Javier joined us from Amsterdam for this three part workshop using the Zoom online application. Each of the three sessions included a roughly forty-five minute talk or presentation followed by forty-five minutes of group dialogue or discussion. There were between eight and ten persons present in total in each meeting and others that were not present live but were planning to watch the recordings of the sessions at a later time.

Javier began the meeting with some comments on the present situation in the world with its conflicts, divisions, violence, and nationalism. The root of violence, he pointed out, is the notion of self or the separate “me”. Identity is based on memory, the structures of the past, and the contradictions of thought, which creates its own problems. Are we willing to drop our identities and our sense of separateness? Javier asked. We are strongly driven by our ego identity and selfish motivations and must question where we are coming from in our relationships. Are we living in a world of ideas? Why do we not see these attachments to ideas and let them go? Are we controlled by our desires for fame and fulfilment, position, ownership of objects, and so on? Over the three days we explored deeper aspects of the self and the need for it to dissolve. This is the core of Krishnamurti’s teachings and he suggests that we use the “mirror of relationship” to gain “knowledge” of ourselves or insight into our thought structures which can bring about an experience of wholeness.

The talks and discussions touched on many of the psychological aspects of the self and its nature. The central place of images was explored in relation to fiction, reality, and love. This tied into the issue of loneliness and isolation and then the workings of pleasure and fear. Questions arose about children, siblings, parents and the opportunities of family life in realising love. A number of times we delved into the necessity of being fully with our pain and sorrow. Being with our suffering can awaken compassion and a sense of freedom. And facing the psychological fear of death and the desire for security can bring transformation. The question arose, “have we faced the fear of death?” The question is one of depth and value.

Javier’s presentations are full of humour and lightness as well as confronting serious and profound questions. The balance makes for an enjoyable and instructive learning experience.

Presented by the Krishnamurti Educational Centre of Canada