Meditative Self-inquiry with Mukesh Gupta, September 5, 2020

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Meditative Self-inquiry

With Mukesh Gupta

Zoom online September 5, 2020

This was the fourth in a series of eight presentations by Mukesh Gupta and sponsored by the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada. Mukesh was joining us online from Varanasi, India. His topic was “The Art of Looking, Listening, and Learning”, and the meeting was attended by eighteen people, all included. As usual, Mukesh began with some silent sitting with the suggestion to be effortlessly attentive to whatever is arising. His presentation then began with an exploration of the art of listening and gradually moved on to looking and learning. He emphasized that we can learn about all these by experimenting with them in our daily lives. A kind of sensitivity and deeper quality of awareness develops naturally from this experimentation, and Mukesh explored various aspects of the journey of discovery through “choiceless awareness”, which Krishnamurti points to in his talks and writings. Mukesh asked a variety of important questions in considering the subject of learning and suggested that it is best to remain as a beginner at all times, being open to new insights and discoveries about oneself and the process of self-observation. Can one observe not from a small “centre” or limited identity, but with one’s whole being, mind, and heart? Intelligence may arise as we observe in this way. Seeing clearly is the source of intelligent action in one’s life.

This was another skillful presentation by Mukesh and was apparently valued and enjoyed by the participants

The Intelligence of the Heart with Hilary Rodrigues, August 28-30, 2020

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The Intelligence of the Heart

August 28 – 30, 2020

With Prof. Hilary Rodrigues, online

This was at least the ninth annual retreat with Prof. Hilary Rodrigues sponsored by the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada in Metchosin, BC. This retreat was, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, held online. Hilary is a professor of Eastern religious traditions at the University of Lethbridge and a former teacher and administrator at the Krishnamurti school that once existed at the site of the KECC. He has published books and articles on aspects of Krishnamurti’s thought, including the book Krishnamurti’s Insight, and has given presentations on K’s teachings in New York, New Delhi, Victoria, and Ojai, California.

The Friday evening session was attended by 13 people in all, which continued with some slight variation through the weekend meetings held from 4 to 5:30 pm each of the three days. Hilary made it clear from the beginning that he was not just going to give lectures and answer questions, but was going to encourage an active sharing and inquiry involving all participants. He invited one of the participants, who had asked at the end of the previous retreat for more focus on “the heart”, to open with some comments about what the heart means to her. This then led to further offerings by other group members related to the question “What is the heart?” along with a quote by Krishnamurti emphasizing the importance of the heart in the act of observing and listening with our whole being. The weekend proceeded with guidance from Hilary and contributions by others as we explored such topics as sensitivity, looking and listening vs. thinking and analysis, learning and knowledge, the nature of intelligence, the question of “getting it” and “not getting it”, and many aspects of the inquiry into the awakening of love and wisdom. At the close of each session Hillary responded skillfully to requests to share some final thoughts about what had transpired and what might be said in conclusion. As part of Hilary’s summing up, he pointed to the fact that Krishnamurti does not ask us to come to conclusions but, rather, to stay with open questions and explore them with moment-to-moment attention.

As always, it was a pleasure to be with Hilary, even if only virtually, and we hope to continue the tradition in the future (while at the same time being in the now)

.

Self Study Meeting, August 16, 2020

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Self Study Meeting

Sunday, August 16, 2020

Online Zoom Meeting

Seven people were present for this Sunday morning meeting focused on the subject of fear. Readings from The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti were used as material for inquiry into fear in our own lives and exploration of effective ways of approaching the issue. The suggested readings, March 22 – 31, contain some of Krishnamurti’s core teachings on the crucial question, “Can I be free of fear?” The readings inspired a high quality of sharing among the participants and numerous insights relevant to a practical understanding. We contemplated a quote from Krishnamurti to the effect that meditation is the awakening of fear and the transcendence of fear. We must be in touch with our fear before we can understand it. It was an excellent meeting seemingly much enjoyed by the attendees.

Urgency of Change Dialogue Meeting, August 9, 2020

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The Urgency of Change Dialogue Meeting

Sunday, August 9, 2020

Zoom online

Eight of us were present for this online meeting, intending to explore the topic of relationship. We began with a guided meditation exploring what might be arising in the form of self-images and images of others in the group. Does thought filter our experience of relationship through images and ideas from the past, thus veiling the immediacy of the contact and/or the possibility of real communion? It was a question that was further explored in the dialogue that followed. The focus of our sharing was the chapter in The Urgency of Change by J. Krishnamurti entitled “Relationship”, in which K and his inquiry partner ask whether it is possible to break through the barriers that create isolation and separate us from each other and the experience of harmony and unity. We examined a number of aspects of the issue, with group members offering their perspectives and reflections.

During the half-time break in the session, I (David) was feeling a little at a loss for direction and, looking at a passage in the book, was inspired by a few of K’s words in the text. “Don’t explain anything: just feel your way into it”….. I opened to the sense of confusion and uncertainty I was experiencing and immediately felt a shift in my consciousness, a sense of peace and happy enjoyment of simply being present in the moment. It was a living demonstration of what K was pointing to with his suggestion – or at least a version of it. It also seemed like a significant reminder for all dialogues. It sometimes seems easy to get pulled into overly mental discussions of concepts and problems created by thought, and it might be helpful at such times to bring in our feeling capacity. Dialogue provides ongoing opportunities for learning.

The next chapter to be explored is the one entitled “Conflict”.

Self Study Meeting, August 2, 2020

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Self Study Meeting

August 2, 2020

KECC Zoom online event

Eight of us from various parts of the world attended this Sunday morning meeting which followed up on Mukesh’s Saturday session on “Relationships”. Participants had read in advance relevant selections from The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti (March 1-19 entries) and were prepared to explore the subject in greater depth. In those entries, Krishnamurti speaks of how dependency and fear work together to create conflict in our relationships and our lives. He then asks if there is some factor even prior to dependency that is even more significant in our experience of conflict and suffering. Looking at these questions elicited some very interesting inquiry and discussion of the issue of “emptiness” in its “negative” and “positive” aspects. What are the consequences of our tendency to escape the sense of emptiness, and what happens when resistance to emptiness ends? Is that the doorway to peace and love, as Krishnamurti seems to suggest?

We explored the question of what our relationships have shown us about the workings of our human consciousness. Included in this was the place of images in our lives and relationships. The discussion was punctuated by periods of silence which seemed to be quite easy for us to relax into and enjoy.

Meditative Self-inquiry with Mukesh Gupta

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Meditative Self-inquiry with Mukesh Gupta

August 1, 2020

KECC online

This Zoom online meeting with Mukesh Gupta from Varanasi, India, was attended by a total of twenty people from diverse locations. The second in a series of eight presentations, this session was focused on the topic “Why Is There No Peace and Love in Our Relationships?” This, Mukesh pointed out, is a central question in most people’s lives. It is a question to be held in our consciousness until an authentic response arises from a deep inquiry into our own behaviour, beliefs, and conditioning around the subject of love.

After a slide presentation of a short history of the universe and human evolution, Mukesh entered into a discussion of various significant questions and facts within the field of relationship. He drew, as usual, on his deep understanding of the teachings of J. Krishnamurti.

– Life is a movement in relationship

– What we are the world is

– Relationship is a mirror in which we can learn about ourselves. If we are serious about learning, then relationship is a ground for self-transformation

– Why do our relationships become stagnant? What is the cause of suffering in relationships?

– Relationships are usually based on images, self-interest, and the search for pleasure

– Images and memories are unstable and attachment to them cannot offer real security

– The sense of self and other is created and sustained by thought and is essentially an illusion

– Why do we hurt others and get hurt? Why is fear so dominant in our lives?

– Seeing clearly is the end of suffering. Self-inquiry is necessary.

– Core aspects of self-inquiry are attention, listening, looking, and love. They are not separate and must be an expression of one’s whole being

Mukesh covered further aspects of the art of asking real questions and staying with them in silent watchfulness. This can dissolve the causes of suffering and create space for the flowering

of love and peace, which have no cause. He then opened the floor to questions from the audience and probed deeply into the issues raised. His final summary was to the effect that total perception is the end of suffering and the opening to love. We look forward to his next presentation on August 15 on the topic of fear and insecurity.

UVic Stillness Within Meetup on July 25th – Cultivating Equanimity

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We had a fun time with this virtual get together in July – five of us looked at some practices that may prove useful in reducing stress, increasing a sense of well-being and strengthening overall emotional resilience. We listened to a few video clips including a guided excerpt from Rick Hanson’s “Meditations for Happiness”.  The group shared some of their own strategies such as reframing challenges as opportunities to grow and evolve ourselves.  We also talked about Lester Levenson’s story – a man who discovered that his key to enduring peace and happiness was to find love within every relationship… and to use his own form of personal inquiry to see what might be in the way of love fully expressing.

Krishnamurti points to love as a wellspring of deep inner peace and comfort as well:

“The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called love and feel the depth, the delight, the ecstasy of it, you will discover that for you the world is transformed.”

On the other hand, K. often can pose some fun, almost opposite points of view, depending on the context of what he is trying to get across.  Here he suggests that happiness is not something to be pursued:

“Happiness is strange; it comes when you are not seeking it. When you are not making an effort to be happy, then unexpectedly, mysteriously, happiness is there, born of purity, of a loveliness of being.”

Whether we can or can’t bring about our own deep joy and peace could be debated at length.  Still, it’s really a joy to gather, to share our inspirations and challenges and to let the stories fall away for a spell, just to be.

Thanks to the KECC for supporting this enriching meetup!

Self Study Meeting, July 19, 2020

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Self Study Meeting

July 19, 2020

Online Zoom

This event was an experiment in the sense of offering an opportunity to explore further into the subjects presented on the previous day by Mukesh Gupta from India. Interested people could attend one or both events. Nine of us were present online for the Sunday session. Focusing, as Mukesh had, on the topic of “Self-knowledge”, participants were invited to read in advance some relevant selections from The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti and to bring any questions, comments, or insights to the meeting for sharing in the group dialogue. They could also bring questions and insights from the previous day’s session with Mukesh.

It turned out to be a fruitful experiment, with many deep questions and valuable insights arising during the group sharing. It seemed like an appropriate balance between Mukesh’s style of presentation and David’s guidance through the Self Study meeting, which included a short guided meditation and an interactive sharing between participants. The experience was apparently enjoyable and of value.

Meditative Self Inquiry with Mukesh Gupta, July 18, 2020

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Meditative Self Inquiry

With Mukesh Gupta

Zoom Online July 18, 2020

All included, nineteen people were present for this late afternoon Zoom meeting sponsored by the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada. The session was facilitated by Mukesh Gupta from Varanasi, India. Mukesh communicates the essence of J. Krishnamurti’s teachings in a clear and concise manner and responds to audience questions with a directness and understanding that seems to be very helpful. Between now and November, he will be offering a series of eight talks and dialogues exploring K’s teachings. The focus of this, the first of the eight sessions, was “Self-knowledge as a Door to Freedom”. Mukesh gave a talk with slides and then fielded questions. Some of the issues presented and discussed were the following:

– The unexamined life is not worth living

– What you are, the world is.

– What doe it mean to know oneself?

– Knowing or understanding anything brings freedom.

– How do I know myself? Is there any instrument for self-knowing other than thought?

– The “I” may be created by thought!

– We may not be in control.

– Is direct perception free of conditioning? What is its effect?

– The self is a reaction of thought. What happens if there is awareness of these reactions?

– Any deep question dropped into one’s consciousness will bring about silence, Examples of such questions: What am I? What is this “I” or “self”? Is there a self without the thinking process? Is there a self if there is no reaction to “what is”? What kind of existence does this non-reactive self have?

There were quite a variety of questions from the participants, who also expressed appreciation for Mukesh’s presence and the sponsorship by KECC.

The Urgency of Change Dialogue Meeting, July 12, 2020

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The Urgency of Change Dialogue Meeting

Sunday, July 12, 2020

Zoom online

Nine participants were present for this Sunday afternoon meeting. Our focus for this session was the third chapter of the J. Krishnamurti book The Urgency of Change, which group members had explored on their own before coming to the meeting. We began with five minutes of quiet sitting with the question “What is the root of fear?” Krishnamurti has said that the cause of fear is thought, but what is it exactly about thought that is responsible for the experience of fear? Can the process of thought be seen at a level that can create a shift in our relationship to fear?

We then entered a group sharing of what had been discovered during the meditation or in our ongoing self-inquiry. The sharing was lively and extended out to touching upon the main topics discussed in the chapter on fear, such as dependency, being with “emptiness”, the search for security, and the results of comparing ourselves with others or with an ideal version of ourselves. Can we look at these issues in our lives without escaping from them into abstractions and quick answers or solutions? The discussion provoked some exploration of Krishnamurti’s suggestions for looking and listening without naming our experience and without creating a division between the observer and the observed. The inquiry seemed to be valuable.

After the meeting a few of us explored our impressions of the event. It was suggested that it might be helpful to slow down the speed of the communication at times, perhaps by simply putting attention on such things as our feet on the ground or our breathing. Other simple “grounding” techniques might be of use. Perhaps some pointers on the nature of dialogue might be pertinent, for example the practice of “suspending” or holding up our thoughts and feelings in the circle with space to look at them and question any assumptions or agendas in expressing our ideas. That can be explored more fully at our next meeting.

Reading over the chapter on fear again might be valuable. The next reading will be “How to Live in this World”. I will send out more details about our planned meetings soon.

DB.