Krihnamurti Study Group

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  Krishnamurti Study Group Saturday, June 4, 2016   Five people attended the session today in which we studied chapter 15 of The First and Last Freedom. The chapter is titled “The thinker and the Thought”. It explores the fallacy of believing that there is a thinker, an entity or person, separate from the thinking process which can act to change or affect our psychological thinking. In fact, the thinker is a product of thought and cannot stop it, get rid of it, or change its conditioned functioning in any significant way. When this is seen there is a different relationship with thinking which does not suffer from the effects of dualistic perception. A sense of wholeness can be known. The struggle to change ourselves, to become  more or less, comes to an end. The ideas presented in the text were excellent material for group inquiry and discussion. It was a good session dealing with some of the core insights presented by Krishnamurti. Next meeting we will look into chapter 16.  

Weekend Retreat

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  “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.  

Eckhart Tolle – The Great Potential in Loss – May 14th Meetup

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The May Stillness Within meetup took a break from weekend routines to listen to a 2001 talk given by Eckhart Tolle in India. The topic explored in the video related to the impermanence of ‘forms’, including ideas and even thoughts or beliefs. Eckhart suggested that losing a loved one, or one’s health or a job can provide an opening for a deeper truth or awareness to shine through. In the discussion that followed, a number of gleanings were apparent: * stronger emotions like other forms, when observed in a curious way, are transitory and often fleeting. * like Krishnamurti’s message, a relaxing of mental activity and simple noticing, without judgement or analysis can provide glimpses of a truth that is boundless. * we examined whether there is a role for the mind in cultivating true knowing… There were differing examples shared where mind was either a valuable partner in true knowing and also when the absence of thought seemed pivotal to a deeper awareness. Thank you to the K Centre for hosting is this month.

Inquiry Sunday at the Centre

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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.

Krishnamurti Study Group

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  Krishnamurti Study Group Saturday, May 21, 2016 Seven people attended the study group today. We were looking into chapter 14 of The First and Last Freedom entitled “Relationship and Isolation.” K points out that the search for gratification in relationship leads to isolation and resistance, which inevitably results in suffering. Relationship, however, can be used as a mirror in which we can see ourselves as we are and become aware of our hidden motives and pursuits. Knowing ourselves is the only way that a harmonious way of living can come into being and without it we create conflict and division in the world. The reading of the text was interspersed with group discussion and inquiry. Participants found much of interest to explore and were able to probe quite deeply into the subject matter.

Victoria Krishnamurti Event

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Victoria Krishnamurti Event May 8, 2016 Five people attended the meeting at the Church of Truth on the topic “Can the Mind be Quiet?” Participants watched a short video clip of Krishnamurti speaking on the need for a quiet mind in order to look at oneself, which is necessary if one is to understand and be free of conflict. The video was followed by a handout from the book Freedom from the Known, chapter 14, again emphasizing the importance of space and silence. Learning is its own discipline which does not require control or suppression, but demands attention. The material was discussed as a group exploration. After the tea break, a video was shown of Eckhart Tolle reading and discussing selections from Krishnamurti’s journals, mostly on the subject of stillness and “presence”, as Eckhart calls it. He takes great delight in K’s descriptions of the silent mind. This was followed by another clip of Eckhart dealing with the difference between thinking and being aware of thoughts. There was some further discussion which seemed to be enjoyed by all and the session was brought to a close.

Krishnamurti Study Group

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  Krishnamurti Study Group May 7, 2016     Rick Mickelson hosted the Krishnamurti Book Study group this week as I (David) was away. Here is his report. The text being studied was from The First and Last Freedom.   In attendance—Rick Mickelson, Bill Brown, Suzanne Stewart, Katherine K,Peggy Lane, Laurie Sthamann, & Harshad Parekh  We moved outside, as that was the preference of the majority, and sat under the shaded oak tree in the front yard, by the pool. We started reading Chapter 14. Harshad was great at explaining the essential meanings of the first few paragraphs on relationship. Actually, he made many points revealing the deeper meaning of K’s teaching. The group was lively and the level of participation was high. Peggy had come for an Eckhart DVD showing, but stayed anyway, and seemed to enjoy our discussions. We took a break at 2:30 pm and ended the meeting after a short meditation, at 3:30 pm. It was a good session.  

K Study Group

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Krishnamurti Study Group Saturday, April 23, 2016 Six people gathered to explore the second half of Chapter 13 in The First and Last Freedom. The chapter title was “Desire”. We alternated between reading the text and discussing the subject matter. When we looked into the core mechanism of desire we soon came to the issue of resistance to the cessation of psychological thought or the apparent death of the ego self. This led into a very interesting sharing in which all participants were fully involved. It was a lively and profound session, and it seemed to facilitate a deeper understanding of the deep fear and resistance that can arise as a part of the deconstruction of the self. Next meeting we will study Chapter 14, “Relationship and Isolation.”

Stillness Within Meetup – April Eckhart Tolle Talk – Discovering Your True Self

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The Stillness Within met on April 9 for a talk by Eckhart Tolle given in San Francisco  on “Discovering Your True Self.”  There was a group of 9 who watched this video of Eckhart discussing the process of awakening to who we are beyond form, and the practice of rising above thinking.    He spoke of lucid living where we still participate in the dream and creation of form, of life, and yet stay aware of our essence as the timeless space. Where we can have joyful creation without self seeking, without service to ego.  Eckhart led a guided meditation of the practice that assists with awakening. Where no effort or will is used but instead we make the decision to be alert and still, not thinking. We put our attention to experiencing aliveness in the inner body, so the mind slows or even stops, and that inner sensation acts as an anchor for awareness.  This brought to mind a wonderful quote from J. Krishnamurti from You Are the World:  “When we talk about understanding, surely it takes place only when the mind listens completely– the mind being your heart, your nerves, your ears- when you give your whole attention to it.”   The group discussion after ranged from how we apply these essential practices in our every day life, and the challenges of that, to Eckhart’s focus in recent talks on more mystical aspects of human awakening. There was also discussion on his term ‘lucid living’, and our interpretation of it.   Members enjoyed Eckhart’s lovely analogy comparing our true essence to that of the sun ray and the sun. When the ray becomes still for a moment and realizes there is a depth to who it is. “You realize you were not this disconnected fragment that has been thrown into the universe by some malignant deity that enjoys your suffering.” That we are an essential part of the universe. We haven’t been thrown into the universe, we have come out of it.    Thanks to Laurie S. and Bill for helping to host the April gathering, as well as to the Krishnamurti Centre for their generous use of the facility.  

UG vs JK

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Over the years there has been apparent controversy and comparison between JK and UG. Although UG and JK share the same name, their apparent perspectives are very different in one respect. Although JK denounced teachers, his message was that man can bring about some kind of tremendous transformation and mutation of his brain by watching himself and his thoughts. So this sort of lecturing seems to have put him on a pedestal and many considered him a teacher. UG negates all teaching and concepts of change. “I have no teaching. There is nothing to preserve. Teaching implies something that can be used to bring about change. Sorry, there is no teaching here, just disjointed, disconnected sentences. What is there is only your interpretation, nothing else. For this reason there is not now nor will there ever be any kind of copyright for whatever I am saying. I have no claims”.  However, from a non-dual perspective there is no need to differentiate between UG or JK. There is no need to hold one up against the other. Once it is realized that all is THIS and that THIS is expressing Itself as the apparent teacher and student, the apparent beggar and King, the apparent saint and sinner, and the apparent guru or anti-guru;  there is a relaxation and falling away of any need to compare or denounce one over the other.