Resolving Conflict with Passion, August 23 – 25, 2019

Resolving Conflict with Passion
Weekend Retreat with Hillary Rodrigues
August 23 – 25, 2019, at KECC

This was the tenth annual retreat with Prof. Hillary Rodrigues at the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada in Metchosin, BC. Hillary 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. Entitled “Resolving Conflict with Passion,” Hilary made it clear at the Friday night introductory talk that this was not to be an academic workshop, but an opportunity to inquire deeply into particular issues in a personal and holistic way with others. Krishnamurti’s teachings would regularly be used as entry points for looking at our own experience.
Hillary’s Friday talk addressed the idea of two types of passion, the passion with a motive or a cause and the passion without cause that Krishnamurti speaks of. The passion with cause inevitably leads to suffering, whereas the second kind of passion can bring about the ending of sorrow. The discussion addressed the topics of suffering, sorrow, and passion, inviting participation by the fifteen attendees. The interchange was very rich and inviting of real questioning and investigation.
Twelve people were present for the remainder of the weekend, during which ongoing group dialogue was supplemented with short talks by Hillary, handouts with quotes from Krishnamurti, and a video of K in conversation with Alan Anderson at San Diego University. Hillary skillfully guided the group through the dialogues and the group participation created an atmosphere of interested and focused presence within which listening, looking, and learning could take place. The quality of the inquiry was very much appreciated by all. There was time for quiet walks on the lovely property and delicious meals were provided by Glenrosa Restaurant. It was another meaningful and profound meeting with Hillary and sincere participants. We are grateful for his contribution and anticipate his return next year.

Krishnamurti Study Session, August 18, 2019

Krishnamurti Study Session

Sunday, August 18, 2019

At KECC

The material for study this session was from The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti. Bill ran the meeting in my (David’s) absence and shared a brief report. Five people were in attendance as the January 22 entry entitled “Can I Rely on My Experience” was looked into, followed by the January 23 entry, “Self-Knowledge is a Process.” Krishnamurti questions whether our experience can be reliable given that it is conditioned by limited interpretations, ideas, and beliefs which we have assumed to be true without any deep understanding. Reality can only be known, K suggests, when there is an observation without the past and without “the analyzer.” The second selection focused on the significance of being aware in our daily relationships and the challenge of being alert to our responses and reactions. Group discussion of the pointings led to some exploration of “projection” and a number of issues related to self-knowledge which were found to be of interest as they arose in the reading and dialogue.

KNOW YOUR OWN BEING AS IT IS (part two)

Question:
Because we are saddled, with ongoing commentary of thoughts, are we unwittingly creating our reality?

Discussion:

“The world is the activity of consciousness. Like a wave that arises out of the ocean then returns back into the ocean. Consciousness vails itself with activity and assumes the form of thinking, feelings, imagining. It colors itself with its own activity. The same as a tv screen colors itself with a movie and appears as a landscape, consciousness has that ability also, while watching itself as the movie, be also the screen. Being pure knowing, while thinking, feeling, sensing and feeling. By doing so, appears to be something other than itself, called the world. So the world is the activity of consciousness. “ Rupert Spira

If we can really understand the problem, the answer will come out of it, because the answer is not separate from the problem. – Krishnamurti

Approaches to Self-inquiry, August 11, 2019

Approaches to Self-Inquiry
Sunday, August 11, 2019
At KECC

These sessions held on the second Sunday afternoon of each month are intended to expose interested people to spiritual teachings that are felt to be in alignment with those of J. Krishnamurti and which may present a somewhat different but helpful lens for approaching the art of self-inquiry. In this case we looked at two half-hour video presentations by an unusual teacher, Fred Davis. In the first video, Fred turned a commonly heard statement upside down. It is often said that “I understand non-duality intellectually but I just don’t experience it.” Fred suggests that the opposite is actually the truth: we experience non-duality (because it is the very nature of things) but we don’t understand it intellectually (because the thinking mind can only function in duality). He goes into this perspective from a number of different angles.
The five participants present explored this koan or puzzle which was perhaps not immediately easy to grasp but which seemed to yield some fruit in the examining of it. Is there in fact any division, if we look purely without the separating habit of our thinking? Where is the actual boundary between me and you, me and an object of perception? The second video supported the same kind of seeing that Fred had introduced in the first and participants also found it both challenging and interesting.

Exploring Awareness, August 4, 2019

Exploring Awareness
Sunday, August 4, 2019
At KECC

Seven people gathered for this Sunday afternoon session of guided meditations intended to give a direct experience of awareness and presence. Some new material was presented in the form of a slow reading of passages from the spiritual classic I Am That by Nisargadatta Maharaj. The readings have pauses between them to allow for quiet contemplation of the meaning. Participants expressed appreciation of the format and took the experience with them for a twenty minute walk on the lovely property. On returning to the location chosen on the front lawn, a choice was made between guided meditations by Adyashanti, Rupert Spira, and Mooji. We listened to a twenty minute meditation with Mooji and then discussed our experiences of the afternoon. People offered feedback that such exploration of awareness was very valuable and worthwhile.

Krishnamurti Study Session, August 4, 2019

Krishnamurti Study Session
Sunday, August 4, 2019
At KECC

Five people were present for this Sunday morning gathering to study The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti. The passage for study was the January 21 entry entitled “Authority Corrupts both Leader and Follower.” Before we looked into the text, one of the participants raised the questions, “Can the self get rid of the self?” and “Can we go beyond the self through thought and analysis?” It seemed to be an important inquiry for the individual and soon the whole group was involved with it, looking at the issue from different angles. It was suggested that in the very moment we are exploring a question we can be choicelessly aware of our thinking processes and seeing them clearly rather than getting further embroiled in analysis of the problem. Can there be a direct seeing which frees us from thought?
We had a fruitful inquiry which opened a space of Being different from identification with the thinking mind, Many felt we had entered a state of mind free of analysis, which gave a sense of freedom. We took a little pause to appreciate the “no-mind” state. It was then suggested we look at the text material. We began with investigating K’s use of the word “arduous” in relation to self-awareness and explored what the word meant to us and how we felt or didn’t feel the truth of it. The conversation kept moving deeper, with occasional slowing down to look at ideas that raised questions in the minds of participants. By closing time we felt ready to move on to the next daily meditation for our meeting on August 18.

Only One Enlightenment, July 26 – 28, 2019

Only One Enlightenment
Weekend Retreat with Michael Mendizza
July 26 – 28, 2019 at KECC

Michael Mendizza is a filmmaker and author now living in Ojai, California, who has been very interested in education and child rearing. He has also been a long-time student of the teachings of J. Krishnamurti and has produced a variety of films about him and his understandings of the human mind. He has recently written a book exploring the similarities and differences between the core teachings of the Buddha and those of Krishnamurti. The book, entitled Always Awakening, features discussions between Michael and Samdong Rinpoche, a close associate of the Dalai Lama.
Michael was invited to present a weekend retreat at the Krishnamurti Centre of Canada in Metchosin, BC. Sixteen people plus facilitators were in attendance as Michael opened on Friday evening with a brief introduction to his background and his intentions for the weekend. He then invited all participants to share what had attracted them to Krishnamurti and what it is they are looking for in joining an exploration such as this. Many spoke of the relevance of K’s teachings to their own life experience, including fears and conflicts. Michael gave feedback and comments as appropriate. The evening ended with a video of K. speaking at Ojai in 1970 and investigating two different ways of perceiving – with and without an “observer”. We watched the video again the next morning and entered a rich discussion of what K was pointing to.
The rest of the weekend was spent in a deepening exploration of the ways in which psychological thought distorts our perception of reality and pretends to have solutions to problems that it itself has created. Videos of K with David Bohm and of interviews with people who knew Krishnamurti were included as we looked at issues such as image-making in relationship, division and conflict, the illusion of a separate self, and the possibility (and difficulty) of transforming our consciousness and finding freedom from conditioning or “the known”. Woven in with our inquiry into fundamental issues in self-discovery was material about the life of Krishnamurti and the qualities of his consciousness, which may be relevant in the attempt to understand his message. How was it that a
silent mind was K’s default mode, whereas for us a noisy mind is our ordinary state? Michael explained that, from his point of view, a shift in state of mind is central to what K is pointing us to. Michael explained some of the basic practices of Tibetan Buddhism and how they might relate to what K spoke of his whole life.
Many more questions were touched on over the weekend. The website alwaysawakening.com is a source of further information for further probing into the material of Michael’s book and the many interesting insights offered along the way. We very much appreciated Michael’s offerings and hope to see more of him in the future.

Krishnamurti Study Session, July 21, 2019

Krishnamurti Study Session
Sunday, July 21, 2019
At KECC

For this session, our exploration of J. Krishnamurti’s The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti began with the entry for January 20 entitled “Why Do We Follow?” K emphases the importance of understanding our craving for “an authority who can direct our conduct,” for dependence on authority obscures our capacity to see clearly and directly what is true. As we discussed his pointings many interesting insights were shared by the five participants and the inquiry was apparently meaningful for all of us. We spent the whole two hours of the meeting with the one selection as the exploration just kept opening up to further questions and perceptions.

Non Duality july 14

Non Duality meeting was held on  July 14, 5 people attended in which two were on retreat.
Video: Rupert Spira
KNOW YOUR OWN BEING AS IT IS
Questions and Discussion:

Who is this “I” that is Aware of Being Aware, that Rupert talks about?
Discussion:
Awareness is never changing. “I” is the name that is aware of itself. Not your thoughts, perceptions, judgments, nor from your past understanding. This is what is meant by “ Know Thyself “

What does one do in understanding your experience?

Discussion: You do not need to reject experiences to find happiness. Your own being shines behind and in the midst of all experiences. The work is to not let experiences cloud the “I”.

Krishnamurti spoke of this when he said, “I don’t mind”. For his happiness was not molded in   experience.

Approaches to Self-inquiry, July 14, 2019 at KECC

Approaches to Self-Inquiry
Sunday, July 14, 2019
At KECC

The monthly sessions called “Approaches to Self-inquiry” usually consist of watching a video of a spiritual teacher we feel complements the teachings of J. Krishnamurti but gives a somewhat different angle on the understanding of ourselves. Looking through a different lens may stimulate fresh insights into the nature of consciousness. On this occasion we looked at an interview with Ramesh Balsekar entitled “Who Wants to Know What?” The interviewer was very skillful in asking for clarification of Ramesh’s pointers as he explained how we mistake ourselves to be separate entities with choice and free will when in fact we are the instruments of the totality, the Whole, as it carries out the actions necessary for itself. The process of life and activity is an impersonal happening, according to Ramesh’s perspective. He goes into some detail about this and questions our conventional beliefs about our identity in a penetrating way. Sometimes what he says can seem difficult to follow when one has not come across his way of seeing or his flavour of teaching, but most of the seven participants appeared to experience the material to be of value and were able to find it relevant to their own self-inquiry process. (After the video we engaged in group dialogue and sharing of our impressions.) It was a somewhat out-of-the-ordinary exploration which activated some interesting questions and food for inquiry.