"When you listen attentively, in that attention there is no 'you' attending. You are listening. Not that you are listening, there is only the act of listening. So where there is attention there is no centre which is the self, the 'me', the psyche. That is meditation, to attend so completely and diligently there is nothing of negligence, then there is the beginning, the real depth of meditation. For in that there is no measure, no time, no thought. And out of that, or in that, there is deep abiding silence. That means the brain is utterly quiet, not chattering. The brain has its own rhythm, let it act out of itself, but not the self-imposing, thought imposing something on the brain. The whole structure, the organism, and the mind are utterly quiet. I don't know if it has ever happened to you. It may happen occasionally when you are walking in a beautiful lane, in a wood of trees and birds and flowers, and the beauty of a sunset, or a morning dawn, then for a second or two you are quiet, breathless, watching the beauty of the world. But that is external. But when the brain is quiet, though it has its own activity, quiet in the sense thought is not functioning, so time and thought come to an end where there is deep attention. And then in that silence, which is not the man-made silence, silence has no cause, then in that silence, there is that which is nameless, which is beyond all time. Such a mind is a religious mind. And it is only such minds that can bring about a new culture, a new society. And because that is eternal it has immense significance in life." J. Krishnamurti Talk 2, New York, 1983
Much of our lives are lived by deciding to do certain things to improve ourselves; we may set out to eat healthier, exercise more, or try and become a nicer person. Is meditation something one sets out to do? If it is so, would that mean there is a "me" who is doing it? Krishnamurti suggests that with attentive listening, time and thought end and the self ceases to exist. He also says that listening is not something that one does. Rather, listening is something that occurs. When the center/ the self/ the psyche is quiet, there is no measure, time, or thought. There is no "you" attending or listening; there is only attention. The mind stops chattering and there is a natural silence. Krishnamurti says this is the beginning of meditation. What do you think? Share your thoughts and comments.
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