Swanwick Star Issue No. 2 (2009)

Sara’s Trip to India

“Life is like a river, never still, always moving, always alive and rich…”

“The river curves majestically as it flows east past the villages, town and deep woods, but here, just below the town and the bridge, the river and its opposite bank is the essence of all river banks; every river has its own song, its own delight and mischief, but here, out of the very silence, it contains the earth and the heavens. It is a sacred river, as all rivers are, but again here, a part of the long, winding river, there is a gentleness of immense depth and destruction.”

J. Krishnamurti

Krishnamurti’s quotes above speak about and are most evident at Rajghat, the Krishnamurti Centre in Varanasi, northern India. I was fortunate enough to travel there in February 2009, a majestic place where the Ganges River meets the Varuna River. The Centre is an oasis from the rest of Varanasi, a spiritual and bustling city, and comprises over 300 acres that houses the Rajghat Besant School, the Vasanta College for Women, Vasantashrama (women’s dormitory), the Krishnamurti Study Centre and Retreat and the Rural Centre. There is a beautiful, lively walk around the perimeter of the property where one can view and observe the timelessness and life of Ganges and Varuna. Hema Ras runs the K Study and Retreat Centre and was incredibly hospitable and compassionate when we visited. We dropped into the Centre without prior notice and Hema welcomed us openly and in the present moment, offering us tea, dialogue and peacefulness. At tea there was a diverse group of people of different backgrounds, origins and ages. We learned about each other and ourselves, as well as the rivers, vegetation and nature that surrounded us. If ever I return to India I will spend more time at Rajghat and continue to observe and learn from the rivers and people who are there. “With the students Krishnamurti was gentle and affectionate. He talked about fear and unravelled with immense patience the many ways in which parents, teachers, the society at large and religion use fear to mould their minds. He pointed out in different ways how habit, imitation and conformity destroys minds and hearts. And he shocked the elders who were present by awakening the students to the ‘violence of obedience’. Krishnamurti was impressed by the children of Rajghat, by their ability to sit quietly and to listen, by their sense of wonder. ‘Where in the world would you find such innocence?”, he once remarked. And students felt free in his presence to ask all kinds of questions.” Krishnamurti Foundation India. Krishnamurti at Rajghat

– Sara Mimick