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Peter Stephens - Personal Profile

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Peter Stephens: Adelaide, Australia; Member since: Fri, 05 Jun 2009, 3:30am; Last visited 2 months ago

Member Statement

The meeting , the true meeting is very subtle, soft, gentle and quiet, and open to this, I am not guarded, not a separate person.

Interview Answers

If you had to sum up what Krishnamurti is all about in just a few words of your own, what would they be?

Meditation and attention.

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Do you think it is possible to make Krishnamurti more "practicable" than what he himself seems to have allowed for?

I look for guidelines to help me live. But what is a guideline? Who wrote the book of guidelines?

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How important do you consider group dialogue to be in understanding the more subtle points of Krishnamurti's message?

Say I am talking with someone and their response to me is a knowledge of the wise person telling me there is a problem of thought, or self, or whatever. This is the solution of authority. For all the words, this is not talking, not asking questions, not inquiry. To conclude with a message is not sharing, not dialogue.

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Do you think Krishnamurti was exceptional, or is the transformation he spoke of universally accessible?

There is a poor accessibility to the beauty and splendour of life because I make life exceptionally mine. A person is the work of exception.

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Do you think it advisable to introduce Krishnamurti to people you know? Have you ever done it and if yes, what are your experiences?

I take people to a favorite restaurant or bar. I share my hobbies and interests. I talk about life, philosophy, my concerns. I don't know Krishnamurti nor have I ever met him. I have read books by him, watched videas, dvd's, but what I read and heard were insights. Not insights of a personal nature, nor insights of belief or knowledge, just insight. Insight can be shared by anyone without starting from an authority.

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Are there any aspects of Krishnamurti's teaching that you find implausible or difficult to accept?

To make judgements, assessments, comparisons, is what the teachings show to be a reaction. This openness, alertness, attentiveness, is what is implausible, and difficult to accept, because I live in reaction.

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How do you personally go about exploring the Krishnamurti's teachings (through personal study, dialogues, dvds)?

The teachings point to my condition. I come to a forum, inspired to dialogue, and learn about the conditioning. Some see this as futile, and the error of my ways. I see it as a beginning.

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Does the phrase "living the teachings" have any meaning to you?

"living the teachings" is a the sort of catchphrase people like to follow and repeat. If I am serious I see my false awareness and I am free of any self centered approach. Alert to the false, living is an integrated movement, not something I am doing, or not doing.

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Has coming into contact with Krishnamurti and his teachings had any perceptible effect on your life and/or relationships?

Why do we look for an effect? Is it because we don't know what we are doing, and what we have learnt is to measure, compare and assess the outcomes? By watching this carefully, not reacting, nor acting, there is a different relationship.

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What future do you foresee for Krishnamurti's works? Do you think they will grow in importance or will they just gradually die away?

The way things are now there is typically a need for information, a gathering of knowledge. K's works address this condition, and talk about insight.

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Can dialogue - in the sense of sincere inquiry - be organized or can it only come about spontaneously, unprompted?

Talking together, discussing questions, is how people like to meet. In these situations the question of authority can be discussed. The formal, organized aspect of any meeting is the self, but communicating where there is no authority, is deeper than a self, and is not controlled or regulated.

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How do you strike a balance between healthy doubt and ready acceptance in investigating Krishnamurti's proposals?

Knowledge is a mechanical process of thought. Thinking about, exploring, your condition of the mind requires doubt. Otherwise you are duplicating and extending knowledge as a kind of entertainment. When I see the petty conditioning for myself, it is not positive or negative experience, it is seeing the false, and the false has no attachment to save or confuse.

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Do you ever feel that you have been conditioned by Krishnamurti's teachings?

Where do I, you, come from? I come from my family, my friends, my study, my work, my interests. This is my conditioning. I have to understand this conditioning, how it works, why I use it, how it is deep within my view of myself and my life.