The past 6 days, I attended a 6 day online retreat. We met everyday at 430pm til 630pm. It was organized by the Krishnamurti Foundation in Vancouver British Vancouver. The guest leader was Mukesh Gupta. He woke every morning in India at 430am and led us. I was hesitant to join, partly because I heard of it last minute. Plus, it was a commitment, although not nearly as big as flying to Canada for 1 week. Even still, it felt like an encounter. Ralph the organizer was very calm throughout the process which kept a steady vibe to the proceedings. Our teacher was Mr. Gupta, a wise soul and longtime follower of Krishnamurti’s teachings, referred to us as friends. K would do the same thing. I hope I can carry this view of as many encounters as possible in the future. It really helps provide a compassionate experience towards oneself and others. He has described K’s work as a vast Ocean, and if he could provide just a few drops, he would be happy. He says to drink from the source—that is K’s teachings.
Hopefully, I will come revisit this retreat and write in more detail, but I just wanted to share a few nuggets that I found helpful. There were some pretty powerful moments I experienced, more so during my sleep that seemed related to the retreat. The meditation I learned through watching and reading Krishnamurti and which I have written about, was enhanced when I practiced it during the retreat. I woke up a few times during the night on a few occasions. Mukesh has a way of speaking that is quite hypnotic. It hits at a deep level. You can visit Mukesh Gupta’s website here.
Phrases like:
“Ego doesn’t know where to start.” How could it, since there are so many processes to deal with. This concept really helped name what I experience so many times. Even with meditation every morning, I feel like I am starting from scratch—breathing, posture, observing feelings, thoughts, etc.
Rather than “I am . . .” , look at it as “I is the image(s) that thought creates . . .” “I” becomes the object rather than the subject. I is something, yet it isn’t what I have been thinking it is the past 54 years. I . . . (Pause) . . . Is . . . It slows down the process for me. As Albert Low talks about in Zen & Creative Management, language in all cultures have this subject, verb & object. It separates us from the beginning.
“Ego starts filling in the blanks when you wake up in the morning.” Can you see that? I seemed to get a glimpse of this the last morning. Like a piling on of past information to help make sense of things.
