April 2009

> Calendar of Events

Important Links

Oak Grove Retreat
Krishnamurti Education Center Programs
Oak Grove School
Krishnamurti Publications Online Bookstore

International Teachings Website

FROM THE ARCHIVES

To understand one habit is to open the door to understanding the whole machinery of habit.

So, I must first understand the futility of resistance or effort in breaking a habit. If that is clear, what happens? I become aware of the habit - fully aware of it. If I smoke, I observe myself doing it. I am aware of putting my hand in my pocket, bringing out the cigarettes, drawing one from the package, tapping it on my thumbnail or other hard surface, putting it in my mouth, lighting it, extinguishing the match, and puffing. I am aware of every movement, of every gesture, without condemning or justifying the habit, without saying it is right or wrong, without thinking, 'How dreadful, I must be free of it,' and so on. I am aware without choice, step by step, as I smoke.

You try it next time, that is, if you want to break the habit. And in understanding and breaking one habit, however superficial, you can go into the whole enormous problem of habit: habit of thought, habit of feeling, the habit of imitation - and the habit of hungering to be something, for this too is a habit.

When you fight a habit, you give life to that habit, and then the fighting becomes another habit, in which most of us are caught. We only know resistance, which has become a habit. All our thinking is habitual, but to understand one habit is to open the door to understanding the whole machinery of habit. You find out where habit is necessary, as in speech, and where habit is completely corruptive.

J. Krishnamurti

Collected Works, Vol. XIII - 204

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OAK GROVE SCHOOL

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"Oak Grove encourages me to ask the deepest questions humanity can ask and through this inquiry I am discovering and learning about myself and the world." Gigie Hall '09

Krishnamurti Foundation of America

P.O. Box 1560

Ojai, CA 93024, USA

(805) 646-2726

kfa@kfa.org
www.kfa.org and www.oakgroveschool.com

IN THIS ISSUE

YOU'RE INVITED TO THE ANNUAL GATHERING,
A TWO-DAY FREE EVENT ON APRIL 25 & 26

Join us for this free weekend program, celebrating:

• Earth Day 2009
• The 40th anniversary of the KFA
• The launch of the new Krishnamurti Online website, www.jkrishnamurti.com
• The opening of the new Krishnamurti Education Center and the renovated Oak Grove Retreat

Weekend Theme: KRISHNAMURTI - CRISIS AND TRANSFORMATION

Saturday, April 25th: EARTH DAY
PLEASE NOTE THE NEW LOCATION FOR THE ANNUAL GATHERING:

Krishnamurti Education Center, 1098 McAndrew Road in Ojai
8:30: Registration & Welcome: Tea & Muffins, at Pine Cottage
10:00 am: ALL THE MARVELOUS EARTH SLIDE SHOW
with narration by Oak Grove School Students, Faculty & Friends
11:00 am: Panel Discussion: Establishing a Relationship with Nature
11:30 pm: Box lunches on the patio and grounds.

NOTE:  THE WEEKEND EVENT IS FREE. OPTIONAL BOX LUNCHES CAN BE ORDERED FOR $12.50 THROUGH OUR WEBSITE, CLICK HERE. 

1:00-2:00 pm: Earth Walk on Krishnamurti’s Land
Please arrive at the entrance to the Oak Grove on Besant Road by 12:45.  Guided walks and a presentation entitled “This Land Is Your Land, This Land Is My Land,”  by Foundation Executive Director Mark Lee.
Alternative:  “The Life and Work of J. Krishnamurti,” personal reminiscences by Michael Krohnen, at the Krishnamurti Library, Pine Cottage.  Starts at 1:00 pm.
2:00 pm: Upon returning to the Oak Grove, participants are invited to attend the free Earth Day Concert & Celebration at Oak Grove School. 

Sunday, April 26th:  TRANSFORMATION
Krishnamurti Education Center, 1098 McAndrew Road in Ojai
8:30: Registration; Tea & Muffins, at Pine Cottage.
9:30 am to 12:15 pm:   a Krishnamurti DVD, with discussion, rare films from the KFA Archives; news about new KFA Initiatives.
12:15 pm: Lunch; tours of the facility; informal dialogues.
2 pm: “Understanding Technology: Krishnamurti and the Cognitive Science of Virtual Reality.”
Explore Krishnamurti’s teachings in the context of media technologies and virtual worlds.   A presentation and panel discussion with Frode Steen, Associate Professor of Communication Studies, UCLA.

COST: The weekend is free, but space is limited.  Please register your attendance by clicking here.

Optional box lunches are $12.50 each day and must be reserved in advance when you register.

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SUMMER PROGRAMS AT THE NEW KRISHNAMURTI EDUCATION CENTER

The summer is a chance for many of us to take a program or attend an event that can't fit in to any other time of year.  The new Krishnamurti Education Center in Ojai provides an excellent blend of a wonderful location for group meetings and dialogues, access to the Krishnamurti archives, and comfortable accommodation.

Krishnamurti felt strongly that what is needed in the world with its endless disorders, conflicts and confusions, is a community of spiritual inquirers, an environment of exploration in which there is the possibility for an entirely different dimension of human relationship that can help to bring about a new approach to solving the fundamental problems of life.
With the new Retreat and Education Center, the need for a community of inquiry and exploration can finally be realized in this beautiful setting. Our programs are based on the shared inter-active inquiry of the dialogue process which Krishnamurti himself used to inquire into the fundamental questions of life. The Retreat and Education Center are dedicated to the realization that life is a movement of learning and understanding.

Weekend Study-Intensive Workshops
These programs are designed as fully-immersive explorations using the interactive, shared process of dialoguing together to inquire into the source of fundamental human problems that affect our daily lives.

May 15 - 17, 2009: The Ending of Conflict and the Illusion of Separation
To sustain the integrity of our inquiry together, this program is limited to 16 participants. The fee of $190 includes Friday night dinner, Saturday lunch and dinner, and Sunday lunch. Tuition less a $50 cancellation fee is refundable 72 hours prior to the event. Accommodations must be booked separately, online at the Oak Grove Retreat at oakgroveretreat.com, or elsewhere in the Ojai Valley. Rooms include breakfast.
For more information, call the Krishnamurti Education Center at 805-646-2390, or contact Richard Waxberg at 805-640-0532.

Summer Study Programs for College Students & Adults
This summer, 2009, college students and adults are invited to join together for our two in-depth, fully-immersive Study Programs. Both programs are designed to create a vibrant and explorative atmosphere in which the essential teachings of Krishnamurti can be studied using the interactive-shared dialogue process.

Program One - July 8 to 16, 2009
The Awakening of Intelligence, and the Birth of Insight: An Immersion into the Essential Core Teachings of J. Krishnamurti
This full-immersive Study Program is designed for anyone interested in an in-depth penetrating inquiry into the core essentials of Krishnamurti’s teachings.

Program Two - July 18 to 26, 2009
The Ending of Time: An Immersion into Human Consciousness and What it Means to Bring About an End to Psychological Time, based on the Book The Ending of Time: Dialogues with J. Krishnamurti and Physicist David Bohm
This program is designed for anyone interested in exploring the essential teachings of Krishnamurti, with an emphasis on what it means to cleanse the mind of all psychological content in consciousness in order to bring about a new clarity.
Tuition Fees: $1490 per program. Ten college student scholarships available: $990 on a first-come basis.

For more information visit www.kfa.org and click on Calendar, or contact program coordinator Richard Waxberg at 805-640-0532 or by email at richardwaxberg@kfa.org

THE OAK GROVE TEACHING ACADEMY   
Co-sponsored by Oak Grove School and
UCSB’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education
The program consists of two distinct yet complementary week-long sessions and participants may choose to join one or both sessions. The program will provide grounding for both new educators and renewal for veterans in the educational field. Qualification for Continuing Education Credit through the UC system is pending (extra fees are required).

Session 1: July 26 - Saturday August 1, 2009
Theme: Re-envisioning education
This session will explore and grapple with the following questions: What are the aims of education and schooling? What does it mean to be well-educated? What is the nature of attention, learning, goodness and intelligence? What does it mean to work together as teachers, students, parents and administrators? What is the culture of education? What are the implications of technology and economics on the direction and future of education? What are the challenges of living in the modern world and how can education prepare students to meet them? Participants’ questions and emergent questions will also be explored.

Session 2: August 2 - August 8, 2009
Theme: The art, science, and craft of teaching and learning
This session will explore and grapple with the following questions: What is teaching? What is learning? What is the relationship between the teacher, the student and the subject matter? What is the role of the teacher? What are the daily concerns of teachers and how can we address them? What is the culture of a classroom? What works and does not work for individual teachers in their everyday classroom practices and activities? What is intelligent and compassionate communication? Participants’ questions and emergent questions will also be explored.

We will primarily use J. Krishnamurti’s insights on education as the foundation for our considerations. Recreational activities including nature walks, folk dance, music, theater and film viewing will also be available.

Fees: All participants will be charged a non-refundable registration fee upon acceptance: $50 per student.
Residential course fee (including tuition, room & board): $900 per weekly session. Non-residential/commuter fee (includes tuition only): $500.

The deadline for submitting all completed applications is May 30th, 2009.

For more information, including an online application form, visit www.kfa.org and click on Calendar, or call program coordinator Gopal Krishnamurthy at 805-462-7360, or email him at gopal@kfa.org.

We want to hear from you about programs you might like to see at the Study Center. If you have suggestions for activities and programs, contact the Education Center director, Craig Walker, at 805-646-2390, or email him at craig@kfa.org

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OAK GROVE SCHOOL IS ACCEPTING ENROLLMENT FOR SCHOOL YEAR 2009-2010
The school was founded by Krishnamurti in 1975 and spans Pre-K through 12th grade

Secondary School Boarding Program & ESL

In addition to its Early Childhood Learning Program and Elementary School, Oak Grove School offers a challenging, integrated, and inquiry-based college preparatory experience for 7th through 12th grade.  The school is set in a 150-acre rural campus, nested in the coastal mountains of the Ojai Valley, just 90 miles north of Los Angeles, but a world away from the pressures and confusion of the big city. The school offers 5-day boarding to mature 7th and 8th grade students who reside in Los Angeles or Santa Barbara in addition to full boarding for domestic and international students in 9th through 12th grades.

Oak Grove offers a highly selective ESL program to International students with intermediate English proficiency. The program is based on the concept of immersion as the most effective means by which to acquire a second language. Students are mainstreamed into regular classes from the beginning and then given support classes both during the day and evening to ensure success. No more than two or three ESL students are admitted per grade level to ensure that students are given an opportunity to mix and make friends with English speaking students.

Educational Philosophy

The intent of the Oak Grove School is to provide a well-rounded and challenging college preparatory experience balanced with a rich extra-curricular program that includes fine, performing, and practical arts, outdoor education, and travel.  The school encourages the arts of inquiry, self-understanding, sensitivity to nature and the environment, and awareness of others all within the context of a non-competitive environment.   Consistent with the views of its founder, J. Krishnamurti, the school does not subscribe to any creed or ideology but assists students in the open-minded investigation of enduring human issues.
 
The program encourages teachers to emphasize depth over coverage and project-based learning opportunities in curriculum design, to embrace a model of student-as-worker and teacher-as-coach, to have unanxious high expectations for all students, and to augment testing with authentic assessment practices such as portfolios, demonstrations of learning, and exhibitions.  
 
The program encourages students to use their minds, bodies, and hearts well through the overarching themes expressed within The Arts of Learning and Living that are embedded in the school's culture, curriculum, classroom practice, and expectations of students throughout the six year program.

These include:

• The Art of Inquiry (observation, questioning, fact-finding, research, self-reflection)
• The Art of Communication (speaking, writing, listening)
• The Art of Academia (knowledge and application of academic standards, conventions, and disciplines in core subject areas)
• The Art of Engagement (self-direction, self-motivation, self-regulation, meta-cognition or learning how you learn, examining one's own thinking)
• The Art of Aesthetics (sensitivity and appreciation of beauty in all forms of the arts, finding the artist within, artistic expression)
• The Art of Caring in relationship to:

• Self (self-understanding & awareness, making healthy choices)
• Others (self-reflection and awareness in relationship, non-violent communication, service to the common good)
• Local & Global Communities (service and citizenship)
• The Environment (mindful stewardship)

To explore Oak Grove School, visit their website at www.oakgroveschool.com, or call Admissions Director Joy Maguire Parsons and request an admissions package. She can be reached at 805-646-8236, Ext. 109, or email enroll@oakgroveschool.com.  To read more about secondary school enrollment, click here.  

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KRISHNAMURTI'S WORK AVAILABLE FOR FREE AT WWW.JKRISHNAMURTI.COM

At the new website, important questions and themes can be explored, such as:

• Can there be absolute security in life?
• What are we to teach the young?
• What is real freedom?
• Why am I responsible for the world?
• Can the mind have no fear?
• What is our consciousness?
• Why do we make sex so important?

Philosophy
J.Krishnamurti Online is a unique initiative of the four Krishnamurti Foundations (KFT, KFA, KFI and FKL) to make the teachings of J. Krishnamurti available and freely downloadable and to guarantee authenticity.

Site Content
The site guarantees the authenticity of a large text collection of all of Krishnamurti’s published works from 1933 to 1986, the equivalent of 200 average-sized books, all site content being searchable and freely downloadable in text format.

After Krishnamurti left the Theosophical Society, he began to travel extensively giving public talks and holding discussions in several places, from important cities like London, Paris and New York to small rural towns in India. These were published every year as 'Verbatim Reports', starting from July 1933 and going on till 1967. Later, in 1992, the Krishnamurti Foundation of America put them all together in 17 volumes and republished them under the title The Collected Works of J. Krishnamurti. Those are also included in this site.

A selection of video and audio is also available in streaming format, and future plans include adding previously unpublished work to the online text collection, and expanding the video and audio capacity.

Site updates
This new website is offered to the public in Beta form as an ongoing project, since there is a vast amount of further work that can be done to expand its features and content. Almost 50% of Krishnamurti’s lifetime work remains unpublished, and will eventually be added to the site’s resources.

The site will be updated periodically, new content will be added every two weeks and users can subscribe to the newsletter to be kept informed of future developments and news.

Partners
A project of this scope requires considerable funds to reach its potential, especially if we consider that the foundation may lose income by providing all the multimedia for free. The future of this site will therefore depend on the generosity of the users. Your donations will help grow the content of the site and spread its use on the world wide web.

We invite you to explore the site by clicking here.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Unless otherwise indicated, all events are at the Krishnamurti Education Center, 1098 McAndrew Road, Ojai, CA.

For further information on any program, please call Craig Walker at (805) 646-2390 or email him at craig@kfa.org.

April 25th & 26th
Krishnamurti Foundation of America Annual Gathering 
Theme: Crisis and Transformation
A free weekend event celebrating Earth Day, the 40th Anniversary of the KFA, the launch of the new website providing free access to text, audio and video, and the opening of the Krishnamurti Education Center in Ojai. For details, visit www.kfa.org

April 25th
Earth Day: FREE CONCERT at Oak Grove School, 2:00 to 5:00 PM
Put Earth Day at Oak Grove School on your calendar, and come on down to find out who’s doing what to keep our community in the forefront of Ventura County’s ecological leadership. This year Earth Day will be an afternoon of community gathering, student exhibits, low-cost refreshments, drawings for those who can make a minimum contribution of $25 (or any multiples of $25), including a $5,000 vacation or cash first prize, and a free concert celebrating the significance of the Day. For more information visit the school’s home page at www.oakgroveschool.com.

May 10th
What is a Krishnamurti Education?
A workshop by Professor P. Krishna, Rector of the Rajghat Krishnamurti School in Varanasi, India. For educators, parents, and anyone interested in Krishnamurti’s revolutionary vision of education. Krishnamurti founded nine schools around the world. Dr. Krishna will capture the essence of a Krishnamurti education in this fascinating two-hour workshop.
Cost: $20 at the door.

May 15th - May 17th
The Ending of Conflict and the Illusion of Separation
To sustain the integrity of our inquiry together, this Program is limited to 16 participants. The fee of $190 includes Friday night dinner, Saturday lunch and dinner, and Sunday lunch. Tuition less  a $50 cancellation fee is refundable 72 hours prior to the event. Accommodations must be booked separately, online at the Oak Grove Retreat at oakgroveretreat.com, or elsewhere in the Ojai Valley. Rooms include breakfast. For more information, call the Krishnamurti Education Center at 805-646-2390, or contact Richard Waxberg at 805-640-0532.

July 8th - July 16th
The Awakening of Intelligence and the Birth of Insight 
A 9-day residential study-intensive and retreat program for college students and adults.  Facilitated by Richard Waxberg and Satish Telegar.  $990 for college students; $1,490 for adults. For further information contact: Richard Waxberg, Director of the Krishnamurti Summer Study Intensive & Retreat Programs: 805-640-0532 or richardwaxberg@kfa.org. For an online brochure, go to www.kfa.org

July 18th - July 26th
The Ending of Time: An Immersion into Human Consciousness and

What it Means to Bring About an End to Psychological Time
A 9-day residential study-intensive and retreat program based on Krishnamurti’s book, The Ending of Time, which features a series of dialogues between Krishnamurti and physicist David Bohm.  Facilitated by Richard Waxberg and Satish Telegar.  This is a fascinating journey into the meeting of two great minds of the 20th Century.  $990 for college students; $1,490 for adults. For further information contact: Richard Waxberg, Director of the Krishnamurti Summer Study Intensive & Retreat Programs: 805-640-0532 or richardwaxberg@kfa.org. For an online brochure, go to www.kfa.org

July 26th - August 1st; August 2nd – August 8th
The Oak Grove Teaching Academy
Co-sponsored by Oak Grove School and UCSB’s Gevirtz Graduate School of Education
The program consists of two distinct yet complementary week-long sessions and participants may choose to join one or both sessions. The program will provide grounding for both new educators and renewal for veterans in the educational field. Qualification for Continuing Education Credit through the UC system is pending (extra fees are required).

Session 1: July 26 - Saturday August 1, 2009
Theme: Re-envisioning education

Session 2: August 2 - August 8, 2009
Theme: The art, science and craft of teaching and learning

For more information, visit www.kfa.org and click on Calendar, call program coordinator Gopal Krishnamurthy at 805-462-7360, or email him at gopal@kfa.org.

SUNDAY MORNING DIALOGUES, & NEW HOURS FOR THE KRISHNAMURTI LIBRARY

For information about Sunday morning dialogues at the Krishnamurti Education Center, visit www.kfa.org.  The Krishnamurti Library has moved to Pine Cottage. Hours are Thursday through Sunday, 1:00 - 5:00 pm. 

For further information on any program, please call Krishnamurti Education Director Craig Walker at 805-646-2390 or email him at craig@kfa.org.

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CONTRIBUTING

What Can You Do to Help the KFA and Oak Grove School Navigate the Downturn??

• Monthly recurring gifts are the most helpful.  Then we can plan.
• A one-time annual gift is a great boon. We thank all our donors who contribute to the Annual Sustaining Fund with gifts large and small.
• A first-time gift, whether recurring or one-time, is a tremendous step in the right direction for the KFA and the School. If you've been thinking we might need the extra help right now, we welcome your participation as a new donor!

Our grateful thanks to everyone who has made donations to the Krishnamurti Foundation and/or Oak Grove School. There has not been a time in recent memory when it was so important, and has made such a difference. Going forward, help is still needed to support the three main activities of the Foundation – Krishnamurti Publications (responsible for all dissemination, digitization, and the new website for free access to the teachings); the new Krishnamurti Education Center (home for our retreat facilities, programs, and the Krishnamurti Archives); and Oak Grove School (founded by Krishnamurti, providing a caring community for pre-K through grade 12 students, fostering mindfulness, understanding, and awareness of self, others, and the world).

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