Yes the mind/brain of Man that has gotten itself stuck in the ‘dark’.
Choice implies a chooser, a person who chooses or selects out the field of awareness, the target of attention. “Choiceless awareness” could be a state of awareness that comes into being when the chooser is forgotten. It happens when you space out in a daydream. When that happened to Krishnamurti (and apparently, it happened easily with him) at school as a child, his teacher would slap his jaw shut.
Choiceless awareness does not mean necessarily that no thought arises - it may happen for a while - but only that we observe passively, without rejecting or approving anything that arises. We end up in conflict when we want to achieve a result like having no thoughts. In buddhism they have an expression (not sure about English translation): one should accomodate, welcome or embrace everything passing in our mind. That means no will to do anything, not even to observe. We maybe infact be distracted for a while, that is natural. If we are aware of the distraction the passive awareness is restored.
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Yes, it’s not the way we’ve always been functioning, and that of course creates some difficulties.
I think we should have a simple approach to this matter, otherwise we will be going in circles, entangled in a multitude of suppositions which do not lead us to clarity.
K. talked quite often of this simple approach which he called “the art of observation” or the “art of listening”. When we are observing with interest, with care something or someone, we are not there. The bundle of memories which constitutes the ego with its reactions, emotions, etc. is temporarily deactivated and there is choiceless awareness. It’s very simple but we prefer to make it complicate!
Of course, that does not last very long, why should it? Thought comes in again, it’s his “duty”, as we are used to give importance to thought and feel the necessity of it. Therefore, as K. said, there must be a revolution of values, we must learn not to give value to thought, non to give it importance except for practical chores. The more we devalue thought, the less it will interfere with our observation. For all our lives we were accustomed to feed thought, to give it energy, we must learn how to feed our perceptions instead.
Says thought 
It’s not a matter of devaluing thought but of realizing it’s limitations. Thought is essential - it can’t be devalued. It can only be utilized ignorantly and improperly.
Yes, but that’s just another way to say the same thing. You cannot extrapolate one single sentence without taking in consideration the whole speech. I was referring to K.'s statement (you can find it in the first pages of “The first and last freedom”) that there must be a revolution of values. Value means giving importance to something, and actually we give too much importance to thought in fields where it is useless. So seeing this limitiation of thought we stop giving to it all the importance we are used to and that means to devalue it.
Give an example of a field in which thought is useless.
Thought is only a problem when it is inaccurate or inappropriate, so it doesn’t need to be devalued - it needs to utilized intelligently.
To end violence in the world…in us.
“Violence in the world” is an idea. It’s not real. “Violence in us” is also an idea. “Violence”, in itself, is also an idea. An actual violent act, such as hitting someone, can be stopped by thought (driven action i.e. martial art). In this case, thought is useful.
What do you say?
Nothing. You know the answer already…or think you do…and are satisfied with that. No response necessary in that case.
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I wish you would speak up if you know that I don’t know and need to know.
Do you know the topic of this discussion? Choiceless awareness. This is a good example. Then there are many others: thought is useless to stop fear, to stop violence, wars, to create a good society, not to be hurt, not to be jelous, not to be envious of others, not to torture yourself in achieving something you think is important., etc…
What is choiceless awareness for you? Just a topic of conversation, or something you want to arrive at? You must answer (not to me) to this question otherwise what I will say will have no meanaing to you.
Suppose you want to live in solitude (for whatever reason) but at the same time people are important for you, so you go every day to the pub, to meet friends, to parties, etc. it’s obvious that you’ll never be in solitude as long as you are giving importance to the company of people. Similarly if you want that choiceless awareness will take place you cannot continue giving to thought the same importance you gave it all your life. There must be a radical change. Thought interferes with observation, and still you value it. That meens you are feeding thought. So with one hand you want to keep thought silent while with the other you are giving it energy. In these conditions choiceless awareness will never take place.
Do it and you will see.
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If you think humanity is on the right path and has been doing just fine for the past 10000 years, then no response is necessary. If you believe there was K’s ‘wrong turn’ then perhaps you will investigate the ‘teaching’.
I know humanity is on the wrong path. I am not so sure what Krishnamurti meant by “wrong turn”. If there was a “wrong turn”, what caused it?
The ‘wrong turn’ was the direction that led to the mental duality of an ‘observer’ feeling him/herself to be separate from what is being ‘observed’. Or the illusion of a ‘thinker’ who exists apart from the thought process itself.
As to ‘why’ the wrong turn was taken, David Bohm said: “Because we could”.
That would be the “field” of desire, aspiration, in which thought is paramount, Unless one has ended violence in oneself, one can’t know if it’s possible.
Being with what-is with complete attention. This doesn’t mean thoughts and feelings won’t arise. All it means is that there is no attempt to do anything about what one is aware of, despite how conditionally one responds.
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How long have you been investigating? How far have you gotten in your investigation? Do you think you can crack this case?
You ask strange questions: How long for you? How far for you? Have you “cracked it”? Do you have any understanding of what is going on here? Why are you using this avatar ‘Inquiry’? Are you a person? A robot? Very strange all this.
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