It has been four months since I posted my introduction and shared that I would enjoy discussing the works of Jiddu Krishnamurti.
In that time, I continue reading his works and while doing so; in the back of my mind, thinking about how would I present my understanding to a wider audience such as this forum? And to make it productive to those wanting to dive deeper into his works.
Doing this would be a monumental task in just a few posts, so I felt that I can begin presenting some of my understanding and open a chain of discussions for others to expand, or allow others to share what they can, which would help me or others understand better about this topic.
I am not sure why I felt compelled to discuss his incredible philosophy, but as I mentioned in my introduction; reading them did bring me peace.
I know they're are many sources for reading, hearing and seeing his many talks that have been given throughout his life. One source has already been mentioned : jkrishamurti.org, I see that this is a great source of information, and I would recommend to those to visit it, if interested.
To begin;
Wonderful as they are, just quoting bits from his talks does not relay the full intent of what Krishnamurti was trying to teach.
Most of his writing are presented by opening with an awareness. This is like the time of day, the weather, the smell of the area, sounds and surroundings, what he sees of nature, and of other people; noting, and not in judgement but observation, of others and their mannerisms.
Just by this prolog, which lots of his works are presented, I feel that is to teach us what is an aware mind. My understanding is, the true nature of meditation. Here is one example found in the work;
Can the Mind Be Quite
It was really a most beautiful morning. There was a slight mist over the trees and on the river. The sun wasn’t up yet but would be in a few minutes. There were many fishermen in their little boats, in which they slept under a covering, dark shapes against the light of the water. It was still quiet; the noise of the city and the roar of the train across the bridge had not begun. Now the sun was coming up. You could see it just behind the trees, a great ball of golden red. In a minute or two it would be over the trees. It was now making a golden path on the water. As it was a very still morning without a breath, the mist lay on the river a little longer. The warmth of the sun would soon dispel it. Then you saw the river, wide, deep, a marvellous thing, full of ecstatic beauty, as still and wide as a lake. Now the fishermen were going home to their nearby village with the night’s catch. The gold on the river had gone; now it became molten silver, dancing, shimmering with the full light of the sun. You could not look at the sun itself, it was too strong, but you could look at the river with its brilliant light. And the beauty of that light would last all day, though the sun set behind the minaret in the noisy, dirty city.
J. Krishnamurti. Can The Mind Be Quiet? (p. 200). Watkins Media. Kindle Edition.
Other ways of his introductions are clarifications of his teachings. and example of this is found in
First Talk in the Oak Grove:
Please have the patience to listen without being carried away by words, or objecting to one or two phrases or ideas. One must have immense patience to find out what is true. Most of us are impatient to get on, to find a result, to achieve a success, a goal, a certain state of happiness, or to experience something to which the mind can cling. But what is needed, I think, is a patience and a perseverance to seek without an end. Most of us are seeking; that is why we are here, but in our search we want to find something, a result, a goal, a state of being in which we can be happy, peaceful; so our search is already determined, is it not? When we seek, we are seeking something which we want, so our search is already established, predetermined, and therefore it is no longer a search. I think it is very important to understand this. When the mind seeks a particular state, a solution to a problem, when it seeks God, truth, or desires a certain experience, whether mystical or any other kind, it has already conceived what it wants; and because it has already conceived, formulated, what it is seeking, its search is infinitely futile.
Krishnamurti, Jiddu. As One Is: To Free the Mind from All Condition (pp. 3-4). Hohm Press. Kindle Edition.
Therefore, it is important to understand the operation of one’s own mind, not self-analytically or introspectively, but by being aware of its total process; and that is what I would like to discuss during these talks. If we do not see ourselves as we are, if we do not understand the thinker— the entity that seeks, that is perpetually asking, demanding, questioning, trying to find out, the entity that is creating the problem, the ‘I’, the self, the ego— then our thought, our search, will have no meaning. As long as one’s instrument of thinking is not clear, is perverted, conditioned, whatever one thinks is bound to be limited, narrow. So our problem is how to free the mind from all conditioning, not how to condition it better.
Krishnamurti, Jiddu. As One Is: To Free the Mind from All Condition (pp. 4-5). Hohm Press. Kindle Edition.
As you can see above, I can go on quoting all day like this; which would not be a proper way of conveying what I have experienced in reading them myself.
Understanding Krishnamurti's works is really about understanding oneself. Teaching of enlightenment can not be done, it is you that must experience enlightenment and awareness; not be told about it.
Many times he has tried to make the point that we are unlimited, but limitation is placed by us because most of our we are conditioned by time. The past, its experiences, and the future and how the this affects that perception. In true meditation, which is base on our awareness of everything in existence around us and within us, which is our true self, is not expressed in time.
Hopefully this initial introduction of this thread will be extended by me or others.
I do understand what humanity is now experiencing, should we approach it with fear, or wonder? Maybe that understanding the works of Krishnamutri, is to be started by understanding our way of thinking, conditioning and history.
Knowing his words is really knowing ourselves.
