A retreat is always a wonderful thing and even more so when it takes place in the midst of great beauty. So, when our Retreat at the Sahyadri School Study Centre actually happened, all participants were delighted. The participants were from Mumbai, Pune, Bhopal, Santniketan, Chandernagore, Kolaghat and Kolkata.
The Sahyadri School Study Centre of Krishnamurti Foundation India is located around 70 kilometres from Pune. The surroundings are unbelievably beautiful and defy description. Hills, forests, rivers and plants all in abundance. And both sunrise and sunset are everyday sights of great beauty. A small collection of pictures in the album link below will give some idea of the extraordinary beauty of the place.
Most participants arrived there on 21 October for the Retreat and most departed on 25 October.
The theme of the Retreat was ‘what is a religious mind?’ Hugely relevant in our times when religion has divided people instead of bringing them together. What is a religious mind? Through dialogue, readings of text from J Krishnamurti books and watching of videos of his talks, participants rigorously explored the theme.
It was not easy. As participants were from a variety of backgrounds, there was plenty of animated discussion and often debate too. Since the intensity of involvement was strong, we hope that a foundation was laid for deep inquiry by the participants. For some, this was their first retreat at a J Krishnamurti Study Centre.
A retreat is always something to look forward to. It is a time when one can move away from the routine and reflect in silence. It is an opportunity to watch one’s conditioning. It is an opportunity to ‘break the shackles’ that we ourselves have created.
