As an artist, Krishnamurti had showed me how my mind turns. He had reminded me that the thinking mind only deals with what is not new and is all based on time and memory. That the new comes from chance and spontaneity rather than reason. The process of painting is a good tool to remind you that the Truth of things lies in the Kalichakra mind, a mind that uses thinking only for practical needs and that progress comes from the timeless ‘downloads’ from the unmanifest universe. Painting will allow you to feel this and hence ‘see’ it through your paintings. To allow chance to help you see the unmanifest world, your mind has to sit in a certain way: being silently aware in ‘choiceless observation’, where time is not, and the mind silent and only looking but without thinking: the one-pointedness in the process of painting and the silence that comes with it can then allow insight ‘downloads’ to occur that help you ‘see’ the new in Art. The new does not come from thinking which is from time based memory and hence from the past. J. Krishnamurti is an artist’s best friend. And below in his own words is a summary of K’s direct observations.

‘The core of Krishnamurti’s teaching is contained in the statement he made in 1929 when he said, “Truth is a pathless land”. Man cannot come to it through any organization, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, not through any philosophical knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of his own mind, through observation and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection.

Man has built in himself images as a fence of security—religious, political, personal. These manifest as symbols, ideas, beliefs. The burden of these images dominates man’s thinking, his relationships, and his daily life. These images are the causes of our problems for they divide man from man. His perception of life is shaped by the concepts already established in his mind. The content of his consciousness is his entire existence. The individuality is the name, the form and superficial culture he acquires from tradition and environment. The uniqueness of man does not lie in the superficial but in complete freedom from the content of his consciousness, which is common to all humanity. So he is not an individual.

Freedom is not a reaction; freedom is not choice. It is man’s pretence that because he has choice he is free. Freedom is pure observation without direction, without fear of punishment and reward. Freedom is without motive; freedom is not at the end of the evolution of man but lies in the first step of his existence. In observation one begins to discover the lack of freedom. Freedom is found in the choiceless awareness of our daily existence and activity.

Thought is time. Thought is born of experience and knowledge, which are inseparable from time and the past. Time is the psychological enemy of man. Our action is based on knowledge and therefore time, so man is always a slave to the past. Thought is ever limited and so we live in constant conflict and struggle. There is no psychological evolution. When man becomes aware of the movement of his own thoughts, he will see the division between the thinker and thought, the observer and the observed, the experiencer and the experience. He will discover that this division is an illusion. Then only is there pure observation which is insight without any shadow of the past or of time. This timeless insight brings about a deep, radical mutation in the mind.

Total negation is the essence of the positive. When there is negation of all those things that thought has brought about psychologically, only then is there love, which is compassion and intelligence.’  Copyright ©1980 Krishnamurti Foundation Trust Ltd.

Vasanta Vihar Study Centre, Chennai

The centre of life in Vasanta Vihar is The Study-a library housed in a spacious, elegantly designed hall on the first floor of the main building. It has a range of materials:

•Books by Krishnamurti, translations of his works, copies of out-of-print materials, biographies, evaluative studies of the teachings, bulletins and newsletters of the Foundations, select books on religion, philosophy, psychology, literature, and arts, and journals of a serious nature.

•A large video collection, with synopses of each programme, and video-consoles for individual viewing.

•Audio collections and CDs.

•A separate Lending Library enables people to borrow books and tapes.
The Study organizes dialogues, weekend retreats, video programmes, and lectures from time to time.

This Study Centre is also responsible for the dissemination of the teachings in India and the neighbouring countries. It therefore encourages local initiative of individuals in different parts of the country to start small study centres which have reading rooms and library facilities and hold dialogues from time to time. KFI supports such ventures with initial donations of books and tapes and interacts with them.
From their website: http://www.kfionline.org/studycentres/vv.asp

There is decent accomodation provided and wholesome vegetarian meals are served. The center has a quiet environment suitable for study and reflection.

Visitors are reminded that the place is a study center for Krishnamurti’s teachings and not to be used as a base for sightseeing etc. This place exists for the sole purpose of studying Krishnamurti’s teachings. Those seeking accommodation here are, therefore, requested not to treat it as a convenient lodging house or as a base for sight-seeing or transacting business. ‘. (http://www.kfionline.org/studycentres/vv.asp).

The center sits on about 6 acres of landscaped grounds and makes a pleasant place to ponder on the state of one’s thinking mind.

Group study sessions can be organised for those staying at the center. These sessions will be follow up discussions after time has been spent at the library to clarify some of the points that Krishnamurti makes in his teachings. The center is run by staff that will make your stay as comfortable and pleasant as possible. Please check the website for further information on week-end retreats and for other events.
The state of one’s mind creates the state of society today and Krishnamurti’s teachings will carry itself into the new world order as it unfolds itself in the new millenium.

Contact:
Krishnamurti Foundation India,
Vasanta Vihar,
124 Greenways Road,
Chennai–600028.
Tel: (044) 24937803 / 24937596.
E-mail: kfihq@md2.vsnl.net.in

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