Krishnamurti Study Session, June 2, 2019

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Krishnamurti Study Session
Sunday, June 2, 2019
At KECC

Ten participants gathered for this Sunday morning exploration of the J. Krishnamurti text The Book of Life. Our first reading was the January 16 meditation entitled “Virtue Has No Authority”, which was discussed in some depth. We questioned what K means by “virtue”, “order”, and “psychological authority”, amongst other terms, and what he is pointing to when he says humility, love, and virtue cannot be cultivated. The necessity to observe ourselves in a non-judgemental way, with “tenderness” and care, was emphasized in the dialogue and we went into some detail about the observation without an observer.
There was time to move on to the January 17 and 18 entries: “The Old Mind in Bound by Authority” and “Free at the Beginning”, which also provided fertile ground for inquiry. There is a freedom at the very beginning when we enter the learning mind which looks and listens to all that arises in consciousness and is open to receiving insight. It was a lively and creative investigation of some core issues in Krishnamurti’s teachings.

Exploring the Teachings of Krishnamurti Weekend Retreat at KECC, May 24 -26, 2019

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Exploring the Teachings of Krishnamurti
Weekend Retreat at KECC
With Prof. P. Krishna and Dr. David Moody
May 24 – 26, 2019

This weekend retreat was presented in an unusual and interesting format. P. Krishna and David Moody, two figures well known in Krishnamurti circles, coordinated a series of explorations into aspects of K’s teachings that can appear contradictory or confusing. There were eighteen participants, including the two facilitators and KECC staff, along with three guest helpers who dropped in to the sessions from time to time over the weekend.
The general format was that Dr. Moody would introduce a particular issue in the teachings with his view on why it could create difficulty for a student. Krishna would then respond to the issues from his understanding of K and from his own self-inquiry. Moody had a skillful manner of presenting the possible contradictions or difficulties which clearly elucidated the “problems” involved in having clear insight or understanding. Krishna responded always with a great clarity of understanding, while at the same time allowing that his understanding might be limited. Ultimately, he pointed out, we must all do our own self-inquiry and come to our own insights. After the two facilitators had engaged in their dialogue the floor was open for the rest of the participants to ask questions and offer insights. Questions looking into were “What is meant by freedom from conditioning?”, “Can there be relationship without conflict?”, “Does inner transformation not involve time?”, “What is meditation with no method or system?”, “Does disorder in consciousness arise from illusions?”, “Is psychological “becoming” an illusion?”, and “What is meant by “the observer is the observed”?” There were also questions from the participants, such as “Can thought be aware of itself, or is awareness aware of thought?”
The explorations guided by Krishna and Moody were reported to be very helpful to the participants, shedding light on some perhaps challenging elements of the teachings. There was time for walks on the lovely property and for informal discussion in the group, which was apparently greatly enjoyed. Delicious meals were provided by Glenrosa Restaurant. The weekend experience was very much appreciated and
valued by the participants. The sessions were recorded and, if the quality is adequate, will be posted on youtube for public viewing.

Fiftieth Annual Gathering at KFA May 4-5, 2019

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The Fiftieth Anniversary May Gathering of the Krishnamurti Foundation of America in Ojai, California
May 4,5 2019

An annual gathering is held in May in Ojai to explore the teachings of J. Krishnamurti. The program each year includes presentations by people who have been immersed in the teachings and dialogues in which participants can deepen their understanding of the teachings and of themselves. The gatherings are also an opportunity to meet friends and colleagues and to be exposed to the beautiful property in Ojai where Krishnamurti spent so much time and had such significant experiences and awakenings. This particular gathering celebrated fifty years of the existence of the KFA organization in Ojai.
This year our program director Ralph Tiller was able to attend the Ojai gathering in person and represent the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada there. Others of us were able to watch the event by livestreaming on the internet while sitting together at the Metchosin Centre. There was a full program for the two days from which we could select certain events to watch from those that were streamed online.
Six people attended the Saturday events at KECC and the same number on Sunday. There were no problems with the online streaming. The program was introduced by Jaap Sluijter and began with a presentation by Michael Mendizza entitled “Unconditionally Free”, which was also the title of the celebration itself. His presentation included some short clips of K in dialogue with David Bohm and some very interesting questions and observations about the real nature of inquiry and what K was pointing to. In the afternoon we chose to view a dialogue between Prof. P. Krishna and David Moody entitled “Freedom from Knowledge and Time” which investigated some of the aspects of K’s teachings that are often found difficult or contradictory. Clear communication from both men helped to shed light on the issues considered. Also offered in this time slot was a talk by Fran Faraz entitled “Freedom from our Conditioning in the Age of Technology and Artificial Intelligence.”
The latter half of the afternoon program offered a choice between a presentation by Michael Kronen called “A Sacred Legacy: How to Keep it Alive?” and “The Biological Underpinnings of Conditioning” with Pathik Wadhwa. We tuned in to the first option briefly and then by consensus decided to use the rest of the lovely sunny afternoon to walk on the property or sit by the ocean and contemplate. The presentations were available to be watched at any time later or at home.
On Sunday morning we visited with Stephen Smith as he spoke on “Unravelling Conditioning”. Mark Lee also probed the question “Why Another Organization?” in a separate presentation. Stephen’s talk was very much appreciated. Spontaneous discussion arose amongst our group throughout the two days and the structure of our participation took its own course to a certain extent. On Sunday afternoon we had some dialogue and then chose again to finish early and to enjoy the rest of the day outdoors. A panel discussion about the Oak Grove School as well as the offerings from Prof. Krishna, “Freedom from Conditioning”, Javier Gomez Rodriguez, “On Dialogue: To See Oneself as One Is”, and Jaap Sluijter, “KFA, Past, Present, and Future”, could be watched at home or at some future time.
It was a fairly casual and enjoyable weekend. Most of the presenters will be coming to our Centre in Metchosin over the course of this year to offer weekend retreats, which will provide an opportunity for direct contact and inquiry with these central figures in the Krishnamurti world.

Birthing a New Mind, Weekend Retreat with Richard Waxberg and Deborah Kerner

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Birthing a New Mind
Retreat with Richard Waxberg and Deborah Kerner
April 26 – 28, 2019

We were delighted to be joined again this year by Richard and Deborah from the Krishnamurti Foundation of America in Ojai, California. Their brochure for the weekend event describes the intentions and approach of their work. “We are entering together into an exciting journey of discovery, inquiring into the potential for living in freedom to see if it is possible to meet the mystery and beauty of being alive with a fresh mind, as if for the first time…. The intensive retreat invites us to explore Krishnamurti’s insights that point to the possibility of a transformation of consciousness.”
Twenty-two people participated in the retreat, which was mostly conducted in a “dialogue” format. For periods of time each day we sat in a circle, sharing the inquiry and the insights arising as we emphasized “what K referred to as a deep ‘listening and seeing’, the open door through which unexamined beliefs, concepts. and ideas can be revealed beyond the limitation of thought and time, without judgment or resistance. This dimension of ‘seeing’ and ‘listening is like turning a powerful light on our conditioned responses, the normally hidden layers of conditioned thinking.”
Using quotes from K’s writings as entry points, our group dialogues unfolded spontaneously, along with occasional reminders to leave our tendencies to fall into limited thinking strategies and to be open to a more direct knowing (or “not-knowing”) that is vibrant and alive. Many aspects of the journey beyond becoming and into “being” were investigated in an atmosphere of affection and respect. A videotape of K speaking in Saanen in 1981 and titled “Learning that Transforms Consciousness” was played on Saturday night and provided more stimulation for our inquiry. There was time for walks in nature and rest periods. Delicious meals were provided by Glenrosa Restaurant. It was a wonderful weekend and we will be hoping that Richard and Deborah can return next year.

Krishnamurt Study Session, April 21, 2019, at KECC

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Krishnamurti Study Session
April 21, 2019
At KECC

The entry for January 10 in J. Krishnamurti’s book entitled The Book of Life was the material for exploration in this Sunday morning session at the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada. The title of the entry was “Learning Is Not Experience.” Six people were in attendance. The session began with a reading of the text, followed by five minutes of silence. Then we went around the circle of participants and each of those who wished had the opportunity to share a perception, insight, question, or other comment. We then opened the sharing up for spontaneous dialogue starting with a more in-depth investigation of the comments. We wondered if, as K suggests, there is actually nothing to learn psychologically in terms of accumulating knowledge. Is what is needed rather a stripping away of beliefs and concepts which creates a space for something of the Unknown to enter? The discussion was quite animated and engaging. There was a sense as we came to the end of the meeting that it might be helpful to move a little more slowly in our conversation. Nevertheless, the session seemed to be enjoyed by all.

Emptiness Moving In Emptiness

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Emptiness Moving In Emptiness

Today’s session was a loving contemplation by Rupert Spira on what he called homoepathic yoga. With closed eyes, we were guided to go deeply into the boundaries between us and others and us and objects. Once we did that it became apparent that there actually are no such boundaries. Reality is not two things. It is pure, infinite knowing.

When we relaxed and moved down into our own Being—as Rumi said—down and down and down until wider and wider rings of awareness envelop us—we find peace. We find peace because we are that peace.

If suffering arises in our relaxation process, we can bypass it and go directly to the I AM. That is where profound, lasting peace lives.

Krishnamurti sums it up beautifully in The Book of Life. He says,

So meditation is a process of freeing the mind from systems, and of giving attention without either being absorbed or making an effort to concentrate.

 

 

Reflections from the UVic Meetup: Is the World an Illusion?

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Eight of us gathered at UVic recently to consider the challenging question:  Is the World an Illusion?  We looked at this from three diverse perspectives including Rupert Spira, Krishnamurti and Robin Cinmatra. 

Rupert Spira, in a short extract from “The Belief in a World Made of Matter” pointed out some important nuances in how we ‘see’ the world around us… and a flaw in the assumption that the world can exist outside of consciousness.  It was tricky!  We explored his proposal that the science of matter needs to be upgraded to reflect the field of consciousness in which all perceived matter arises, and the possibility that perhaps the observer and the observed are not dividable (K. proposes this as well).  We were left questioning our senses and thoughts about the seemingly solid world around us.

 We also looked at Krishnamuriti’s pointing about how we can know reality or truth… A few of his quotes were examined:

All the things that thought has put together – literature, poetry, painting, illusions, gods and symbols – that is reality for us. But nature is not created by thought.

Can the mind, the network of all the senses, apprehend, see and observe truth?

Psychological time is the invention of thought, which we use as a means of achieving enlightenment. Is such time an illusion? Is truth measurable by words? Truth is timeless, thought is of time, and the two cannot run together.

Without love, without compassion, truth cannot be. I cannot go to truth, I cannot see truth. Truth can only exist when the self is not.  J. Krishnamurti

 It was an interesting notion:  if the self or the mind is trying to look at the world around us as it will always be interpreted through the biases or filters of self.   Thinking of seeing not through the sense of self is something that the group had many perspectives on.  We did some looking…  and had some fun asking the question:  is there a self that can be found when we turn awareness towards our inner world?

 The final video clip was an excerpt from the short film:  Nothingness = E(MC)2  A Film About Nothing and Everything (Non-Duality)

This snapshot explored the mystery of knowing what this world around us is, emphasizing that any perception of the physical world around us must be dualistic given that the seeing establishes a subject/object.  Robin proposes a paradox that objects must also be ‘nothingness’.  It was very interesting and picturesque – but challenging… We discussed oneness, whether the perception of a self is similar to the perception of objects in the world, and admitted that a mind based knowing might need to be surrendered in favour of curious wonder if we are to truly know anything at all! 

 Thanks for a great discussion this month, and thanks to KECC for their support for these meetups!  The April meetup at UVic will be showing:  Eckhart Tolle:  Through the Eyes of Krishnamuriti, exploring evocative passages from Krishnamurti’s journal.  Come out if you can!  Details in the KECC Calendar.

Exploring Awareness, April 7, 2019

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Exploring Awareness
Sunday, April 7, 2019
At KECC

Three participants attended this afternoon meeting designed to invite them into an experiential exploration of what it means to be aware. We began by listening to a short introduction to meditation by Eckhart Tolle, who focuses on being fully present with our thoughts and feelings as well as with our inner sense of being and our surroundings. This was followed by a clip of Eckhart’s partner, Kim Eng, guiding us into a mode of sensitive attention to the sounds and sights of nature, including our own bodies and minds, but without labelling what we observe. She also suggested asking the question, “Who is aware?” from time to time during the observing. After the audio guidance, we went outdoors for a twenty-five minute walk on the beautiful property while continuing to be engaged in this type of looking and listening. The experience was very enjoyable in itself, especially with the lovely cherry blossoms in full bloom, and was also found to be very supportive of looking at the movements of thought and feeling in oneself with an unusual sense of spaciousness and non-identification. This produced a relaxation in which there was a heightened sense of our natural and effortless beingness.
The morning and afternoon sessions combined, for those who were a part of both, to awaken a peaceful and joyful quality of awareness.

Krishnamurti Study Session, April 7, 2019

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Krishnamurti Study Session
Sunday, April 7, 2019
At KECC

The entry for January 9 in J. Krishnamurti’s book entitled The Book of Life was the material for exploration in this Sunday morning session at the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada. The title of the entry was “To Learn, the Mind Must be Quiet.” Six people were in attendance. The session began with a reading of the text, followed by five minutes of silence. Then we went around the circle of participants and each of those who wished had the opportunity to share a perception, insight, question, or other comment. We then opened the sharing up for spontaneous dialogue starting with a more in-depth investigation of one of the comments. This format seemed to inspire participation by all the group members and it was felt that we went quite deeply into an actual experience of what K was pointing to as he spoke of discovering “the new”. There was inquiry into the possibility of seeing the limitations of thought, which can naturally make thought less predominant in our experience and the sense of freshness of perception and feeling more obvious. There seemed to be a movement “beyond” the known.

Love is the Answer Retreat with Burt Harding, March 22 – 24, 2019

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Love is the Answer
A weekend retreat with Burt Harding
March 22 – 24, 2019 at KECC

Burt Harding joined us from Vancouver for the sixth consecutive year to present a weekend retreat, this time called “Love is the Answer,” on the subject of self-realization and learning to live as our true nature. He began on the Friday evening with an introduction to the topic and its central importance for happiness and well-being. He suggested that realizing that we are love is the solution and effective response to every human psychological and spiritual problem. Burt quoted J. Krishnamurti’s statement that “love is the ending of time” and explored the meaning of it with the group of sixteen participants. He led us in an ice-breaking exercise involving looking into the eyes of others in order to sense the connection or oneness between us all. He also guided the group into a meditation observing thoughts and coming into the peace of the “I Am.” A brochure written by Burt and entitled “The Greatest Secret” was distributed and formed the basis for much of the discussion and inquiry over the weekend. Again, the main focus was on love as the essence of what we are.
There were seventeen participants for the Saturday session. After guiding us in some breathing and bodily movement with affirmations, Burt led the group in a number of different meditative and connecting exercises, inviting us into a state of relaxation and total awareness, using awareness for healing and for travel out of the body, and working with fear. There was an extensive discussion of subtle questions regarding how we look at ourselves, who or what we really are, and what is meant by non-duality. The afternoon also included a video introduction to the life and teachings of J. Krishnamurti with Alan Anderson as well as a BBC interview with K which many retreat participants found very interesting.
The rest of the weekend was spent exploring our true nature and the meaning and significance of Emptiness, which Burt puts at the centre of what is true in life and in ourselves. In group discussion he went into details and fielded questions and perceptions from the participants. The simplicity and purity of Emptiness rightly understood is the place we can actually rest in Being and happiness. There were more guided meditations, further exploration of Emptiness, Silence, Love, and Stillness, and how we let go into these beautiful qualities of Being. The schedule allowed time for rest, talk, and walks on the lovely property. Delicious food was provided by Glenrosa Restaurant. The weekend seemed to be a rich experience for all and each took something with them to sustain the art of being in the course of daily life. Feedback from Burt regarding personal issues of individuals was no doubt very helpful. He summarized by saying that real growth comes from finding out who we truly are and being it.