Every decision to control only breeds resistance, even the determination to be aware.
"Meditation is never the control of the body. There is no actual division between the organism and the mind. The brain, the nervous system, and the thing we call the mind are all one, indivisible. It is the natural act of meditation that brings about the harmonious movement of the whole. To divide the body from the mind and to control the body with intellectual decisions is to bring about contradiction, from which arise various forms of struggle, conflict, and resistance.
Every decision to control only breeds resistance, even the determination to be aware. Meditation is the understanding of the division brought about by decision. Freedom is not the act of decision but the act of perception. The seeing is the doing. It is not a determination to see and then to act. After all, will is desire with all its contradictions. When one desire assumes authority over another, that desire becomes will. In this, there is inevitable division. And meditation is the understanding of desire, not the overcoming of one desire by another. Desire is the movement of sensation, which becomes pleasure and fear. This is sustained by the constant dwelling of thought upon one or the other.
Meditation really is a complete emptying of the mind. Then there is only the functioning of the body; there is only the activity of the organism and nothing else; then thought functions without identification as the me and the not-me. Thought is mechanical, as is the organism. What creates conflict is thought identifying itself with one of its parts which becomes the me, the self, and the various divisions in that self. There is no need for the self at any time. There is nothing but the body and freedom of the mind can happen only when thought is not breeding the me.
There is no self to understand but only the thought that creates the self. When there is only the organism without the self, perception—both visual and non-visual—can never be distorted. There is only seeing ‘what is’ and that very perception goes beyond ‘what is’. The emptying of the mind is not an activity of thought or an intellectual process. The continuous seeing of "what is" without any kind of distortion naturally empties the mind of all thought and yet that very mind can use thought when it is necessary. Thought is mechanical and meditation is not."
We invite you to read our most current Annual Report, which highlights financial statistics for 2020-21, as well as key information about the Foundation, Center, and the School’s activities.
Krishnamurti says that meditation is not another form of control and instead suggests that one understands desire and conflict. He states, “There is no self to understand but only the thought that creates the self,” implying that it is actually the different ways in which one identifies with the fragments of thought that need to be understood. Therefore, meditation is not something thought does; it is the continuous seeing of “what is.”
The pandemic has certainly altered the way we live and connect with one another. We have adapted to these developments in various ways at the KFA: while we have started offering in-person programs again, we are following all city, state, and county guidelines, such as requiring masks in all indoor spaces. Our online programs and online dissemination efforts are continuing as usual.
The Foundation has an enormous state-of-the-art repository of Krishnamurti's original writings. On the Krishnamurti Center YouTube channel, we offer a rapidly increasing free library of video and audio. The Immeasurable, our online magazine, is an introduction to the teachings for a younger readership. We create short videos based on snippets from Krishnamurti's public presentations, which have garnered a lot of positive feedback on social media.
Every year, our publishing department releases new books and distributes rights to publishers all around the world. We also continue to expand our outreach initiatives worldwide in order to increase the number of individuals who are exposed to the teachings.
As part of our Residential Student/Scholar Program, we also provide a unique opportunity for young people to live, study, and work within the community at the Krishnamurti Center. Applications are now being accepted for Spring 2022.
The Krishnamurti Center in Ojai maintains a Retreat and a Study Center for individuals who come to explore the teachings. Every month, our online programs draw individuals from all around the world. Click here to see all upcoming online and in-person programs.
On behalf of the Foundation's trustees and staff, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to each and every one of our contributors and supporters for your critical role in advancing the KFA's mission for current and future generations.
Sincerely,
Jaap Sluijter Executive Director
Can Krishnamurti's Teachings Make a Difference? Online Program February 7-11, 2022
Can K’s teaching really make a difference to our lives and to today’s world?
Krishnamurti says, “To transform the world, we must begin with ourselves; and what is important in beginning with ourselves is the intention. The intention must be to understand ourselves and not to leave it to others to transform themselves or to bring about a modified change through revolution, either of the left or of the right. It is important to understand that this is our responsibility, yours and mine…”
Interacting with the greater Krishnamurti community, immersing themselves in a different culture, and making new friends at their sister schools are three of the intentions of Oak Grove’s annual senior trip to India.
This has been a year of numerous changes, some of which have restricted our activities while others have broadened them. We are grateful to each and every one of our contributors for understanding and supporting the critical relevance of our work for current and future generations.
Our annual report contains highlights from the foundation as well as financial statistics for the previous fiscal year. Essays by those who have been influenced by Krishnamurti's work are also featured.
The 2022 calendar is now on sale. It contains quotes from Krishnamurti's talks, along with beautiful photographs by Krishnamurti's good friend Friedrich Grohe and others.
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