Self-Inquiry, April 23, 2023

Self-Inquiry 

With Jackie McInley 

Sunday, April 23, 2023 

In-person at Swanwick Rd. 

 

Nine people attended this meeting at the Metchosin location of the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada. The session was facilitated by Jackie McInley, who was visiting the Centre from the UK and facilitating a variety of events during her one month stay. She opened the meeting by bringing up the topic of “responsibility” which was often mentioned by Krishnamurti in his talks and writings. After some discussion of ideas and feelings around the idea of responsibility, one participant introduced a question about our sense of separation and the importance of looking into how we separate ourselves from each other and the world around us. We spent a good deal of time exploring various aspects of the topic, including the difference between solidity and flow in our experience of ourselves in our daily lives. The significance of space in our consciousness was mentioned and the question was asked “What creates space in us?” It was offered that insight is what creates space and the question naturally followed “What is insight?”  

The exploration of insight engaged us for some time, with looking at such ideas as the relationship between words, insight, and attention. The possibility was brought forward that the human being may have a capacity to see the truth or falseness of something that is said immediately and directly. At least it seemed to be a shared “truth” that insight is not a doing. There is also the possibility that our listening may always be distorted and conditioned in some way and that clear seeing is a rare happening. 

We spoke further about the nature of inquiry and the process of manufacturing an identity or sense of self and the process was apparently experienced by everyone as a worthwhile sharing and exploration of our thinking – and perhaps something of what is beyond. 

 DB