Fiftieth Annual Gathering at KFA May 4-5, 2019

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.