Dear Parents,

Welcome to the study centre meeting of November on Wednesday the 12th November 2003. The theme of the discussion is 'Attention'. Our discussion will be based on the following passages by Krishnamurti from 'The Book of Life'.

TIME : 08.30AM - 09.30AM

VENUE :The room above the library.

COMPLETE ATTENTION

What do we mean by attention? Is there attention when I am forcing my mind to attend? When I say to myself, "I must pay attention, I must control my mind and push aside all other thoughts," would you call that attention? Surely that is not attention. What happens when the mind forces itself to pay attention? It creates a resistance to prevent other thoughts from seeping in; it is concerned with resistance, with pushing away; therefore it is incapable of attention. That is true, is it not?

To understand something totally you must give your complete attention to it. But you will soon find out how extraordinarily difficult that is, because your mind is used to being distracted, so you say, "By Jove, it is good to pay attention, but how am I to do it?" That is, you are back again with the desire to get something, so you will never pay complete attention… When you see a tree or bird, for example, to pay complete attention is not to say, "That is an oak,"or, "That is a parrot," and walk by. In giving it a name you have already ceased to pay attention…..Whereas, if you are wholly aware, totally attentive when you look at something, then you will find that a complete transformation takes place, and that total attention is the good. There is no other, and you cannot get total attention by practice. With practice you get concentration, that is, you build up walls of resistance, and within those walls of resistance is the concentrator, but that is not attention, it is exclusion.

ELIMINATION OF FEAR IS THE BEGINNING OF ATTENTION

How is the state of attention to be brought about? It cannot be cultivated through persuasion, comparison, reward, or punishment, all of which are forms of coercion. The elimination of fear is the beginning of attention. Fear must exist as long as there is an urge to be or to become, which is the pursuit of success, with all its frustrations and tortuous contradictions. You can teach concentration, but attention cannot be taught, just as you cannot possibly teach freedom from fear, and in understanding these causes there is the elimination of fear. So attention arises spontaneously when around the student there is an atmosphere of well-being, when he has the feeling of being secure, of being at ease, and is aware of the disinterested action that comes with love. Love does not compare, and so the envy and torture of "becoming" cease.

We look forward to your participation.

Thanking you,

Sincerely,

for THE SCHOOL - KFI

K. Ramesh

November 7, 2003