Weekend Retreat

  “Dialogues on Living” Weekend retreat with Harshad Parekh May 27-29 This weekend retreat with Harshad Parekh was an exploration into the nature and practice of seeing and listening. Harshad has had many years of experience teaching at Krishnamurti schools and conversing with Krishnamurti himself, and he is very able to communicate what he feels is the essence of K’s teaching. The most important thing is for us to simply look at ourselves directly. From this looking we can learn everything about ourselves. There is no need for teachers or books if we know how to read the book of ourselves. At times a text written with clarity may be helpful if we read with a quiet mind which is not looking for answers but is open to receiving insights. Over the weekend we watched three half-hour videos from the Evelyn Blau series entitled “Beyond Myth and Tradition.” On Friday night we watched the selection “On Change” and the ten participants discussed the issues raised in the video, particularly what it means to look and to see – and how these can change one’s life. On Saturday morning Harshad gave a short and clear talk after which we had a group dialogue. In the afternoon there was a reading from K’s book Commentaries on Living, First Series, pages 97 – 102 on Awareness. It was a selection rich with material for contemplation and discussion, and the group sharing was very interesting. On Saturday evening the video was entitled “The Mirror of Relationship”. K points out that we can only see ourselves accurately in relationship, by being aware of our thoughts, feelings, and reactions as we interact in daily life. A lively group dialogue followed which had to be reined in so we could move towards sleep. On Sunday morning one more person joined us for the day. We began with another excellent talk by Harshad and a reading from Commentaries on Living, Series Two on the subject of conflict, freedom, and relationship. In the afternoon there was a video on “Choiceless Awareness”, which Harshad continuously emphasized as being the core of K’s message. The video was again followed by group dialogue and the closing of the retreat. Throughout the weekend there was plenty of free time for nature walks and quiet looking into ourselves, as well an informal conversation and inquiry within the group of participants. The opportunity to spend such time in self examination in such a beautiful and conducive setting in the company of like-minded people was greatly appreciated by all. Delicious food was provided by nearby Pearson College.