A personal letter from the course presenter and facilitator

Dear Friends,

We are living through a trying historical period on account of a number of global challenges. The current viral pandemic has come to compound the massive crisis of climate change. The universality of these and other issues has brought about, as perhaps never before, a fuller realisation that each of us is the whole world and totally responsible for it.

We are not only in the same boat as regards the planet, the pandemic or the usual plethora of political, economic and social problems, but these outward manifestations of danger and disorder reflect the confused state of human consciousness. This critical situation demands that we take stock of our lives and a deep look at ourselves.

The outer and the inner dimensions are not separate. Our civilization, however, has tended to put the emphasis on the outer. The pursuit of material and social fulfilment does not satisfy our abiding existential discontent. Nor do ideology, knowledge and belief provide a lasting answer. This discontent demands a much more radical and inward journey in the search for meaning.

The intent of this course is to undertake this journey through a study of J. Krishnamurti’s teachings. Krishnamurti, or K for short, is widely recognized as one of the great spiritual teachers of all time. He presented his comprehensive understanding of the human condition as a reading of the book of yourself. The point of this reading is to put our house in order and open our hearts and minds to a deeper dimension of being. There is no authority or sectarianism in this but a shared commitment to learn together about the whole and wholeness of life.

The purpose of this course is to awaken us to the actuality of our lives. It will not only expose us to the wide panorama of human experience but will reveal its universal constants, which universality is the ground of our total ethical responsibility. As the nature of our existence is grounded in consciousness, the course will lay emphasis on the exploration of the inner world.

We will be taking a journey together into our shared humanity and thus discovering the common ground of our being.

We will be looking into the mirror of relationship and exposing the fault lines of our thinking, feeling and action so that through their sensitive exploration we can awaken the qualities of creative order, compassion and insight.

We will be faced with the urgent need to transform ourselves and thus become instrumental in the creation of a compassionate culture and a peaceful world.

The world needs a radical change in attitudes and values. This course is an invitation to awaken the clarity and wisdom that will enable us to bring this revolution about.

May this journey prove inspiring and liberating for all,

Javier Gómez Rodríguez