Krishnamurti Gathering 2025
Brockwood Park, Bramdean, Hampshire, 14th to 19th August
Hi, whether interested in Krishnamurti or not, find below a story from each day of ‘The Gathering’. As always, I look forward to your response. g
We had the introduction to the retreat before supper. What stays with me is the question, “Why do we need to have an image?”
If we give up the image, it is less likely that we will be hurt, as there is nothing to hurt.
In a conversation with River, we found ourselves speaking of an experience that changed our outlook. It came from nowhere but had the effect of changing our lives for the better. So we asked, “Why are we here?” Here, many are trying to experience what Kristamurti expressed in what are referred to as ‘the teachings’. ‘The teachings’ came from his experience that changed his outlook. While the teachings may make for a way of living, the experience of having your outlook changed is an experience and not likely to be something that can be taught.
In a conversation with Saint in the evening, he shared a quote
“We are a meaningless product of blind evolution in an uncaring world.”
If I entertain that thought for a moment, I see if that is the case, we are people trying to work out the best way to live.
Back to the talk yesterday, the last paragraph. K gives an example using anger. He says that we separate ourselves from anger by saying “ I have been angry” as if we are separate from anger. He then says,
“Similarly, is the reaction which you call fear different from you? Obviously it is not. So you and that reaction are the same. When you realise that, you don’t fight it, you are that. Right? I wonder if you see it. Then a totally different action takes place, which is, before, you have used positive action with regard to fear, say, “ I must not be afraid, I will deny it, I’ll control it, I must do this and that about it, go to a psychologist” When there is a fact that you are the reaction, there is no you separate from that reaction. Therefore a negation, a negative, a non-positive observation is the ending of fear. Right?”
The talk yesterday was about order, ordering our disorder. So everything has its place, including all those things that we see as barriers, such as thought. Thought has a place; it just doesn’t know when to stop.
The question is, who is bringing order to our world? It seems at this point ‘intelligence’ makes an appearance. An intelligence that we presuppose knows truth and therein the way to order our lives and live.
Something happened during our dialogue group in the late afternoon. It seemed the day before we had gotten somewhere, i.e. stay with the sensation, don’t try to fix it even as thought names it. Someone said, “But that is a formula.” Now I was struggling, as it seemed no matter which way you went, you were still not free. Now we were dealing with the possibility that we can deceive ourselves.
This, in my view, was at the heart of the tension in our group yesterday, ‘doing a part versus the whole’. The reality is, I have not met anyone who says they have had the one ‘fell swoop’ experience. I have heard people say they are working their way through.
Mistakes can bring with them insights, although an environment in which that is understood helps in looking after each other’s well-being. Often, there is a need to acknowledge it with the individual to ensure they are ok and that how we acted was not great.
Today, we reached the end of The Gathering. I am never great at saying farewell; I could have easily slipped away. Those leaving before me said their farewells, and I ensured I said goodbye to those I had connected with. I felt sadness at leaving a community that formed for 5 days of people from various countries and continents. I have said it before: we create an international zone that gives me the sense that we are a people on our planet.
g
