Exploring Awareness at KECC, July 22, 2018

Exploring Awareness Session
Sunday, July 22, 2018
KECC

This Sunday afternoon session at the Krishnamurti Educational Center of Canada was an experiment in inviting a more direct and non-conceptual experience of awareness and “meditation” than might be generated through the watching of videos and discussion of their contents. Six people were in attendance for the meeting, which began with a guided meditation on “total attention without effort”, led by David. The meditation also inquired into the possibility of seeing how thought creates a duality of “observer” and “observed” and, in the seeing of it, allowing for an experience of a different quality to emerge. After the guided meditation and some silence, we went outdoors for a walk in nature while exploring the quality of our attention in that setting.
On returning to the meditation room we listened to an introduction to meditation and a guided meditation by Jeff Foster. Jeff focused largely on simple listening and noticing whatever is arising in our experience without any attempt to change what is or to achieve any particular state of consciousness. This was followed by a period of silence and then some discussion of what had taken place for the participants. There was a mixed response, with some questioning of the value of one person guiding another in meditation and thereby shaping their experience. A number of contrasting viewpoints were expressed, with varying levels of appreciation of the experiment. The participants all had a great deal of experience with meditation, which no doubt flavoured their responses. The “experiment” will continue with monthly sessions at the Centre.