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David Browne - Personal Profile

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David Browne: Male, 63 yrs. old, Yoga Teacher; Sunderland, Tyne & Wear, United Kingdom; Birthday: February 5; Member since: Wed, 10 Jun 2009, 1:00pm; Last visited about 1 year ago

Member Statement

I see the danger of nationalism and how being part of the group or nation we feel safe and secure. As soon as our group is threatened or criticised, we feel antagonistic to the point where we are prepared to kill and sacrifice life for the group.
After some thought (I do a lot of that) I have decided to start up a K. Information Group at The Quaker House, Sunderland. A city on the North East coast of England. We will meet the 1st Sunday of every month at 2PM. Starting September. If you wish to attend, you will be made welcome.

David Browne

Interests and Recommendations

Books

Plays, poems, stories by Rabindranath Tagore - Novels & short stories by Irish writer John Maghahern -

Movies

Cool Hand Luke - Taxi Driver - Cassablanca - Deliverance -

Music

Folk Music from around the world

Other interests

I like to write. Recently I have written quite a few short stories. I have a very good tutor.

Interview Answers

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

The teachings of K have I feel, made me look at life with a fresh eye. To see things as they are rather than how I would like them to be. To see myself (If I can bare to look) without justification or judgment.

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

Yes I do think he was exceptional. I remember the first time I leafed through a book of his (This Matter of Culture). I was shocked and wondered why I had never heard of him before. The words were so fresh and alive.
Is the transformation he spoke of universally accessible? If we are prepared to wake up from our cosy routines and thinking, then yes. But it is llike climbing a mountain with no obvious path. It is tempting to take the easy way out and give into what the mind craves, a routine mediocraty. I often do that but then comes along a fresh breeze of dissatisfaction

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

Until recently I attended a monthly meeting at nearby Newcastle. Elaine, who'se house we used died last year. So I am starting up a new centre, here in Sunderland. I generally read K's books. But at the meetings in the past we watched dialogues on DVD. sometimes discussing the content afterwards.

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

Sometimes it can be helpful, sometimes not. In my experience it often takes a long time before the penny drops, but that may be triggered by an explanation by someone else.

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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?

I do not know. But I feel his life's work is already comming into mainstream. I have listened to prominant people use quotes of K,s. Did they realise they were by him? Who knows? It is the teachings that are important not the individual. So it matters not wheather they are attributed to him or not, the important thing is I feel, is to make them available and perhaps some people will latch on to them.

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

I'm not sure. I think it is like the Buddhist phrase; Mindfulness. For myself there are particular phrases or single words that K uses and they have lodged in my brain. I toss them around and maybe get the ffeel of them and perhaps an understanding. I do not see the teachings as a dogma. I think K himself advised people to question everything that he said, not to take it as given. I think that is a healthy approach. When you see something as a fact then there is no longer any conflict

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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 have mentioned K in conversation and in a few instances it has lead to further investigation.

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

Awareness of yourself and the world in which you live. Never to settle for mediocraty and see people and places and nature with a fresh eye

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

To really listen, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, but to see if what is said really stands up, does it ring true?

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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 don't know. I live in a culture where things are often simplified and repackaged in order for people to understand and participate. Everyday communication demands that things are simplified to attract greater participation.
Many times I have found K frustrating usually because I did not know what he was saying or getting at. However when I have re-read or re-viewed his work I often pick up something I didn't the first time.

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

There is nothing that comes to mind at the moment

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

I don't know. There is a danger I feel of jumping out of the frying pan into the fire. ie giving up a belief system and embracing K's teaching.
If you come to understand something he says, is that conditioning? I may be influenced by his teaching in the same way as I am influencede by the driving instructor who tells me it's a good idea to indicate if you want to turn off the main road.

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

I feel that we can organise a time and a place for people to meet. Will it turn out to be sincere inquiry? Will it be spontaneous & unprompted? Perhaps it depends on the sensitvity of the people involved.
This is an opinion, I feel I'm walking on thin ice. I don't really know the answer