Jiddu Krishnamurti - a beautiful mind
that revealed the amazing multitude of facets of the human mind thru kindness, wisdom, and simplicity
Jiddu Krishnamurti was a public speaker, thinker, philosopher, author, a very wise person with a beautiful mind that brought a significant influence on our perception, way of thinking, and actions.
He was born on 11 May 1895, at Madanapalle - a small village in south India, and brought to England by Annie Besant (President of the Theosophist Society) and educated by her. She proclaimed him the Messiah and set up an organization (The Order of the Star in the East) to promote his teaching.
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| Jiddu Krishnamurti beautiful mind - Flickr Guzman Giovannone |
In 1929, after experiencing considerable doubts about the role allotted to him, Jiddu Krishnamurti disbanded the organization saying:
"Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. Truth, being limitless, unconditioned, unapproachable by any path whatsoever, cannot be organized; nor should any organization be formed to lead or to coerce people along any particular path (from The Krishnamurti Foundation Trust)."
From then until his death, in February 1986 - for nearly sixty years - Jiddu Krishnamurti traveled around the world speaking as a private person, teaching and talking to large audiences and to individuals about the need for a radical change in mankind.
Among his admirers were: Aldous Huxley, David Hockney, Jonas Salk, Van Morrison, along with many other philosophers, artists, writers, students of the spiritual path, and not only.
Jiddu Krishnamurti - The thinker - regarded globally as one of the greatest thinkers and religious teachers of all time.
He did not expound any philosophy or religion but rather talked of the things that concern all of us in our everyday lives, of the problems of living in modern society with its violence and corruption, of the individual’s search for security and happiness, and the need for mankind to free itself from inner burdens of fear, anger, hurt, and sorrow.
He explained with great precision the subtle workings of the human mind and pointed to the need for bringing to our daily life a deeply meditative and spiritual quality.
"If we can really understand the problem, the answer will come out of it, because the answer is not separate from the problem." - Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti - The author
Krishnamurti’s work, his very best and most illuminating writings and talks to present were about the truly essential ideas of this great spiritual thinker – discourses on life, the self, meditation, sex, and love.
His writings reveal core teachings in their full eloquence and power: the nature of personal freedom; the mysteries of life and death; and the ‘pathless land’, the personal search for truth and peace.
Making readers aware of blind obedience to creeds or teachers – including himself – J. Krishnamurti celebrated the individual quest for truth, and thus became one of the most influential guides for independent-minded seekers and beyond.
Jiddu Krishnamurti's must-read books:
1. Freedom from Known – A good “first book” to gain an understanding of Jiddu Krishnamurti’s teachings
2. The Awakening of Intelligence
3. Krishnamurti – Bohm
- The Ending of Time – Conversation with Prof. David Bohm
- The Future of Humanity – Discussions between Krishnamurti and Bohm
- Truth and Actuality – Conversation between J. Krishnamurti and Prof. David Bohm
- Wholeness of Life – Krishnamurti, David Shainberg and David Bohm, Brockwood Park
4. The First and Last Freedom – with a foreword by Aldous Huxley
5. Think on These Things – This Matter of Culture
6. Meditation Books – Meditations by Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti - The public speaker
Jiddu Krishnamurti belonged to no religious organization, sect, or country, nor did he subscribe to any school of political or ideological thought.
On the contrary, he maintained that these are the very factors that divide human beings and bring about conflict and war.
He reminded his listeners again and again that we are all human beings first and not Hindus, Muslims, or Christians, that we are like the rest of humanity and are not different from one another.
He asked that we tread lightly on this earth without destroying ourselves or the environment. Jiddu communicated to his listeners a deep sense of respect for nature.
His teachings transcend man-made belief systems, nationalistic sentiment, and sectarianism.
At the same time, they give new meaning and direction to mankind’s search for truth. His teaching, besides being relevant to the modern age, is timeless and universal.
Krishnamurti spoke not as a guru but as a friend, and his talks and discussions are based not on tradition-based knowledge but on his own insights into the human mind and his vision of the sacred, so he always communicates a sense of freshness and directness although the essence of his message remained unchanged over the years.
When he addressed large audiences, people felt that Krishnamurti was talking to each of them personally, addressing his or her particular problem.
In his private interviews, he was a compassionate teacher, listening attentively to the man or woman who came to him in sorrow and encouraging them to heal themselves through their own understanding.
Religious scholars found that his words threw new light on traditional concepts.
Krishnamurti took on the challenge of modern scientists and psychologists and went with them step by step, discussed their theories, and sometimes enabled them to discern the limitations of those theories.
Krishnamurti left a large body of literature in the form of public talks, writings, discussions with teachers and students, with scientists and religious figures, conversations with individuals, television and radio interviews, and letters. Many of these have been published as books, and audio and video recordings.
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| Jiddu Krishnamurti talk - Flickr Guzman Giovannone |
Jiddu Krishnamurti quotes:
- Freedom - "Freedom is not a reaction; freedom is no choice. It is man's pretense that because he has a choice he is free. Freedom is pure observation without direction, without fear of punishment and reward. Freedom is without motive; freedom is not at the end of the evolution of man but lies in the first step of his existence. In observation, one begins to discover the lack of freedom. Freedom is found in the choiceless awareness of our daily existence and activity."
- “All ideologies are idiotic, whether religious or political, for it is conceptual thinking, the conceptual word, which has so unfortunately divided man.”
- “A consistent thinker is a thoughtless person because he conforms to a pattern; he repeats phrases and thinks in a groove.”
- “Religion is the frozen thought of man out of which they build temples.”
- “So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words but also to the feeling of what is being conveyed, to the whole of it, not part of it.”
- “The moment you have in your heart this extraordinary thing called love and feel the depth, the delight, the ecstasy of it, you will discover that for you the world is transformed.”
- “There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.”
- “When we talk about understanding, surely it takes place only when the mind listens completely – the mind being your heart, your nerves, your ears- when you give your whole attention to it.”
- Understanding life - "You must understand the whole of life, not just one little part of it. That is why you must read, that is why you must look at the skies, that is why you must sing and dance, and write poems and suffer and understand, for all that is life."
Sources: bits from his books
Jiddu Krishnamurti - The philosopher
Jiddu Krishnamurti had a beautiful mind, free from various systems influences of the different currents and philosophies, religious limitations, political ideologies and constraints, cultural bias, intellectual speculations, and manipulations.
Jiddu Krishnamurti was an extraordinary person that really loved people without putting labels and categories, treating them all with care, love, compassion, and was always willing to broaden their knowledge from within, in very simple ways.
Jiddu Krishnamurti and Dale Carnegie
Both of them public persons living in the 20th century, authors, writers, philosophers, wise individuals with a very beautiful mind that brought a significant influence on our perception, way of thinking, and actions.
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