Archive for category: Event Summaries

Inquiry Sunday Sunday, July 3, 2016 For the morning session six of us listened to a forty-minute audio presentation of Adyashanti in conversation with a member of his organization. The topic of discussion was “True Love”. Adya started off commenting on the duality of good and evil and the field of consciousness beyond them both. He emphasized that, although good and evil, right and wrong, do not exist in the absolute dimension, this does not mean that anything goes or that all actions are justified. There is a higher good outside the realm of conventional good and bad and this is the truth to which he is pointing. The audio went on to cover other subjects related to relationship, both romantic and otherwise, and the group then engaged in an verbal exploration of the ideas heard and personal questions and insights about relationship. Relationship was seen to be a powerful opportunity for self-understanding. In the afternoon we watched three video clips of Krishnamurti answering questions from the audience at various talks over the years. The first question was “What is enlightenment?” K responded that to see an issue, such as sorrow, clearly, to understand it and thereby end it, it to be enlightened about that issue. All sorts of projections are made about enlightenment – what it is, and who has it, and so on, but these are mental projections of an ideal state rather than simple facts. The second question was “What is the art of questioning?” K seemed to answer the question by demonstrating how to inquire. He spoke of the art of learning and then took as an example the issue of action without thought. He went into an inquiry concerning the issue without providing a conceptual answer, which would have no meaning. The third question concerned the longing to be loved. K asked why we need to be loved and suggested that it was more important to find the love in oneself than to be loved by another. He didn’t give a method for doing that, but the exploration of various aspects of the issue was perhaps pointing to the kind of inquiry required to address such a profound and universal question.

Victoria Krishnamurti Event Church of Truth Sunday, June 12, 2016 Seven people gathered on Sunday afternoon at the Church of Truth in Victoria to consider the topic “The Art of Meditation.” We began with a reading on meditation from Krishnamurti’s book Freedom from the Known, followed by a fifteen minute silent sit where we looked into the state of our own minds as recommended in the reading. Self understanding is, according to K, essential in living a life of meaning, harmony, and love, The silent period was followed by group discussion and inquiry into what is important in our lives.   After a tea break we watched an excellent video clip of Rupert Spira answering a question on meditation. Meditation for him is not something we do, but something we are. Being knowingly aware is the essence of meditation, and this is our natural state if we care to notice it. More discussion followed and participants seemed very engaged in the material and dynamics of the afternoon.

  Inquiry Sunday June 5, 2016      The morning session was attended by five participants. We listened to an audio presentation of Adyashanti in conversation with a member of his organization and exploring the subject of “True Love”.  Adya was asked about his relationship with his partner Mukti in particular, and he explored how the two of them deal with conflicts and differences when they arise. He acknowledged that others’ relationships may not be based on such a mutual compatibility of viewpoints and intentions and may therefore be more challenging and difficult, but what he spoke of could certainly be applied to any relationship in one’s life. It seemed that he was really talking about being aware of ourselves in relationship and the learning that naturally takes place as a result.     In the afternoon, we chose three questions asked of Krishnamurti during his talks over the years and looked at video clips of his responses. The first question was “Is there a final question which will end all my other questions?” K’s inquiry into the issue led him to ask another question, “Is there a state which is not dependent on any circumstances?” He seemed to feel that if we deeply inquire into that question it will bring us to something essential. The second question chosen was about individuality and responsibility for our actions. K pointed out that in fact no individual exists as we are conditioned to believe it does. When this is seen clearly, a state of compassion and love arises which will take right action in each circumstance. The final question was a little unusual. “We can learn more from listening to others than from listening to K. Why do you not encourage people to get together and learn from each other by discussing?” We were interested to see how K would respond. His answer was clear and to the point. “Are you listening to K?” he asked, “Or are you listening to yourself?” Any form of learning, including group discussion, is valuable as long as there is not a dependence on an outside authority, whether it be K or anyone else. We must learn about ourselves by looking directly at ourselves.

  “Dialogues on Living” Weekend retreat with Harshad Parekh May 27-29 This weekend retreat with Harshad Parekh was an exploration into the nature and practice of seeing and listening. Harshad has had many years of experience teaching at Krishnamurti schools and conversing with Krishnamurti himself, and he is very able to communicate what he feels is the essence of K’s teaching. The most important thing is for us to simply look at ourselves directly. From this looking we can learn everything about ourselves. There is no need for teachers or books if we know how to read the book of ourselves. At times a text written with clarity may be helpful if we read with a quiet mind which is not looking for answers but is open to receiving insights. Over the weekend we watched three half-hour videos from the Evelyn Blau series entitled “Beyond Myth and Tradition.” On Friday night we watched the selection “On Change” and the ten participants discussed the issues raised in the video, particularly what it means to look and to see – and how these can change one’s life. On Saturday morning Harshad gave a short and clear talk after which we had a group dialogue. In the afternoon there was a reading from K’s book Commentaries on Living, First Series, pages 97 – 102 on Awareness. It was a selection rich with material for contemplation and discussion, and the group sharing was very interesting. On Saturday evening the video was entitled “The Mirror of Relationship”. K points out that we can only see ourselves accurately in relationship, by being aware of our thoughts, feelings, and reactions as we interact in daily life. A lively group dialogue followed which had to be reined in so we could move towards sleep. On Sunday morning one more person joined us for the day. We began with another excellent talk by Harshad and a reading from Commentaries on Living, Series Two on the subject of conflict, freedom, and relationship. In the afternoon there was a video on “Choiceless Awareness”, which Harshad continuously emphasized as being the core of K’s message. The video was again followed by group dialogue and the closing of the retreat. Throughout the weekend there was plenty of free time for nature walks and quiet looking into ourselves, as well an informal conversation and inquiry within the group of participants. The opportunity to spend such time in self examination in such a beautiful and conducive setting in the company of like-minded people was greatly appreciated by all. Delicious food was provided by nearby Pearson College.  

Inquiry Sunday Sunday, May 22, 2016 In the morning session six people listened to an audio presentation of Adyashanti speaking about “True Love”. He started of my mentioning that it was unfortunate that in our society there are very few words to describe love, which has many different aspects. In Greek culture, love was divided into different categories. Adya focused on “agape” or selfless love as being “true love” and the wanting to fill a lack in oneself through another person or activity as being a lesser form of love which can never be whole. The love which comes from Being has the quality of wholeness. He also touched on the mystery of love and of the connection that can happen between people. In the afternoon, we watched three question and answer sessions with Krishnamurti. The participants were given the choice of questions from a fairly lengthy list and agreed on “Is there a question that will end all questions?’ K took a surprising direction by exploring whether experience is necessary at all in our spiritual search, and asserted at the end of the fifteen minute discourse that the original question had been answered. The next question seemed to flow from the previous on in a natural way. The choice was “What is the art of questioning?” The gist of the session and discussion was that a question can be held in consciousness without looking for a quick answer but allowing the question to reveal its various aspects. K has often said that the answer is in the question itself. A third question was looked into, “Can thought be aware of itself as it arises?” Throughout the afternoon, the group discussed the points raised by K as well as insights and perceptions from the participants themselves.