole of life?

It was another meaningful exploration under Cynthia’s skillful guidance.

 

DB

Exploring Ourselves, June 5, 2022

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Exploring Ourselves with Jackie McInley

June 5, 2022

Zoom online

Jackie joined us from Southern France for this meeting. There were eleven participants all included, most of them being familiar with the dialogue format employed by Jackie, which could be described as an open questioning of all assumptions and expectations. The session began with one of the participants introducing the subject of “judgement”. In our dialogue, are we making subtle judgements about each other and about ourselves? And when we ask questions, is it with an open slate or are we bringing a background to our inquiry? Is it possible to proceed in dialogue without bringing in the past in any way? And does a background have any value in considering a question? It seemed we were exploring an awareness with a rare kind of subtlety that takes nothing for granted and carries no beliefs.

As we proceeded with the exploration, the topic of judgement expanded into looking at polarisation, the desire for security, and the activity of the “me” or “self” in dialogue and in our daily lives. It was suggested that within such discussion what we are looking for may be an open awareness and a “shared sense of being”. The fact of a sense of fear at the deepest levels of our consciousness was brought forward. There was some agreement on the shared feeling of anxiety provoked by “emptiness” and the sense of a void within and, at the same time, some questioning of how participants were approaching the issues being raised. Rather than having disagreement, it was suggested, could different approaches be inclusive and useful to consider? There seemed to be some open questions remaining to be explored.

DB

Wisdom in a World on Fire, May 20 – 22, 2022

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Wisdom in a World on Fire

May 20 – 22, 2022

With Javier Gomez Rodrigues

Zoom Online

 

Javier joined us from Amsterdam for this three part workshop using the Zoom online application. Each of the three sessions included a roughly forty-five minute talk or presentation followed by forty-five minutes of group dialogue or discussion. There were between eight and ten persons present in total in each meeting and others that were not present live but were planning to watch the recordings of the sessions at a later time.

Javier began the meeting with some comments on the present situation in the world with its conflicts, divisions, violence, and nationalism. The root of violence, he pointed out, is the notion of self or the separate “me”. Identity is based on memory, the structures of the past, and the contradictions of thought, which creates its own problems. Are we willing to drop our identities and our sense of separateness? Javier asked. We are strongly driven by our ego identity and selfish motivations and must question where we are coming from in our relationships. Are we living in a world of ideas? Why do we not see these attachments to ideas and let them go? Are we controlled by our desires for fame and fulfilment, position, ownership of objects, and so on? Over the three days we explored deeper aspects of the self and the need for it to dissolve. This is the core of Krishnamurti’s teachings and he suggests that we use the “mirror of relationship” to gain “knowledge” of ourselves or insight into our thought structures which can bring about an experience of wholeness.

The talks and discussions touched on many of the psychological aspects of the self and its nature. The central place of images was explored in relation to fiction, reality, and love. This tied into the issue of loneliness and isolation and then the workings of pleasure and fear. Questions arose about children, siblings, parents and the opportunities of family life in realising love. A number of times we delved into the necessity of being fully with our pain and sorrow. Being with our suffering can awaken compassion and a sense of freedom. And facing the psychological fear of death and the desire for security can bring transformation. The question arose, “have we faced the fear of death?” The question is one of depth and value.

Javier’s presentations are full of humour and lightness as well as confronting serious and profound questions. The balance makes for an enjoyable and instructive learning experience.

DB

Exploring Ourselves with Jackie McKinley, May 15, 2022

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Exploring Ourselves

With Jackie McKinley

May 15, 2022

Zoom online

Jackie was facilitating this meeting from the UK and was joined by fourteen more participants for a “dialogue” concerning the nature of consciousness and our particular expression of it. She began by noting that there were three people present who were new to dialogue, which led her to ask the question, “What is dialogue?” We are not here to just talk about what we are thinking about, but more to observe the psychological and energetic movements that arise in us as they arise. She asked, “Can we be actually aware of these movements and not just conceptually aware?”

After some moments of silence, Jackie commented that a quality of silence is needed to observe. Everyone present is responsible for the atmosphere in the group and we are all in this attentiveness together, a broad attention towards all that is transpiring. Within such attention there is space for any serious question. The first question arising asked what we notice about our state of mind when we are present within a group. Jackie then asked if the question needed further elaboration or clarification. Another questioner inquired what the difference is between our state of mind and our thoughts. There was a response, a wondering if we were looking for answers. Jackie asked if we can hold a question and let it deepen our perception. There was then some discussion of thoughts vs. the observing of thoughts and the importance of being aware of our thinking. The dialogue unfolded to fill the two hour time slot and was judged to be interesting and worthwhile in its content and in the insights that became available to the group.

Meditative Self-inquiry, May 8, 2022

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Meditative Self-inquiry

With Mukesh Gupta

Sunday, May 8, 2022

Zoom Online

This session of Meditative Self-inquiry focused on the question “What is Compassion?” Sixteen people were in attendance in total and Mukesh was with us online from Europe. He began the meeting with a short silent meditation then posed the questions “What is compassion?” and “What is love?” with a comment that the two are very much interdependent. In both cases we must first see what is not compassion and what is not love and similarly with any quality of consciousness we are exploring, such as truth. Through negation we see and release what is not the truth. With the subject of compassion we see through our inquiry that any activity of the “me” or “ego” is not compassion and that compassion cannot be a part of the thought process, our stories, images, prejudices, and any aspects of the (egoic) self. There must be a space or freedom from the self and a seeing of the danger of the self-centred way of living.

“Why is there not this space or freedom?” Mukesh asked. “Is it because our minds are so busy, preoccupied?” There must be a quietness which listens to and feels the suffering of another. Separation must be seen to be just a story, an image. The truth of our Being is beyond images and thought. Identification with thought and images creates suffering and diminishes the beauty of life. Mukesh finished his half hour talk by saying that compassion is “passion for all” and not just caring for the few.

Mukesh invited the group to enter into a discussion or dialogue in which we could explore the nature of compassion from our hearts and not merely from the intellect. The first question that arose from the participants was a wondering how human beings can change their behaviour in relation to materialism and accumulation. What is the source of ambition and acquisitiveness? Is it fear? It was suggested that the mind is projecting the fear of dying without seeing the fact. This fear is the basis of greed and possessiveness. Can there be an attention which looks at the creation of fear and transforms it into creativity?

A second question from the attendees was concerning how we deal with expectation. The ending of suffering can become a goal and thus an expectation which does not bring freedom. Can we be aware of the activities of the “old mind” which is self-critical and observe from stillness, being open to the truth of the matter coming to us from the Unknown? This discussion brought forth the observation that we have never been taught who we actually are and without self-knowledge there can be no freedom or love. Competition between human beings creates conflict. When we imagine ourselves to be objects or “things” then there can be no love.

The inquiry deepened as the meeting unfolded and became more deeply involved in the challenge of being awake to our mechanical nature, staying with the self-inquiry, and negating that which is false. Can we move beyond our limiting desires for pleasure? It was noted that it is an ongoing work.

Exploring Ourselves, May 1, 2022

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Exploring Ourselves

With Jackie McKinley

Sunday, May1, 2022

Zoom Online

 

Fourteen people in total were present on Zoom for this Sunday morning online meeting facilitated by Jackie McKinley from the UK. As there were a few people new to dialogue as practised in the Krishnamurti world, Jackie gave an introductory talk about the central ideas guiding it. The main points she emphasised were the following;

– Dialogue is a coming together of friends in order to talk over our problems on whatever levels or depths we are moved to do so.

– There is no leader or authority. We are all in the same boat and noone is considered to know any more than the others. Each person may see a part of the total picture.

– We are learning the art of communicating together and investigating our patterns or conditioning exactly as they actually are, not as we would like them to be.

– When we don’t see who or what we are, this generates a host of problems in our everyday lives. Can we get a true sense of this? What do we need to see about ourselves?

– How do we go about this exploration? Some of the requirements are that we relax, listen, observe, suspend our thoughts and judgements, open to what others have to say, and hold the paradoxes of different views existing at the same time.

– We do not allow our programming to take over but, rather, watch it in operation. From that foundation we exchange perceptions with others, ask questions (which may not have answers), and allow for periods of silence.

The discussion of these ideas led the group to an extended exploration of the issue of the “known” and the “unknown”. Is it important to learn about the Unknown or to understand and realize “freedom from the known”, the title of one of Krishnamurti’s books? Perhaps we need to understand the limitation of the known, the nature of it. Such questions involve a different kind of exploration than we may be used to and the group got quite involved in looking at and talking about the issues that were arising. Eventually Jackie had to wind up the meeting, leaving us with encouragement to engage in an ongoing inquiry into ourselves and our reactions within the relationships of our daily lives.

Centred Self Without Being Self-centred, April 22-24, 2022

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Centred Self Without Being Self-centred

Online retreat with Ravi Ravindra

April 22 – 24, 2022

 

Ravi Ravindra joined us for his annual retreat at the Krishnamurti Centre of Canada, in this case through the Zoom online medium. He offered three presentations of 1 ½ hours each with a talk of about forty-five minutes to one hour each time followed by questions from the audience with Ravi’s responses. There were fourteen persons all included in attendance for the three sessions.

Ravi introduced his subject by bringing our attention to the mystery of our existence in this vast universe. Who or what are we? We must look within to find our connection with the “divine” reality. The urge may arise in us to seek for something beyond the body and the thinking mind and, at the same time, we need to appreciate the body and mind as sensitive instruments of inquiry.

Inquiry begins with either wonder or fear of death and the challenges of being alive. We must be dissatisfied with our current state of knowledge and experience and therefore fueled in our search for something more profound. As the search is not easy by any means, how are we to go about it? Ravi touched on many interesting pointers to effective inquiry. Krishnamurti, Ravi pointed out, recommended that we keep asking questions, questions which come from the heart more than the mind. And it is the heart which is touched by the discoveries of self-inquiry. Every step forward is significant. Some of the many significant aspects of the journey suggested by Ravi for us to contemplate were the following:

– What part of us is acting in our responses to the challenges of life? Ego is a good servant but a poor master.

– There is no need to get rid of the ego: that is more ego.

– How can we nourish the desire for the divine?

– Negative and positive forces are a necessary part of existence and all aspects of ourselves are to be included.

– Refinement and greater understanding are needed more than the rejection of “evil”.

– Wanting things to be different may be less beneficial than being content with a gradual process of evolution.

– We are a hologram of the universe and self-inquiry is an endless process. The Devil is in me as well as the Divine. We must find the right place of everything.

– We must begin where we are. Spiritual practice will refine and cleanse my motivations.

– How do the wise sayings of the sages apply to me?

– Everything Ravi is saying is obvious but needs to be appreciated.

– Am I breathing or being breathed? The breath of God is keeping me alive, but I often take it for granted.

– Whatever I pay attention to changes its quality. There is no need to force anything. Watching what I am impartially brings self-transformation and greater depth and subtlety.

– We must find the right balance between effort and receptivity. What are my actions driven by: self or Self?

– Discouragement is inevitable but being connected with a group of fellow searchers can be invaluable. Self-compassion is also necessary.

– Can we allow ourselves to be surprised? The holy is surprising and requires freedom from the known.

– Spiritual questions cannot be solved but can be dissolved (but not necessarily permanently). If we stay with the mystery our lives can be transformed.

 

In addition to the large range of topics discussed over the three days, Ravi also guided the group in a few meditations which explored some inner, subtle dimensions of the body-mind.

Towards the end of the retreat some interesting questions were posed by participants, eliciting further gems from Ravi.

Overall, participants appeared to greatly enjoy the richness of wisdom gathered by Ravi over many years of study and meditation. We are grateful for his willingness to share with us.

DB

Exploring Ourselves, April 17, 2022

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Exploring Ourselves

With Jackie McKinley

Sunday, April 17

Zoom Online

This was the second meeting of the “Exploring Ourselves” series for the month of April. Seventeen of us joined online to engage in a dialogue without any specified subject matter. In fact, given that there were a number of new people, we began with the question “What is dialogue?” Jackie presented some of the central ideas guiding dialogue, the most important one perhaps being the concern with freedom. In dialogue, she said, nobody tells anyone else what to do. But then how do we deal with people who are fired up about some idea or perspective and speak aggressively, violently, and so on? How do we speak to each other as dialogue unfolds and we start coming up with answers, solutions, and opinions? Do we respond with our own answers? What is dialogue if not just a sharing of ideas? And can we notice – be aware of – what is taking place in our responses and reactions at different levels of our consciousness as we interact in relationship? Jackie asked if we would take some moments of silence to be with the question and the group participants complied.

As the conversation moved on, it was asked if we need to be anyone or anything in particular. And can different ways of seeing be held in a space of mutual examination and respect? Do we need to take a position with regards to any idea? Is it best to contradict what is said if we feel it is less than fully true or is it more helpful to encourage further expression of the idea in an attempt to reach a greater depth of shared understanding? Is any skill involved in meaningful dialogue or is skill not a relevant factor? We looked from different angles at the process of communication within a group, seeming to find that an open and tentative approach is part of what is needed. We keep coming back to the idea that a sensitive awareness of our reactions is central to the dialogue process. We closed with a sense that the process is continuously unfolding and revealing new insights about ourselves. It is a creative exploration perhaps without an end.

Meditative Self-Inquiry April 10, 2022

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Meditative Self-Inquiry

With Mukesh Gupta, April 10, 2022

Zoom online

In this session of Meditative Self-Inquiry Mukesh chose to focus on the question, “Can there be an end to fear and sorrow?” Seventeen people, staff included, attended the online presentation and discussion which began with a talk by Mukesh and then opened up for group questions and dialogue. Right at the beginning Mukesh posed another question which he felt to be crucial: “Am I present here and now?” Without answering that question Mukesh then gave a talk of about forty-five minutes to an hour about the nature of fear and sorrow, both being realities that everyone goes through in their lives. As long as we are caught in fear and sorrow, he said, we cannot flower, but when we understand deeply the roots of them then the issues and associated problems dissolve.

Fear arises when we are not facing the reality of our lives, when we are avoiding it. It is the shadow of desire, desire to dominate and have power. It exists when our self-centredness is not seen and we try to find security in thought constructs. Can it be seen that there is no security in identification with thought and in being driven by the egoic mind. Listening to Krishnamurti and other teachers the truth is seen. We must also listen to ourselves. Ego mind cannot heal itself but it can be looked at from the space of awareness and pure observation without naming what is seen and without trying to get rid of it. The “ego” can arise and dissolve naturally. It will be seen that the “observer” is the “observed”: both are creations of thought. The “I” is fear and sorrow. Our looking must be complete, a watching of what arises as thought and sensation. This watching awakens a different quality of intelligence which manifests compassion and passion for truth.

Following the talk we sat quietly for a short time then entered into dialogue. Questions and responses emerged concerning the need and possibility of peace, which must begin with ourselves. Any realisation of peace is significant. Can we also go to the very root of conflict and cut it? Can we feel responsible for the world and not feel guilty at the same time? Dialogue helps us to see the limits and falseness of our ideas and to realise the power of love and compassion, the depths of life.

Problems seem endless. What are we to do? Can we stay with the seeing of the “me” in action? Can we face the loneliness of the “me”? We must approach complex problems in a simple way. We need energy for creation, not for reaction. The participants seemed moved to explore such questions and to bring such inquiry into their daily lives.