Program Fee: $100
Daily online afternoon sessions
10:00am-12:30pm PACIFIC TIME
Life is Relationship
An online In-depth Study Program
Life is Relationship
Krishnamurti stated that to exist is to be related. To relate is to be in contact as well as to respond adequately to the given situation so that the qualities of understanding and compassion nourish our existence. The quality of relationship is the same as the quality of our lives and to be related is to have no division and conflict; it is to love. But our usual experience reveals a veritable minefield that we are destined to traverse, leading to all manner of breakdowns and traumatic experiences. 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.
Life is a vast network of relationships with nature, things, people and ideas. We are very aware that our relationship with nature is one of exploitation and use. The destructive consequences of this misguided approach are now being felt on a global scale. The relationship with nature is closely linked with our relationship with things since the exploitation of natural resources is aimed at providing for our material needs. But need becomes greed and brings about imbalance. We approach our relationship with people from two angles: the relationship between an individual and society and the relationship between individuals. Our intimate relationships are critical in what becomes of us as human beings. This is supposed to be the province of love, whereas in general, it is the source of a good deal of conflict and grief. Following K’s negative approach, we then examine such factors of fragmentation as dependence, attachment and the search for security that denies love.
We will distribute a series of K texts relative to these various themes as well as the links to related audio and visual material. As an aid to the inquiry, we will introduce the notion of dialogue as a participatory process. Communication is one of the keys to relationship and this retreat, which is meant to be as participatory as possible, can also function as a workshop in which to learn the art of thinking together.
We look forward to this joint journey of self-discovery through the mirror of K’s teachings.
Daily online sessions
10:00am-12:30pm PACIFIC TIME
Javier Gómez Rodríguez comes originally from Spain. In his mid-teens he came across the work of Krishnamurti and was instantly struck by its wholeness and ‘ring of truth’. From 1975-1978 he was a student at Brockwood Park, the school K founded in England in 1969.
After briefly lecturing in Spanish at Texas A & M in the US, in 1990 he returned to Brockwood Park as a teacher. There he met up with K’s close collaborator David Bohm and actively engaged with him in the exploration of the latter’s dialogue proposal.
Javier spent two years (1993-95) as a resident scholar at the KFI headquarters in Vasanta Vihar in India. On his return to Spain, he conducted a K-inspired inquiry group, translated several K books into Spanish and became a trustee of the Fundación Krishnamurti Lationamericana, the K foundation responsible for disseminating his work in the Spanish-speaking world. He also joined Krishnamurti Link International (KLI), an informal group of former Brockwood staff members brought together by the German industrialist Friedrich Grohe, who was K’s close friend during the last 2-3 years of his life and a lifelong financial supporter of the K institutions worldwide.
In 2000 Javier moved to The Netherlands, where he has been residing ever since. He has been collaborating with the Dutch K committee and continues to be associated with KLI. He currently edits Friedrich’s Newsletter and is active in KLI’s international network of activities.
In 2016 Javier started giving a course offering a comprehensive introduction to K’s life and teachings (www.thebookofyourself.
Javier is currently working on compiling a book on K’s life and teachings based on his research for the course.
This program is designed for anyone interested in going deeper into the topic of Relationship that the philosopher J. Krishnamurti pointed to in his numerous talks, discussions, and writings.