An Inquiry Weekend

Krishnamurti Study Session January 4, 2014 Seven people attended the study group on Saturday. We were reading and exploring the last half of chapter 5 in Freedom From the Known. The main issue K wrote about in this chapter was fear and he goes into it in quite some depth. It seemed all participants felt it was valuable to spend some time going slowly into the questions raised and the teaching of K on this topic. One of the main questions the group considered was “What prevents us from living in the present moment?” This is a crucial question in the examination of fear and the inquiring into the possibility of freedom from fear. The discussion was very interesting and involving. One of the important aspects of the issue discussed was the importance of honestly being with what is actually going on as we experience fear. Inquiry Sunday January 5, 2014 The morning session was attended by 6 people. A meeting of Eckhart Tolle and Deepak Chopra was shown on DVD in which each gave a half hour talk and then Eckhart answered some questions from the audience and Deepak added a few comments of his own. The material was excellent and interesting, covering such topics as Presence, who or what we really are, and what kind of spiritual practice is recommended. After the DVD there was some time for discussion of the subjects introduced and participants seemed to feel the session was very worthwhile. In the afternoon a Krishnamurti video was shown from the Evelyn Blau series, this one on “Change”. The half hour video was followed by a dialogue which proved to be challenging and lively. Questions arose as to the nature of change, the difference between change and transformation or “mutation”, how transformation takes place, and what brings about change or prevents it. Change was seen to imply a modified continuity whereas transformation requires an ending of psychological thought. Thought cannot change itself and what is needed is perhaps the seeing of the limitations of thought rather than the pursuing of solutions through the thought process. As in the Saturday session, it was seen that honesty and a willingness to really be with what is without escape or avoidance is crucial.