The Urgency of Change Dialogue Group, April 23, 2020

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The Urgency of Change Dialogue Group
Thursday, April 23, 2020

This was the second online meeting for this group. It was organized as a response to those participants seeking further connection beyond the one monthly meeting initially planned. On a Thursday evening seven members of the “Urgency” group logged in for the Zoom gathering at 7 pm and continued until 9:00. The focus was on Chapter 2 in Krishnamurti’s book The Urgency of Change, entitled “Is There a God?” We began with a guided meditation on being fully aware and present in the moment with our thoughts, feelings, and bodily sensations. Can this awareness function without naming the experience, or can it at least include being aware of the activity of naming produced by thought? The meditation moved into noticing any split being created by thought between an “observer” and the “observed”. What happens when this duality of thought is seen?
The chapter in the text begins with the questioner asserting that if there is no god then life is meaningless. He asks if he can know God and reports that the advice given is always that one must believe; then one will know. Krishnamurti asks whether belief is necessary at all and suggests that learning is much more important than knowing. As in the previous chapter of the book, he looks closely at the difference between the word and the actual thing. He expresses clearly the effects our beliefs have in conditioning our consciousness and creating division between human beings. As we explored the text participants shared their observations and experiences related to the concepts being discussed, which led to a rich and animated sharing and inquiry. It was emphasized that while inquiring into the ideas in the chapter it was also important to be watching our own reactions and responses. In this watching, the learning that K mentioned at the beginning can be taking place. It was mentioned by several participants that knowledge has a kind of dead quality to it, whereas learning is alive and vital, new, fresh, and direct. This is perhaps what gives meaning to our lives. These insights and observations were mixed with occasional disagreements and challenges which did not cause hitches of any great significance in the flow of the dialogue. We might take note in the future of what happens when opinions are expressed as being truths.

We progressed to about the half-way point in the chapter, with no sense of hurry to travel any particular distance. We will take up the rest of the chapter in the late May meeting. Our next “Urgency” group session will take place on May 10 and will go back to our study of Chapter 1, “Awareness”.

 

The Urgency of Change Dialogue Group, April 12, 2020

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The Urgency of Change Dialogue Group
Sunday, April 12, 2020

This was the second meeting of this group and the first one conducted online. The expected number of participants did not materialize but nine of us logged in for the two and a half hour session. The group is focusing on the study of J. Krishnamurti’s book The Urgency of Change as a platform for studying ourselves and the activity of self-inquiry. This meeting we explored the first chapter of the book entitled “Awareness”, wherein, in discussion with Alain Naude, K lays out some of the fundamentals of his teaching.
As there were a number of new members, the meeting began with brief introductions. After the sharings, it was pointed out that the act of listening itself, almost regardless of the content, was a kind of meditation which could invoke a different quality of awareness. David then led a guided meditation inviting full attention and presence and asking us to notice if thought was creating a division between an observer and what is being observed. The question was asked, “What happens when the division is noticed? Again, is there a different quality of attention or awareness?”
We then began to read the chapter a paragraph at a time, pausing to allow for comments, questions, observations, and insights to be shared in the group. The participants were fully engaged in the dialogue and generated a sense of shared meaning as we explored the questions and responses that arose. The interest in the inquiry was such that we covered less than half the chapter’s contents and will continue with the remainder of the first chapter next meeting. Participants expressed appreciation for the opportunity to come together in this way and to share the exploration of Krishnamurti’s pointers and our own discoveries.

Krishnamurti Study Session, April 5, 2020

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Krishnamurti Study Session
April 5, 2020
At KECC

This was our first online version of the K Study Group. Ten of us were in attendance via the Zoom app to explore the February 11 entry in The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti. The selection was entitled “Beyond Belief”. K points out that we seek beliefs and dogmas to explain our sorrowful life and to cover up the fear of the unknown. These beliefs only shore up a sense of a separate self, which produces further suffering and denies freedom. It is only in freedom, K says, that we can find what is true.
We explored our responses to the reading and an active investigation of the ideas took place. There were a few technical difficulties while learning the ropes with the Zoom application, but generally the meeting went smoothly and everyone seemed to appreciate the opportunity to connect and explore together. The online meetings are expected to continue at least until the current unusual Coronavirus situation changes.

Krishnamurti Study Session, March 29, 2020

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Krishnamurti Study Session
Sunday, March 29, 2020
At KECC

Although all events at the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada have been cancelled until further notice due to the corona virus pandemic, there has been some thought about offering events online via Zoom. With the intention of learning how to use the Zoom application, five of the regular attendees of the K Study sessions decided to hold a trial meeting. If we could get logged in to the online site successfully then we might conduct a meeting as much as possible as if we were gathered physically at the Centre. This was in fact what happened. We were all able to get logged in to the meeting and then to read and discuss the February 10 entry in The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti, entitled “Agitated by Belief”. In this selection, K talks about the falseness of religion based on belief and the necessity for us to understand our relationship with our neighbour, our society, and our wife and children. This is not to be done through withdrawal but requires “the understanding of love”.
We discussed ways in which we might tend to withdraw and what we felt was meant by the understanding of love. It became a rich and interesting dialogue, with everyone actively participating and contributing questions, perspectives, and insights. We all felt that it was a worthwhile introduction to a new way of meeting and sharing and made some plans to schedule another meeting for the first Sunday of April, which would be the normal meeting time for the group.

Living in Presence, March 15, 2020

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Living in Presence
March 15, 2020,
At KECC

This was the first meeting in a new series of offerings at the Krishnamurti Centre in Metchosin featuring questions and answers with Eckhart Tolle, whose teaching he considers to be an expression of the same “teaching stream” as that of J. Krishnamurti. The meeting was attended by six participants including the two facilitators. As an introduction a movie was shown of Eckhart reading from Krishnamurti’s Notebook and making comments on what K is pointing to in the selected passages. Eckhart chose a number of nature descriptions and shared his deep appreciation for the quality of the awareness and attention displayed in K’s descriptions, a quality Eckhart calls “presence”.
After the viewing Ralph mentioned that Eckhart did not encourage discussion of such material afterwards as it could easily become conceptual and abstract. The group quietly disbanded, enjoyed some snacks provided by Luis, and headed out for a walk on the property or back to Victoria.

Krishnamurti Study Session, March 15, 2020

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Krishnamurti Study Session
March 15, 2020
At KECC

This Sunday morning session was attended by a total of five people. The text for study was the February 9 entry in The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti entitled “What We Believe”. In this entry K questions the need for belief in the pursuit of self-knowledge. Is belief of any kind necessary in order to have a consistent drive and passion for self-exploration? Or is there some other energy that is not part of the mind’s projections about reality but comes from a deeper source?
After reading the passage and having some moments of silence, the participants shared their impressions of what K says, which then turned into a spontaneous inquiry into the habitual structures of the self and its attachments to the known and the security apparently offered by thought. The conversation was perhaps pushed by the very energy referred to by Krishnamurti that arises from beyond thought and wants to “know” the truth of ourselves and this life. It produced a sense in the participants of having entered a different space or dimension which was an expression of authenticity of being and could perhaps even be called “love” or, less romantically, a sense of unity. All participants seemed to partake of the same feeling and realization.

Exploring Awareness, March 8, 2020

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Exploring Awareness
Sunday, March 8, 2020
At KECC

This Sunday morning session was attended by five people. It opened with a guided meditation led by David and inviting a full presence and awareness of whatever is present in the moment. Awareness without naming or creating a division between the observer and the observed was explored, bringing about a deeper silence in the mind. There was some interesting discussion of the experience afterward.
The first meditation had a flavour of Krishnamurti’s way of approaching awareness and self observation. We then listened to a second guided meditation by Adyashanti exploring the nature of the self. He pointed in several ways to the fact that when we look for a self we cannot find it and that what we are is not a thing and is indescribable. Participants found the guidance very much to the point and useful.

Krishnamurti’s Noteboook: UVic Stillness Within Meetup – February 26th

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The February UVic meet-up brought eight of us together for quietness and ponderous readings from Krishnamurti’s Notebook. This was new material for almost everyone in the group and the absolute poetic beauty of K’s day-to-day observations had a reverberating affect within many of us.

We reflected on Krishnamurti’s intimate descriptions of his moments in a quiet grove of trees – in stark contrast to his arrival back in populated city describing his sense of violence within the built hubbub of humanity.  We were struck by his seeming merging or love within each expression.   With each new passage, we enjoyed a very provocative exploration.  For example,  what did he mean when describing shifts into a state of ‘benediction’… ? was it grace?  purity? centreless divinity?

In one passage, K. offered view of meditation that takes us beyond our mats and temples…

“Meditation during that walk, beside the stream on a path which meandered gently through many green fields, was not there because of silence or because the beauty of the evening absorbed all thought;  it went on in spite of some talk.  Nothing could interfere with it;  meditation went on, not unconsciously somewhere in the recesses of the brain and memory, but it was there, taking place, like the evening light among the trees.  Meditation is not a purposeful pursuit which breeds distraction and conflict; it’s not the discovery of a toy that will absorb all thought, as a child is absorbed by a toy;  it’s not the repetition of a word to still the mind.  It begins with self-knowing and goes beyond knowing.  On the walk, it was going on, stirring deeply and moving in no direction.  Meditation was going on beyond thought, conscious or hidden, and a seeing beyond the capacity of thought.”

Krishnamurti’s Notebook, 2003

We considered our own moments of unencumbered awe with the world around us – and seeming surrender – minus a surrender.   It was a fabulous dip into the eyes and heart of Krishnamurti;  I think we all felt lighter moving off into our ordinary yet extraordinary moments.

Thanks to KECC for supporting these meet-ups!

 

Krishnamurti Study Session, March 1, 2020

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Krishnamurti Study Session
Sunday, March 1, 2020
At KECC

For the March 1 study session there were four in attendance. The text for study was The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti. In David’s absence Laurie facilitated the group and sent in the following report.
“We read and discussed the February 7 entry, “When there is Love, Self is Not” and February 8, “Understanding What Is”.
We discussed what K meant by love, reality, truth, what is, and the many ways that the self is built through beliefs, knowledge, experiences, memory, etc. We questioned what it would be to have no belief and nowhere to escape or land, psychologically. Discussion also arose around why there is a self and its uses and function. Would this self be different in another time period or culture?
“There was a rich conversation around the freedom and relaxing that happens when we stay with what is, the fact of any moment without description or moving away from what’s here now. We dug into the meaning of acceptance. We also compared mankind to the ant colony metaphorically and relatively. And we had a discussion around the ways that we try to defend and protect ourselves and the result. We had a meditation before and after and discussed meditation.
“It was a rich study session.”

Krishnamurti Study Session February 16, 2020

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Krishnamurti Study Session
Sunday, February 16, 2020
At KECC

I, David, was absent for this session. Bill Brown stood in for me and here is his brief report on the group’s reading of the February 6 entry in The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti. Three people were present for the meeting.
“We discussed K’s use of the word “evil “ and we came to the conclusion that what he meant was SELF is “evil“ – all self, spiritual or otherwise – because behind self there’s a Doer. No matter their intentions they will cause harm to others. That’s what I remember about our discussion.”