Self-inquiry with Cynthia Overweg, May 15, 2024

Self-inquiry with Cynthia Overweg

Wednesday, May 15, 2024

Esquimalt Gorge Park Pavilion

Victoria, BC

 

Ten participants were present for this Wednesday afternoon dialogue led by Cynthia Overweg with a quiet and gentle energy supporting group members in their exploration of significant issues in their study of J. Krishnamurti’s teachings.

The session began with a period of silence.

Cynthia then asked if anyone had a pressing question that had arisen during their reading of The Book of Life: Meditation with J. Krishnamurti or their reading the book of their own lives.

One person jumped in with a question. “What,” he asked, “was the difference for K between “feelings” and “the heart” when he used the two terms in his talks or writings?” This led to some extended discussion of the meaning of “love” in K’s teachings, including the art of seeing our conditioning moment by moment and thereby releasing our attachments to those aspects of our consciousness that create division and conflict. There was some examination of K’s ideas of “the observer is the observed” as well as the meaning of being a separate observer of the activities of thought. Are we other than what is observed?

Cynthia spoke of the blessing that we are receiving by sitting together to explore what we truly are and the value of sharing our insights and discoveries.

We acknowledged the value of interacting with nature as was made possible by holding our meetings in the lush setting of the Gorge Park with its beautiful flowers, trees, and bushes. Such an activity in such a setting seemed to diminish the sense of separateness. The exercise of looking at nature without labelling it could create a sense of wonder in our observation and even bring about a “mutation” in the brain so that the “old brain” could be dissolved and something new could appear.

Our explorations continued at some length, moving to the subject of “awareness”, until Cynthia pointed out that we could probably talk about awareness endlessly without ever grasping a clear description of its nature. Krishnamurti often used the terms “the benediction” and “the immeasurable”.

Another phrase often used by K was “the mirror of relationship”, which had a deep meaning when seeking to understand the secrets of life. Cynthia made a number of comments about the deep truths revealed by the application of the “mirror” perspective to our meditations on the totality of our lives.

The meeting was brought to an end with some minutes of silence, an appropriate closing to our delightful session.

 

DB