Jiddu Krishnamurti
Jiddu Krishnamurti was born in 1895, and died 1986. His is considered a great teacher in both the East and West. His teachings have changed the lives of many individuals who have both met him in person or simply read his books. He called himself a world teacher, stating that his only purpose was to set man free.
He was raised by the Theosophical Society, a religious order who believed that he would become the next "World Teacher". However, not long after he assumed the leader position of his order, the "Order of the Star", he dissolved it, stating that Truth was a pathless land. The rest of his life was dedicated to traveling through the world, giving talks and writing books in an attempt to educate and intrigue.
While his personal life is somewhat of a mystery, his public teachings are often told as giving insightful, even life-altering depth into our psyche and spirit. His philosophy cannot be categorized into one particular field or another, and often enough challenged traditional dogma, calling it ritualized, stagnant, and dead. Krishnamurti emphasized spirit and truth to be a living, dynamic force, unable to be captivated by the world of thought and its fragmentation of ‘what is’.
He founded schools in Europe, The United States and India, spending much of his later years attempting to educate and not simply indoctrinate the youth. He never failed to give seminars, which he called "Talks" and (considered more interactive than dictative), and continued to hold them into his 90’s until briefly before his death. Krishnamurti has a vast library of books dedicated to his mission. Though some are no longer in print, many are still available and widely appreciated.
Quotations:
"If, living in the world, you refuse to be a part of it, you will help others out of this chaos–not in the future, not tomorrow, but now."
"Creation is something that is most holy, that’s the most sacred thing in life, and if you have made a mess of your life, change it. Change it today, not tomorrow. If you are uncertain, find out why and be certain. If your thinking is not straight, think straight, logically. Unless all that is prepared, all that is settled, you can’t enter into this world, into the world of creation."
"So, to meditate is to purge the mind of its self-centered activity. And if you have come this far in meditation, you will find there is silence, a total emptiness. The mind is uncontaminated by society; it is no longer subject to any influence, to the pressure of any desire. It is completely alone, and being alone, untouched it is innocent. Therefore there is a possibility for that which is timeless, eternal, to come into being. This whole process is meditation."
"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."
"The mind can pursue sensations, desires, but it cannot pursue love. Love must come to the mind. And, when once love is there, it has no division as sensuous and divine: it is love. That is the extraordinary thing about love: it is the only quality that brings a total comprehension of the whole of existence. "
"Love is not different from truth. Love is that state in which the thought process, as time, has completely ceased. Where love is, there is transformation. Without love, revolution has no meaning, for the revolution is merely destruction, decay, a greater and greater ever-mounting mystery. Where there is love, there is revolution, because love is transformation from moment to moment."
Posted by: shamansun
Notes: https://www.jkrishnamurti.org/