Why has man after thousands of years not found peace?
Public Talk 1
If all time is now, what is action?
Public Talk 1 Saanen
July 08, 1984
Perception is denied when you have problems. If I don't fundamentally change, the future is what I am now. The psyche, the essence of the self, thinks in terms of becoming. The past is so formidable that it controls, shapes our action. Or you have a future ideal and act according to that. Is there an action which is so complete now, it is not fragmentary? Is everything put together by thought limited?
Public Talk 2
The relationship of health to freedom
Public Talk 2 Saanen
July 10, 1984
Is freedom choice? Is there freedom in becoming? Does freedom lie in expressing ambition or trying to fulfil desires? Does language encourage the limited activity of the brain? Does the constant conflict in which human beings live contribute to health? Has our brain evolved through conflict? Is there an energy uncontaminated by conflict? Is the brain itself a problem? Does being free of problems imply an inquiry into time?
Public Talk 3
Thought and the divisive process
Public Talk 3 Saanen
July 12, 1984
Why are we so limited inwardly, so concerned with ourselves? Does the brain seek security while creating division? Is thought creating division in relationship? Can there ever be complete experience? The experiencer is accumulated memories. Is love thought, time, pleasure or desire? When thought shapes sensation through image, at that moment desire is born. Can thought slow down and not capture sensation?
Public Talk 4
Ending disorder now
Public Talk 4 Saanen
July 15, 1984
Each of us lives in disorder. What is the cause? Will time solve that disorder? Is it futile to exercise time and thought to change what I am now? If there is perception that all time is contained in the now then what takes place? Is the activity of self-centredness producing loneliness? As long as you think time and thought are necessary in the world of the self, you will be perpetually in fear.
Public Talk 5
Why do we live with unresolved problems?
Public Talk 5 Saanen
July 17, 1984
Is our brain conditioned to the resolution of problems? Only a free brain can end problems. Do you ever listen completely to your wife or husband? Can we learn together the art of listening? Our consciousness is perpetually in conflict with its own reactions. It is shared by all human beings. Can this consciousness cease entirely? One has never said, ‘I will live with suffering and find out why I suffer.’ If you are suffering inwardly, how can you love another? With the ending of sorrow there is passion, energy, love, intelligence.
Public Talk 6
Living with death and life together
Public Talk 6 Saanen
July 19, 1984
Why has man after thousands of years not found tranquillity, quietness, peace? Why am I hurt? Is it possible to end all hurts and never be hurt again? Why is it that human beings have put death as far away as possible from life? When we are seeking security in continuity, there must be real fear of death, which is the ending. Can you be living with ending every day, which is death? What is the religious mind? What is meditation in relation to religion and our daily existence? Religion and meditation are free of knowledge and therefore the religious brain is in a state of creation.
Public Questions 1
1st Question & Answer Meeting 12
Public Questions 1 Saanen
July 22, 1984
How far would we go in carrying out or pursuing something very serious in life? Q1: How do we tell the difference between observing ourselves in the sense you mean, and merely thinking about ourselves? Q2: What is the action of not letting memory intrude? Is it to see its presence as it arises and drop it instantly, or should one be in a state where memory does not raise its head unless it is necessary? Q3: I understand that inner silence cannot be practised or sought after, but what is the ground on which it may come about? Q4: How can one reconcile the demands of society with a life of total freedom?
Public Questions 2
2nd Question & Answer Meeting 12
Public Questions 2 Saanen
July 24, 1984
Is there a final question, one question that will answer all questions? Q1: Your statement that art is merely the product of thought and therefore not creation has troubled many artists, poets, musicians, including us who are here and who think they are creators. Cannot creation include the activity of thought? Q2: I would like to cry out for help but how can one be helped to freedom? Q3: How can we educate our children to be intelligent, free and responsible human beings in today’s world? Q4: What is your relationship to us?
Public Questions 3
3rd Question & Answer Meeting 5
Public Questions 3 Saanen
July 26, 1984
Can one live totally honestly? Q1: How can one come to this tent without a motive, a desire to come here, to listen to you? How does one live without motives? Q2: To begin with, most of us must consciously be attentive, but does this attention become a constant spontaneous state of action? Q3: Could you tell us something more about this vast intelligence of which you speak? Is it an untapped capacity within the brain, or is it some disembodied force to which we may become open? Q4: Why do the teachings you put forth have so little effect on us?