Keep Far Away

"You should never be here too much; be so far away that they can’t find you, they can’t get at you to shape, to mold. Be so far away, like the mountains, like the unpolluted air; be so far away that you have no parents, no relations, no family, no country; be so far away that you don’t know even where you are. Don’t let them find you; don’t come into contact with them too closely. Keep far away where even you can’t find yourself; keep a distance which can never be crossed over; keep a passage open always through which no one can come. Don’t shut the door for there is no door, only an open, endless passage; if you shut any door, they will be very close to you, then you are lost. Keep far away where their breath can’t reach you and their breath travels very far and very deeply; don’t get contaminated by them, by their word, by their gesture, by their great knowledge; they have great knowledge but be far away from them where even you cannot find yourself.
For they are waiting for you, at every corner, in every house to shape you, to mold you, to tear you to pieces and then put you together in their own image. Their gods, the little ones and the big ones, are the images of themselves, carved by their own mind or by their own hands. They are waiting for you, the churchman and the Communist, the believer and the non-believer, for they are both the same; they think they are different but they are not for they both brainwash you, till you are of them, till you repeat their words, till you worship their saints, the ancient and the recent; they have armies for their gods and for their countries and they are experts in killing. Keep far away but they are waiting for you, the educator and the businessman; one trains you for the others to conform to the demands of their society, which is a deadly thing;* they will make you into a scientist, into an engineer, into an expert of almost anything from cooking to architecture to philosophy.
Keep far, far away; they are waiting for you, the politician and the reformer; the one drags you down into the gutter and then the other reforms you; they juggle with words and you will be lost in their wilderness. Keep far away; they are waiting for you, the experts in god and the bomb-throwers: the one will convince you and the other [show you] how to kill; there are so many ways to find god and so many, many ways to kill. But besides all these, there are hoards of others to tell you what to do and what not to do; keep away from all of them, so far away that you cannot find yourself or any other. You too would like to play with all of them who are waiting for you but then the play becomes so complicated and entertaining that you will be lost. You should never be here too much, be so far away that even you cannot find yourself."
* They have a thing called society and family: these two are their real gods, the net in which you will be entangled. [Krishnamurti’s insertion.]
J. Krishnamurti
Excerpt from Krishnamurti’s Notebook

In the above quote, Krishnamurti suggests keeping “so far away that even you cannot find yourself.” Most people may not ponder how we are molded by everything—from our parents, social media, or even far-away politicians. At first glance, it doesn’t seem that a devout churchgoer would be similar to an anarchist. What Krishnamurti may be pointing out is that both are operating in the field of psychological images and we can easily conform or become caught up in it. Perhaps that is one of the reasons why he emphasized the importance of being able to go on retreat for inquiry and exploration. The Krishnamurti Retreat (formerly known as the Pepper Tree Retreat) is a space for stillness and where one can explore the deeper questions of life. As part of refocusing the intent and use of the retreat, we have changed the name from the Pepper Tree Retreat to the Krishnamurti Retreat. Additionally, in the past few years, we have focused our energies on creating and offering more in-house programs centered on the study of the teachings.
We have three upcoming programs at the Center. For those who are unable to attend in-person programs, we offer two online programs. The first is Life is Relationship, August 15 - 19. Krishnamurti stated that to exist is to be related. To relate is to be in contact and respond adequately to the given situation so that the qualities of understanding and compassion nourish our existence. Our exploration of this topic, as viewed through K’s sharp lens, is to become aware of the factors involved and responsible for our lives and the lives of others, as psychologically we are the world.
Next is our first program in Spanish, La Soledad, September 26 - 30. La Soledad, La experiencia universal de la soledad, aunque aparentemente subjetiva, resulta esencialmente de una sensación de aislamiento, cuyas causas se extienden por toda la amplia red de nuestra relaciones. Nuestra sociedad, con su ambición y competitividad, genera una gran alienación, al igual que nuestra arraigada actitud egocéntrica ante la vida. La soledad es, en consecuencia, un portal al descubrimiento de las causas más profundas de nuestra carencia de relación. Permanecer con la soledad y comprenderla es un primer paso para revelar la unidad o integridad que la subyace.
From October 7 - 9, we have our in-person Yoga + Inquiry: Awareness and Transformation program. In this weekend retreat, we will explore the work of Krishnamurti and do yoga in the beautiful hilltop Pavilion. Our exploration will center on the themes of awareness and transformation: What is awareness? What does it mean to be aware? It seems that so often habit sets in and we see ourselves and others unconsciously, limited by our prejudices and conditioning. It seems that often we can be unwilling to let go of our personal agenda to be truly open to listening to another. In looking at these questions together, can we do it with that sense of listening, not only to each other but also to what the group creates together?
Our next episode of The Immeasurable Podcast has been published. This episode, “Exploring Education,” features a conversation between Shailesh Shirali and myself. Dr. Shailesh Shirali has been with the Krishnamurti schools in India since the early 1980s. He is a trustee of the Krishnamurti Foundation of India (KFI) and has served as Principal of Rishi Valley School; he is currently the Director of Sahyadri School. He has also been in the field of mathematics education for many decades and is the author of several books for students and teachers. He has a particular interest in ancient Indian mathematics, and in facilitating inquiry into fundamental issues among teachers and students at the school level. Click here to listen to the episode.
Sincerely,

Jaap Sluijter
Executive Director