Freedom from the Known & KFA 50th Anniversary

Krishnamurti Foundation of America

We are always functioning in the field of the known. The known is the memory, the experience, the knowledge which has shaped the mind, the brain; all our activity is within the field of the known. The known is the past and in that there is no possibility of creativity. So thought cannot possibly bring about this release of creative energy. The release of creative energy comes into being only when thought remains in the field of the known, and never moves over. So the known as the yesterday, the unknown as the tomorrow, must move together harmoniously all the time, then creativity takes place...

Whereas we are saying, thought has a legitimate place and it can only function in the field of the known, therefore thought can never bring about freedom, thought is never new. And when one realises, not verbally, not sentimentally, not ideologically but actually, as the fact, then the mind is free from the known and therefore is free absolutely from fear.

â J. Krishnamurti

Join us

This yearâs Explorations Conference will be held from Friday, April 26, through Sunday, April 28, 2019, at the Krishnamurti Educational Center in Ojai, California.

The topic of this yearâs conference is Freedom From the Known. The conference will open with a presentation on the what, why and how of 'freedom from the known' from Kâs perspective (or, more precisely, our best understanding of Kâs perspective). What did K mean by the terms known and freedom; why did K emphasize the importance of being free from the known; and how did K suggest such freedom might come about?

This opening presentation will be followed by talks that feature a diverse range of questions and contemporary perspectives on this theme from the discipline of evolutionary and developmental biology, neuroscience, psychology, sociology, and philosophy.

The program will feature formal presentations by four or five speakers from different disciplines, question and answer sessions, and panel discussions. There also will be opportunities for informal conversations and dialogues.

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Sign Up before April 1st for the Early Bird discounted rate

Keynote Speaker

Donald Hoffman, is an American cognitive psychologist and popular science author. He is a Professor in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of California, Irvine, with joint appointments in the Department of Philosophy, the Department of Logic and Philosophy of Science, and the School of Computer Science. Hoffman studies consciousness, visual perception and evolutionary psychology using mathematical models and psychophysical experiments. His research subjects include facial attractiveness, the recognition of shape, the perception of motion and color, the evolution of perception, and the mind-body problem.

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When
From Friday, April 26
to Sunday, April 28

Where
Krishnamurti Center
1070 McAndrew Rd
Ojai, California (View Map)

Ticket (incl. Lunch)
3 days: $180 â Early Bird Price
1 day: $85
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Where to Stay
Accommodation in Ojai is limited. Please reserve soon.
View a list of places to stay

We invite you to our Annual May Gathering, May 4th and 5th, 2019, taking place at Oak Grove School (OGS) in Ojai. This year weâll celebrate the KFAâs 50th Anniversary. Friends both local and from around the world come to listen to speakers, participate in discussions and dialogues, attend workshops, or simply enjoy the beauty of the Oak Grove School campus while hanging out with friends old and new. Choose from different programs on topics such as Consciousness and Education, or engage with teachers from our schools and scholars of Krishnamurtiâs teachings who share their understanding.

For this year we have chosen the theme, Unconditionally Free.

âAs I said before, my purpose is to make men unconditionally free, for I maintain that the only spirituality is the incorruptibility of the self which is eternal, is the harmony between reason and love. This is the absolute, unconditioned Truth which is Life itself. I want therefore to set man free, rejoicing as the bird in the clear sky, unburdened, independent, ecstatic in that freedom. And I, for whom you have been preparing for eighteen years, now say that you must be free of all these things, free from your complications, your entanglements.â

â J. Krishnamurti, 1929

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Information
View the list of speakers and bios here

When
From Saturday, May 4
to Sunday, May 5

Where
Oak Grove School
220 W Lomita Ave,
Ojai, California (View Map)