This book contains six dialogues held by the Centre for Continuing Dialogue - Krishnamurti Foundation India, in January 1989 at "Vasanta Vihar", Madras. The proceedings of the seminar were tape recorded and later transcribed by me. For three mornings, on 24th, 25th and 26th January, with two sessions each day, the participants explored the significance of dialogue in understanding the problems we face. Dialogue is used as a means to explore the psyche, our inner world with all its complexities, sorrows and pleasures of life. There was an investigation into how fragmented minds such as we have could become whole and healthy.
This was the first gathering after the passing away of J.Krishnamurti, the renowned philosopher and religious thinker. During his life time, he had many dialogues in Madras whenever he was there giving public talks. Distinguished philosophers and scientists, pundits and people with varied intellectual and aesthetic pursuits, and from all walks of life, discussed with him the many challenges that threaten the survival of man and society. The Foundation felt it necessary to continue these dialogues as an on-going process in learning about ourselves and of the mysteries of existence; and also, to enquire whether there is something sacred which is beyond all sorrow about which Krishnamurti talked.
perception. It is a flow, a dynamic interaction of ideas ex-only brilliant expositions of knowledge and of the move-pressed by the participants. These dialogues reveal not ment of varied minds meeting each other, but also of the emerging new insights as the conversation progresses. It is an unfolding landscape of the inner universe at that given moment. There is generally a freshness in such an enquiry. A new mode, other than that of argument and counter argument, of statement of concepts and views, comes into being in this kind of participatory ambience.
Another aspect of the creative process in a dialogue is also to be observed. A person, alone by himself, can investigate a problem and see some light thrown on it. But, when a few people with serious intent explore together, then the illumination that happens is not that of an in-dividual-X, Y, or Z. In the togetherness of exploration, a totally new kind of energy seems to be released, making the mind alive, sharp, alert to every nuance of thought and feeling within, and even to the sounds without. This is a significant process. In it is sharing, helping each other. There is an impersonal element in the ideas and insights that emerge.
The main themes focus on some pertinent, fundamental questions: Is there a hierarchy in dialogue? The range of answers moves from positing the existence of it to "there is no hierarchy here. There is only a getting together of like-minded serious people." What place has silence in communication and dialogue? Again, there is an exploration in depth of silence, which seems to be the ground of all existence. There is a legitimate role for the intellect but, "When it covers the ground of the known and comes to a dead end, then it has no more function and there is silence." These and other areas relating to transformations in the psyche are explored.
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