Archive for category: Event Summaries

Krishnamurti Study Session
Sunday, January 19, 2020
At KECC

There were three of us in attendance for this Sunday morning meeting to study The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti. Our selection was the February 3 entry entitled “Can the Crude Mind Become Sensitive?” It was suggested by David at the beginning that this entry expressed a very significant aspect of Krishnamurti’s approach to self-observation and transformation. He clearly points out in this passage that observing oneself without any attempt to become something different actually transforms what is. Any trying to become the ideal is only a creation of a different egoic self and not a transformation. Being fully present with, and aware of, what we are is what brings about real change. The small group explored these pointers in some depth, including questioning what he really means when he speaks of “crudity” and “stupidity” in this context. The words took on a meaning other than the conventional understanding one might have of those terms. The inquiry was well enjoyed and went on long past the official end time for the session.

Exploring Awareness
Sunday, January 5, 2020
At KECC

Nine of us were present for this Sunday afternoon session at the Gatehouse. The meeting began with a short description of some aspects of Krishnamurti’s teachings which then led into a meditation guided by David inviting an experience of what K calls “choiceless awareness.” The guidance alternated with spaces of silence in which the participants could integrate the experience provoked by the words. After the half-hour meditation there was time for sharing of the experience, and this turned out to be a rich interaction and group discussion.
At what seemed like an appropriate time Ralph played a recording of a guided meditation by Ram Dass. The twenty minute meditation was similar in many ways to the previous meditation with some variations. Again there was sharing afterwards, which became quite spirited and energetic. It seemed that the visitors thoroughly enjoyed the afternoon.

Krishnamurti Study Session
Sunday, December 15, 2019
At KECC

There were just two of us present for this Sunday morning meeting. The book we are studying is The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti, and the selection was the January 31 entry entitled “Relationship is a Mirror”. Self-knowledge, K says, “comes into being when we are aware of ourselves in relationship, which show what we are from moment to moment.” If we can look at ourselves with “full attention”, without judgement or evaluation, then we will see that the mind can free itself of its conditioning and discover what is beyond the field of thought. And freedom lies only beyond: it is not within the realm of thought.
We explored deeply what K is saying in this chapter and touched on related aspects of self-observation which we have experienced in our process of self-discovery. What is “full attention”, and what prevents it from being present? What supports it? How is freedom “entirely different” from functioning within the field of thought? These and other questions kept us exploring and sharing for two hours.

Exploring Awareness
Sunday, December 1, 2019
At KECC

The Sunday afternoon session was attended by six of us. We stayed with our usual format for these meetings with two guided meditations and some discussion of our experiences. We began with a meditation, guided by David, into being with our experience without naming it or creating any story about it. We were invited to be fully present with all our attention, with “full-body” awareness or what Krishnamurti calls “choiceless awareness”. Not naming experience can bring about a more direct and insightful understanding of “what is”, and bring about a deeper silence in the mind. There was then the invitation to notice if we were creating a division between ourselves as an “observer” and the thing being observed. What happens if this duality is noticed? Does a different quality of perceiving come about, a unitary and whole sense of presence and awareness?
The second half of the session featured a recording of one of Scott Kiloby’s guided meditations offered at his recent retreat given at the Centre. The focus was on looking at the ways in which thought creates a sense of not being good enough, a “deficiency story” about ourselves. The meditation also went quite deeply into the process of observing thoughts and feelings and allowing them to fall away as they arise, without needing to do anything. The experience seemed to be valued by all participants and considered very relevant to our daily lives. It was a rich afternoon of “meditation” and sharing.

Five Day Inquiries Retreat with Scott Kiloby,
November 22 – 27, 2019
At KECC

We were fortunate to have Scott join us for the sixth year running, this time for a five day intensive retreat exploring his “Living Inquiries” and “Kiloby Inquiries” methods of self inquiry. Scott is the founder of the Kiloby Centre for treatment of addictions in Palm Springs, California. A total of eighteen people were in attendance for the retreat, which began on a Friday evening with a talk on the topics of “awareness, awakening, embodiment, readiness, honesty, authenticity, intimacy, and inquiry.” Scott pointed out skills can be taught but readiness cannot. He questioned what stops people from doing the self inquiry work and suggested a number of factors, always emphasizing the need for each one of us to look for ourselves. Resting as awareness is the basic practice, whereas his other techniques are to be used when resting is not easily accessible. Other talks throughout the retreat focused on describing his inquiry methods, some of which were new since his last visit, the nature and trajectory of “awakening”, the need to learn skills for working with our conditioning, contractions in the body, the challenges of the embodiment process, and working with trauma. Interspersed were sessions working with the inquiries experientially and practicing them so we could do them on our own after leaving the retreat. There were a number of practice sessions in pairs with participants facilitating each other. This produced some deep work and insights. An assistant was available for private sessions if desired. All the work was supported by the basic practice of resting in and as awareness, which involves recognizing that awareness is our essential nature. From there we can observe everything that arises in and as awareness without taking on the belief that we are those phenomena, without identifying with the thoughts, feelings, and sensations. Scott mentioned that his work was influenced in its development by J. Krishnamurti and is in essence very similar to that of Krishnamurti. Participants familiar with Krishnamurti’s teachings experienced the Inquiries to be an effective way of applying K’s teachings in a very specific and practical manner.
Other activities over the five days included plenty of Q and A opportunities, a Krishnamurti video, time for self-reflection, walks, and sharing at meal times. Spontaneous conversations took place in the unstructured periods. Meals were provided by catering from Glenrosa Restaurant and Toque. We were also treated to a delightful music concert organized by Chanda Siddoo and featuring her own compositions. The concert was described as an offering to combat the threat of nuclear war and to inspire peace on our planet. By the end of the retreat there was a strong sense of unity and affection amongst the group members – a direct result of the honesty and authenticity of the sharing and working with the sometimes difficult issues of our human experience. It was an opportunity much appreciated and valued by all the participants. It is a great joy and a privilege to have Scott at our Centre and we look forward to his return at about the same time next year to continue with the exploration of awareness and its embodiment into all aspects of our life experience.