J. Krishnamurti

Biography

(1895 -1986) For more than sixty years J. Krishnamurti traveled the world giving public talks and private interviews to millions of people of all ages and backgrounds, saying that only through a complete change in the hearts and minds of individuals can there come about a change in society and peace in the world. He died at the age of ninety and his talks, dialogues, journals and letters have been preserved in seventy books and in hundreds of audio and video recordings.

    Because of the very serious nature of the issues Krishnamurti raised, he felt it was of primary importance that those interested in inquiring with him begin their investigation in the right spirit. He reminded his audience that he was not trying to convince them of anything, nor was he an instructor. He said, "This is a conversation between two friends, two friends who have an affection for each other, a certain care for each other, who will not betray each other and who have certain deep common interests. So they are conversing amicably, with a sense of deep communication with each other, sitting under a tree on a lovely cool morning with dew on the grass, talking over together the complexities of life."

  After reading this article, you may also wish to listen to the J. Krishnamurti Dissolves the Order of the Star. It is a free Time Out for Truth Podcast.

   As with all the authors in this section of the website, this is an imaginary interview.

Q: I am confused about what path to follow. There are so many gurus and self-appointed teachers. Some of them have amazing and attractive personalities. They seem to speak with authority. They walk and talk with such confidence.

Krishnamurti's Answer: There are so many gurus in the world, the hidden ones and the open ones. Each of them promises that, through conformity to a certain system or method, the mind will arrive at that realization of what truth is; but no system or method -- which implies imitation, conformity, following, and thereby fear -- has any significance whatever for a mind that is enquiring into this whole question of life, a question which needs such a delicate, highly sensitive intelligent mind.

    The guru is supposed to know and you not to know. He is supposed to be far advanced in evolution and has therefore immense knowledge. And you, who are down below, are gradually going to come to that highest form of knowledge. This whole hierarchical system - which exists not only outwardly in society but also inwardly and among the so-called gurus - is obviously, when one is enquiring into what is truth, an illusion.

    There is no path to truth. There is not your path or my path. There is no Christian way to it, or Hindu way to it. A 'way' implies a static process to something which is also static. There is a way from here to that next village, the village is firmly there, rooted in the buildings, and there is a road to it. But truth is not like that, it is a living thing, a moving thing and therefore there can be no path to it, neither yours nor mine nor theirs.

    To proceed with this problem, to learn, to see, there must be the quietness of a mind that is not broken up, that is not torn apart, that is not tortured. If I want to see something very clearly, the tree, or the cloud, or the face of a person next to me, to see clearly without any distortion, the mind must not be chattering, obviously. The mind must be very quiet to observe, to see. And the very seeing is the doing and the learning. (J. Krishnamurti)

Q: Where does this direct perception lead?

A: Understanding is not a gradual process to be gathered little by little, with care and patience. Understanding is now or never; it is a destructive flash, not a tame affair; it is this shattering that one is afraid of and so one avoids it, knowingly or unknowingly. (J. Krishnamurti)

Q: I'm still not sure how to bring this about?

A: One has to be alone and quiet, then it is there . . . the brain must be utterly still, sensitive, to watch, to see . . . As a stream of water gushes out from the side of a mountain, naturally and under pressure, this cheer (pours) out in great abundance, coming from nowhere and going nowhere, but the heart and mind (is) never the same again. (J. Krishnamurti)

Q: I have touched something new before. I have felt it. How can I bring the experience back?

A: One can never get used to any of these things for it is not a thing of habit and desire. It is always surprising, after it is over. (J. Krishnamurti)

Q: But surely there's a path I can walk that will help facilitate this new experience?

Krishnamurti's Answer: I maintain that 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. You must climb towards the Truth. It cannot be 'stepped down' or organized for you.

    You cannot discover the path, because there is no path, Truth is a thing that is living, and to a living thing there is no path - it is only to dead things that there can be a path. Truth being pathless, to discover it you must be adventurous, ready for danger; and do you think a guru will help you to be adventurous, to live in danger? To seek a guru obviously indicates that you are not adventurous, that you are merely seeking a path to reality as a means of security.

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