Self Study Meeting, July 4, 2021

Self Study Meeting

July 4, 2021

Zoom Online

 

Twelve participants in total were present for this Sunday online gathering. The focus of study was intended to be the February 17 – 21 selections from The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti. These are passages from K’s talks and writings on the subject of action without thought. It is a somewhat challenging section of the book. We opened with a short guided meditation exploring the possibility of a simple perceiving of the activities of the mind, including feelings and sensations, which does not enter into the complexities of discursive thinking as we approach core issues of human consciousness. When the meeting was then opened to interaction within the group there were a few participants with very definite ideas that they apparently wished to have acknowledged or understood by others. Many of these ideas were perhaps of value and could have been a foundation for a very fruitful inquiry, but the intensity with which they were expressed made it difficult to engage in the kind of sensitive and tentative dialogue that Krishnamurti seems to recommend. There was a degree of argument and defensiveness that sometimes felt contrary to the spirit of dialogue, which requires an open listening. On the other hand, some people felt that there was value in the way the discussion progressed despite the focus wandering away from the actual text. A greater focus on the written material was suggested by some to be desirable and will most likely be more emphasized in future meetings.