Krishnamurti Study Session, January 6, 2019

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Krishnamurti Study Session
Sunday, January 6, 2019
Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada

Six people were in attendance for this morning session. The chapter for study was Q & A # 38 from J. Krishnamurti’s book The First and Last Freedom, entitled “On Transformation”. The questioner asked Krishnamurti “What do you mean by transformation?” K begins by affirming that there is obviously a critical need for a radical revolution given the state of the world. The difference in his approach is that the revolution must not be based on an idea, as has always been the case in the past – and which has never been effective. We usually think that a transformation must be a kind of ultimate event, but in this way we miss the actuality of seeing “what is” in the now, in this very moment, and being with it fully. The truth liberates, and truth is in perception of the false as the false from moment to moment. This perception releases the energy of love, without which revolution has no meaning.
As we read through the text questions and observations were raised in exploration of K’s concepts and the intention to directly understand what is being pointed to. The dialogue was focused and insightful, inviting a deeper understanding in the participants, who confirmed that the inquiry had been beneficial. We have now completed our study of this particular text and will move on to a group reading of The Book of Life, a collection of daily quotations from Krishnamurti’s talks and writings. The meetings are on a drop-in basis and all are welcome to attend at any time.

Approaches to Self-Inquiry, December 23, 2018

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Approaches to Self-Inquiry
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada

For this afternoon event at the Centre in Metchosin we showed a film about spiritual teacher and recovered addict Paul Hedderman. Paul has a unique and energetic way of talking about his journey and sharing his insights about the nature of the self and the possibility of transcending self-concern. His expression is sometimes humorous, sometimes using rough language, but very much to the point and directly exploring the issues of self investigation and the misguided ways we tend to seek release from the egoic sense of self and our conditioning. Paul’s answering of questions put to him by an interviewer took place against a background of beautiful natural settings including beaches where Paul was surfing.
The three participants noted that what Paul says is very similar to J. Krishnamurti’s approach to the same issues of living. The movie, Travelling Lighter with Paul Hedderman, was very much enjoyed.

Krishnamurti on Fear – UVic Stillness Within December 5th meetup

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Our December meetup followed closely on the heels of the November meetup and we had strong turnout.  There were nine of us at the meeting – four of whom were there for their first time.  We opted for a traditional book study format, with a focus on the chapter on Fear – from Krishnamurti’s work:  The First and Last Freedom. 

The group took turns reading, reflecting, seeing whether the proposed concepts resonated with our own experience in some way.  It was very exciting to see people who have never been exposed to this format or to the works of Krishnamurti really connect with the content.  The chapter itself explored the nature of fear – how the mind itself is engaged in the production of fear and how a wider sense of identity can observe the concepts, projections, yearning or clinging that is essentially working to protect our sense of self.  As we looked further at the concept of self, and the silent quiet place of non-filtered observation, there was a general sense of just how limited a perspective we (as a sense of self) can be.  And also, how challenging it is to describe what’s left when we aren’t relating from this self-identity.

The evening was a real gift and we enjoyed snacks in the adjacent restaurant afterward which kept the conversation going into the evening.

Mooji – The Invitation: UVic Stillness Within Meetup Nov. 28th

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November’s gathering brought a small handful of members out to enjoy a powerful recorded talk by Mooji, with a guided meditation which invited attendees to leave behind their projections of the future, past or judgements of the present moment and slip into a pure sense of being free of the usual steady stream of thought. 

During the group’s discussion of our own experience with relaxing away from thought, Krishnamurti’s guidance figured prominently.  One quote comes to mind:  “One is never afraid of the unknown;  one is afraid of the known coming to an end.”  A few of us have experienced this fear of ‘letting go’ during more meditative moments, but all expressed a deep appreciation for the times they’ve experienced of falling away from thought and seeing the world without constant judgements.  Mooji’s talk made the discovery of inner stillness seem easily accessible to all… a wonderful yet simple pointing!

This was a lovely session with a great sense of community.

Thanks again to the KECC for hosting the Meetup.

The Power of Self-Inquiry, December 7-9, 2018

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The Power of Self-Inquiry
Weekend Retreat with Mooji on DVD
December 7 – 9, 2018

This weekend retreat offered the opportunity to be fully immersed in the pointings of Sri Mooji, renowned teacher of self-inquiry and Self realization. The retreat was mostly in silence, as Mooji recommends for such gatherings, in order to enhance a persistent looking into oneself and the nature of consciousness without distraction. As the program began on Friday evening there were twelve of us in attendance; a few had to leave over the course of the retreat for different reasons.
The videos presented were selected from two retreats with Mooji in 2018: the Advanced Silent Retreat in Monte Sahaja, Mooji’s place of residence, in June and a retreat in the Netherlands in August. The selections were considered to be particularly significant satsangs and the participants concurred with that decision. Also included were two meditations guided by Mooji: “An Invitation to Freedom”, and a “Silent Sit with Moojibaba”. There was time for quiet contemplation, walks, and some group sharing. A video introduction of J. Krishnamurti and his teachings was shown on Saturday afternoon.
The degree of presence and attention embodied by the group produced an experience of deepening into what was being spoken of and invited, and it was expressed that the retreat was of great value to those able to remain with it. Some of those less familiar with the teachings were surprised by the clarity and power in Mooji’s communicating his perceptions and guidance. Delicious lunches and dinners were provided by Glenrosa Restaurant and nourishing breakfasts by the Krishnamurti Centre staff.

Exploring Awareness at KECC December 2, 2018

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Exploring Awareness
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada

The Sunday afternoon session was attended by three explorers of the self. It began with an audio talk by Adyashanti in which he points to the fact that awareness and presence are always available if we just shift our attention from the objects of perception to that which is aware of them. In the acknowledgement of what is already here there can be a falling away of seeking and a coming to rest as stillness and silence of the mind. This state beyond duality is difficult to describe but can be directly known with a simple looking which does not require thought or analysis.
Following the audio, David led the group into a forty minute meditation investigating the nature of awareness in a number of ways, including looking without any labels or concepts about it. There was then a fairly short but interesting discussion of what was seen and experienced during the talk and guided meditation. The session was very much enjoyed and felt to be of value.

Krishnamurti Study Session at the Centre, December 2, 2018

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Krishnamurti Study Session
Sunday, December 2, 2018
Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada

The reading for this week was Q & A #37 in J. Krishnamurti’s The First and Last Freedom: “On the Confusion of the Mind.” The questioner asks, “I have listened to all your talks and I have read all your books. Most earnestly I ask you, what can be the purpose of my life if, as you say, all thought has to cease, all knowledge to be suppressed, all memory lost? How do you relate that state of being, whatever it may be according to you, to the world in which we live? What relation has such a being to our sad and painful existence?” Krishnamurti then goes into the importance of self-knowledge and self understanding which can open the door to the “other”, to the reality of love. Surely, he proposes, the meaning and purpose of existence is to go beyond the self-centred activity of the mind.
Our small group of three participants explored the subtleties of K’s responses to the question and shared a movement into a deeper sense of the truth that is being pointed to, with significant insights and perceptions. Our next meeting will be looking into the final chapter of the book. Our next text for study will be The Book of Life, a collection of daily meditations, which we will take up in the New Year.

Five Day Retreat with Scott Kiloby

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Five Day Retreat with Scott Kiloby
“Embodying Awakening”
November 23 – 28, 2018.

We were fortunate to have Scott join us for the fifth year running, this time for a five day intensive retreat exploring his Living Inquiries method of self inquiry. Scott is the founder of the Kiloby Centre for treatment of addictions in Palm Springs, California. A total of twenty-two people were in attendance for the retreat, which began on a Friday evening with a talk on the topics of “awareness, awakening, embodiment, readiness, and inquiry.” Scott pointed out the 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. He led us in a guided meditation exploring the presence of awareness. 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, trauma and how to work with it, and addiction. 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 is in essence very similar to that of J. Krishnamurti, and participants familiar with Krishnamurti’s teachings experienced the Living 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. 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.

Krishnamurti Study Session, November 18, 2018

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Krishnamurti Study Session
Sunday, November 18, 2018
At Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada

Seven people were present for this week’s study group. We explored Chapter 36 in the Q & A section of J. Krishnamurti’s The First and Last Freedom: “On the Meaning of Life”. The questioner asks of K, “We live but we do not know why. To so many of us, life seems to have no meaning. Can you tell us the meaning and purpose of our living?” K responds by asking why this question is being asked and by going into the probable reasons in some detail. Essentially, because our lives feel empty, we seek a deeper meaning. The person who lives a rich inner life does not ask what is the meaning or purpose of life. He is content. Because we do not love, we search for meaning. K challenges us to find out what love is and to live from that truth.
The group engaged with the issues raised in the text and had an interesting dialogue and sharing which penetrated to subtle levels of the activity of thought in its’ avoidance of the facts of impermanence and “emptiness”. It was a mature group of explorers able to consider deeper aspects of human consciousness in it’s contemplation of meaning and purpose, love and conflict.

The Essential Unity Of All Experience

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Chapter 22—The Essential Unity Of All Experience

Today’s session can be summed up with the following words from the chapter: The mind, the body and the world are not three different objects that are seen or known; rather, they are ways of seeing or knowing. That is to say, they are three different ways of knowing the same reality and that reality is Awareness, or Pure Knowing.

In the audio tape, Rupert led us into contemplations meant to show us how our many experiences of separateness are really illusions. All we have to do is dig deeper into those experiences. As we penetrate our real experiences, the multiplicity and diversity of objects in the world start to lose their hold on us. Pure Knowing takes the shape of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching and smelling and, as a result, seems to become a world, but never actually becomes or knows anything other than itself. Once we dwell in our true nature we can come back out into the illusory world and participate in it—but we have been transformed and that transformation will impact everything we do and see from that point on.

Love then shows up in relation to people and animals and beauty in relation to objects in that world.

We approached the question: “What hinders us from moving into the world from a base of Awareness” with intensity, searching for answers. Many insights were drawn from this discussion and more will follow as we move to strengthen our community with more meetings, communications and retreats.

Rupert has revealed that the mind is only our current thought and that thought can be dropped immediately to reveal our true nature: the innocent, empty expanse of Awareness. Krishnamurti affirms this in today’s quote:

The mind that is learning is an innocent mind, whereas the mind that is merely acquiring knowledge is old, stagnant, corrupted by the past. An innocent mind perceives instantly, it is learning all the time without accumulating, and such a mind alone is mature.