The Unique Self-realised Philosopher

K. S. RAMANUJAM

The passing away of Jiddu Krishnamurti, an illustrious and noble son of India, a great spiritual leader of our times, well-known throughout the world as one of the most profound thinkers of the twentieth century, creates a void which can never be filled. Now is the appropriate occasion then to consider the impact of his life and teachings on all those who were exposed to his talks, dialogues and conversations. Having myself listened to him intently for well over forty years, I venture to attempt this appraisal and appreciation of the phenomenal contribution made by this unique “self-realised” philosopher to unravel, for the benefit of mankind, the mysteries of the human mind.

“BE A LIGHT UNTO YOURSELF” was his clarion call to all ever since his own awakening several decades ago. Ceaselessly and tirelessly travelling to many parts of the world with the agility and alertness of a person one-third his age, he was earnestly crying out to all of us to see for ourselves the great truth underlying his all-sufficient message. Flowering of goodness in the human heart as an invaluable development for the well-being of human race is implied in this great message.

J. Krishnamurti’s profound teachings, born out of his deep contemplation, vast understanding, intense observation, great perception and genuine love and compassion, have made a deeply penetrating and lasting impact on a very large number of people throughout the world. His total commitment to bring home to his intent listeners experimental understanding of the value of self-knowledge had earned for him a permanent place in their hearts. They were all truly fascinated by his passionate conviction that he can help them to bring about a total transformation in their consciousness.

A close and dispassionate look at the teaching implied in his talks would clearly show how very simple, direct and easy it is and what we need to do to make it relevant and meaningful for ourselves in our daily life. And it is the utter simplicity and directness of what he says, on any issue, problem or situation that has won for Krishnamurti the universal attention, respect and acclaim. The number of his ardent admirers and keen listeners steadily increased over the year and it is no exaggeration to say that his discovery in the field of consciousness is easily comparable with the discoveries of modern atomic physics. No wonder Aldous Huxley said after listening to him: “...the most impressive thing I have listened to. It was like listening to a discourse of the Buddha – such power, such intrinsic authority.” George Bernard Shaw called Krishnamurti “a religious figure of great distinction” and added, “He is the most beautiful human being I have ever seen.” Kahlil Gibran wrote: “When he entered my room I said to myself, ‘Surely the Lord of Love has come’.”

It cannot be denied, however, that Krishnamurti was an enigmatic figure for many intellectuals ever since he came to be widely recognised for his “un-orthodox” teachings such as: “The whole world is arming, spending incredible amounts of money to destroy human beings, whether they live in America, Europe, or Russia, or here in India. It is taking a disastrous course which cannot possibly be solved by politicians. We cannot rely upon them; nor on the scientists – they are helping to build up the military technology, competing each against another. Nor can we rely on the so-called religions; they have become merely verbal, repetitive, absolutely without any meaning. They have become superstitious, following mere tradition, whether of five thousand years or two thousand years. So, we cannot rely on politicians who are throughout the world seeking to maintain their position, their power, their status; nor can we rely on scientists, who, each year, or perhaps each week, are inventing new forms of destruction. Nor can we look to any religion to solve this human chaos.” (From the talk in New Delhi, 31, October 1982) With their minds deeply rooted in their own religious faiths and beliefs as well as relevant ritualistic practices, and their conviction for the need to be committed to national or racial bindings, they have been unable to reconcile themselves to what Krishnamurti has said. His teachings were indeed wholly contrary to all mystical faiths, beliefs and traditions. No wonder, thus puzzled, they insistently ask the question: “What has Krishnamurti given to mankind which marks him out as someone totally new and different?” The answer has to be found by them, if they arc earnest, serious and open-minded, by a serious study of Krishnamurti’s own words set in the background of his life. Almost everyone of his talks, dialogues and conversations have been recorded verbatim and are made available, to those interested, in the form of books, cassette tapes and, to some extent, even video tapes. There are very many voluntary organisations which have sprung up in important cities and towns in many countries of the world where they are available. His books are to be found in every one of the major libraries throughout the globe and they are also sold by bookshops everywhere. Krishnamurti Foundation, Madras, India, has them.

Krishnamurti’s quest for truth was continuous and life-long His revolutionary zeal for bringing about an inward revolution in man – to a new awakening and understanding from what he was accustomed to since the dawn of civilisation – has won for him immense universal respect.

Born in Madanapalle, Andhra Pradesh, India, in a middle-class Brahmin family in 1895, as the eighth child of his parents. Krishnamurti was named after Sri Krishna (the incarnate Lord of the Hindu faith who had himself been an eighth child, come into the world to challenge, fight and destroy evil). His father, an ardent Theosophist, gave him and his younger brother, Nitya, to the President of the Theosophical movement, Dr. Annie Besant, when one of her close colleagues, Mr. C. W. Leadbeater, a clairvoyant, noticed that Krishnamurti was strikingly different from other boys of his age, at that time a mere thirteen. Mr. Leadbeater was struck by the luminous aura around the boy, whom he had found to be pure and free from all selfishness. The esoteric masters of the Theosophical Society had instructed their disciples to be on the watch since they had had a premonition that a great being was to manifest in the world. Mrs. Besant, as their guardian God-mother, along with her vast organisation, thereafter assiduously built the image of Krishnamurti as the “Liberator of Mankind” and even founded a separate worldwide organisation, the “Order of the Star.” This went on for almost 20 years. But Dr. Besant and her esoteric masters could not contain Krishnamurti from his own awakening. In 1928, at a camp held in the 5,000 acre estate that had been gifted to him in Holland, and which was the centre of the Order of the Star, Krishnamurti declared to the shock and bewilderment of all those who had gathered there: “Truth is a pathless land. No organisation, no belief can lead to truth.” At once dissolving the Order of the Star, he announced: “From now on, please note that I have no disciples, for Gurus step down the truth. TRUTH IS WITHIN YOURSELF.”

Thus, in one clean sweep, he had demolished the hierarchic, that normally sustain any religious order. He further asserted: “To find Truth, man must be free of all bondage.”

Ever since his own awakening, Krishnamurti had openly and firmly dissuaded his listeners from attempting to formulate any system or codify any rules of conduct or behaviour or discipline by picking up bits and particles from his utterances. On the other hand self-discipline of the highest order, watchfully monitored by total attention, deep contemplation and patient understanding can alone help any individual to discover himself and to become awakened to the true realities of what life is and how to be very responsible in one’s relationship to the outside world. He made us see all this clearly. The three valuable volumes “Commehtaries on Living” help us to get an insight into all this. These volumes are compilations of Krishnamurti’s own notes of recollected conversations relating them to the surroundings–and covering an immense universal respect, immensely vast ground. These show to each individual reader how the central human problems of love, relationship, fear, hated, jealousy, anger, pettiness, etc” can be solved only in one way – for and by the individual himself or herself.

As earlier mentioned, TRUTH and FREEDOM at the individual level, form the hard core of Krishnamurti’s teaching. These, he pointed out, have to be discovered through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of one’s own consciousness in the mind, through observation and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection: Freedom, according to Krishnamurti, is not a reaction or choice but capacity for pure observation without fear of punishment or reward at the psychological, roots. Freedom, he further explains, is CHOICELESS AWARENESS from moment to moment in our daily existence and activity. And, he emphatically states that the path to total transformation should be constantly and continuously lighted by the FLAME OF ATTENTION, which wipes out the wounds of heart and hate.

Thus, Krishnamurti showed how, without radically transforming oneself, no individual can hope to bring about a transformation of the society around him; how no mere system can transform man; how it has to come only through self-knowledge and not through any beliefs, dogmas or repetitive rituals.

No comparison of Krishnamurti with the great seers, sages and saints who have influenced the human race, or the gods of the Hindu scriptures and holy books or the founders of the world’s great religions like Christ, Mohammed or the Buddha will be or any aid to an understanding of him or his seminal teaching offering an insight into meaning of human existence. Krishnamurti himself points out to us that “INWARD FLOWERING”, which is an important and timeless experience, will help us to end all conflicts. It would open the door for harmonious living without constant preoccupation with personal attachments or material security anxieties.

Krishnamurti suggested that infinite patience and everlasting forgiveness, intelligently present all the time, is a pre-requisite to harmony in all relationships. In such a situation where love and compassion dominate, all comparisons, rivalries, guilt and hurt feelings cease.

For a meaningful existence, Krishnamurti wanted us to lead a truly religious life, born of genuine compassion and love, eschewing selfishness, hatred, jealousy, prejudice, and anger by weans of intelligent observation and perceptive watchfulness of all our activities. No less important are absolute honesty, integrity and austerity.

Krishnamurti was not opposed to the cultivation of intellect. The acquisition of knowledge in the fields of science and technology, or learning a language and acquiring other skills is essential, he conceded. But, he warned, if we use the same faculty of memory in our relationship to other human beings, then that very faculty leads to fragmentation and misery. To him, “Enlightenment is not an end that is fixed. It is a timeless movement in love.”

Krishnamurti wanted that each of us individually take to serious reading of the book of one’s own life. It consists of several important chapters including the art of listening, art of observation or seeing and art of learning. “Nothing is sacred except our own actions flowing out of compassion and love. This is possible only if we can wholly do away with the process of forming and storing images of those with whom we are related in life” he said.

It is to give shape and substance to his great teaching in a lasting manner that a large number of educational institutions have been founded in many parts of the world. While visiting them Krishnamurti took a lot of interest in the processes being followed by them and frequently met groups of children and talked to them. Education and the significance of life is one of his important book.

Krishnamurti was perhaps the only ‘teacher” who eadeavoured to take us all with him in the great, adventurous and inspiring journey of self-understanding. He exhorted to us: “Oh. Man, know this. You are the world and the world is you. If you change fundamentally and deeply, you can surely experience that which is beyond all knowledge and that which cannot be put in words...and which is for ever NEW IMMEASURABLE.” This experience, which he described as nameless, is perhaps what the human race has always longed for but only a few have had a glimpse of it!

The vision of this great seer of our times, must move us towards an earnest attempt at a much deeper understanding of his teaching. Any such attempt is bound to be highly rewarding. For he passionately strove for and devoted to the great and challenging task of REMAKING MAN.

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