Evelene Blau discusses Krishnamurti 100 Years
Krishmurti 100 Years
Evelyne Blau came to the Bodhi Tree Bookstore in 1995 to present her book Krishnamurti 100 Years, a celebration of the life and work of J. Krishnamurti. >She has worked extensively with the Krishnamurti material and knew Krishnamurti personally. She is on the board of directors of the Krishnamurti Foundation of America, edited Krishnamurti's book, Meditations, and produced a six part television series, Beyond Myth and Tradition, on some of the great themes Krishnamurti addressed. She has produced and co-written two feature length documentary films on Krishnamurti, The Challenge of Change and With A Silent Mind, which have been shown throughout the world.
The book Krishnamurti 100 years is now our-of-print (as of 2000) but it is such a valuable introduction to the entire Krishnamurti oeuvre, that we have retained this presentation. It is revelant because it serves as a good , brief introduction to the life work and importance of J. Krishnamurti.
Krishnamurti 100 Years by Evelyne Blau (284 pp.). Centenary Celebration of His Birth.
This stunning book presents us with an overview of the entire life of Krishnamurti. We learn about his long and poignant history, relevant and transitory talks and writings, and meet many of the important people of his life through their own words. These people talk about how Krishnamurti affected or transformed their lives and what they think his relevance is to the world, and perhaps beyond. We also have a visual treat in the many archival pictures being presented for the first time. The cover of the book is a picture of the oak grove in Ojai where Krishnamurti spoke for many years and which seems to express his essence. The book is oversize, seven by eleven inches, printed on art quality paper and illustrated with over 125 duotone photographs.
May 12, 1995 marked the 100th anniversary of the birth of Jeddu Krishnamurti. The Centenary celebration of the birth of Krishnamurti was an occasion of world wide importance, since Krishnamurti visited and gave talks in all the major cities of the United States, Europe, South America, Australia, New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. It was an occasion to focus attention on the relevance to the present age of the timeless teachings of Krishnamurti, and to assure that they become a living part of the human heritage.
As part of the celebration of that momentous centennial, author and film maker Evelyne Blau published Krishnamurti 100 years, which explored Krishnamurti’s history, his impact on people, and discussed his teachings and legacy.
Jeddu Krishnamurti was born May 12, 1895 and died at the age of ninety on February 17, 1986. He remains one of the profound teachers of our modern times and has left us with a wealth of recordings and videos which constitute a living legacy of his teaching from which his many books have been constructed. He claimed no authority but was recognized as one. He insistently rejected the guru status that many tried to foist upon him and tirelessly discussed the entire ecology of being a free person whose authority is rational and thoroughly within one's own being. Krishnamurti did everything in his power to cajole us into seeing and understanding for ourselves what he had discovered for himself and how that was not someone’s exclusive possession. In a sense, one ought not to describe his discoveries as "discovered" but more as "discovering" for each of his discourses, while being familiar, were being freshly investigated as he discussed them with his audience.
What follows is excerpted and edited from Krishnamurti: 100 Years. Page numbers refer to the book's complete and unaltered text.
Who is J. Krishnamurti? Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986) was born in South India, educated privately in England and traveled the world for 65 years speaking in Europe, India, Australia and North and South America. In his youth, he was lionized by the Theosophical Society as, literally, a new Messiah. In 1929, Krishnamurti renounced the role thrust upon him and embarked on a life-long mission to set man “absolutely, unconditionally free” from all conditioning including that imposed by organized religion and dependence upon spiritual leaders. He expounded no doctrine but was constantly examining the workings of the human mind in his writings, public talks and discussions. The enduring questions Krishnamurti asks about the quality of life, the source of all human problems and the nature of the mind have made him into one of the most provocative speakers and authors of the 20th century.
Krishnamurti formed several organizations to handle publications and business affairs, the first being Krishnamurti Writings, Inc. Later, due to legal problems with Krishnamurti Writings, Krishnamurti was denied access to properties in Ojai, such as the Oak Grove. In 1968, he formed a new international organization, Krishnamurti Foundation Trust, England. The Krishnamurti Foundation of America was founded in 1969 followed by the Krishnamurti Foundation of India in 1970. The legal problems with Krishnamurti Writings, Inc. were finally resolved in the early 80s after several years of legal maneuvering. The last challenge came to Krishnamurti and his teachings after his death. Radha Rajagopal Sloss published a book called, Lives in the Shadow with J. Krishnamurti which accuses Krishnamurti of having a long time relationship with her mother who was also the wife of Krishnamurti's long time secretary (Mr. Rajagopal) and head of Krishnamurti Writings, Inc.
It is important to understand that even though there is a Krishnamurti Foundation with branches in America and India, the foundation’s main purpose is to preserve and disseminate his teachings, but not to act as an interpreter or authority. In the last words he spoke to colleagues, he said, "There must be no hierarchies. There must be no apostles. No one must set himself up as an interpreter or an authority and you must all stick together and be with each other and work together. The teachings are important and not the teacher." (pg 257).
Out of myth and memory the story of Krishnamurti emerges like a long forgotten dream, the story of a slight boy, lost to the world, but found on the beach at the Bay of Bengal (pg 3). The events that took place, beginning with his birth in 1895, do indeed have a mythic quality, each passing year adding a new layer of understanding, while retaining a core of mystery. His mother, Sanjeevama, was a devoutly religious woman, said to be psychic. She insisted, over the objections of her husband, Narayaniah, that the child be born in the puja room of their tiny house in the south of India, at Madanapalle. This was an extraordinary event because traditionally, the puja room is a sanctified area not suitable for birthing.
As the boy matured he was sickly and often missed school. At six the boy went through the "sacred thread ceremony," the Upanayanama. This ceremony, an induction into the rites of priesthood, is the first step in the life of a Brahmin boy--all of whom are born priests.
His mother died when he was ten years old. Bereft, the boy clung closer than ever to his younger brother, the bright and loving Nitya.
For centuries, in both Europe and the East, arcane teachings told of a "Secret Brotherhood," "a Great White Lodge," a complex hierarchy of occult masters who exerted their benign influence to help humanity (pg 8). The Theosophical Society, founded by Madame Blavatsky, had the purpose of preparing the world for a coming messiah and the highly evolved "root race" that was the prototype of a new humanity. Krishnamurti, at the age of twelve, was selected as this coming messiah or world teacher. He was taken up by the Theosophical Society in India and continued his education and spiritual training under their authority. The young Krishnamurti who was thought to be vacant, stupid, and, even in Krishnamurti's own words, "moronic" had a difficult time in school. It was at this time, that Krishnamurti learned English, and in later years, he lost his knowledge of his native language, Telugu. All the clairvoyants around Krishnamurti noted that his aura was of great brightness and glory.
In 1910, Krishnamurti took his first Theosophical initiation. On the first anniversary of Krishnamurti's initiation, the Order of the Star in the East was formed to pave the way for the coming world teacher. In 1912, Krishnamurti and his brother went to England to continue their education. They were to remain in England and Europe for almost ten years. They lived in quiet isolation in the English countryside and except for the retinue of tutors, they had little contact with the world at large. While they were isolated in the countryside, the world was exploding outside. World War I raged in fierce battles. The end of the war in 1918 brought increased activity among Theophists. Krishnamurti was brought into the forefront at meetings. As he grew older, however, he felt increasingly estranged by what he saw as the limitations and restrictions of any form that attempted to codify "the truth." Although Krishnamurti plunged into his work as head of the Order of the Star in the East, his internal struggles continued. "There is a rebellion within me, surging quietly, but surely . . . to what purpose I do not know. A continuous fight and then some more fighting." (pg 29)
In 1922, Krishnamurti and his brother went to Ojai. Starting in August, Krishnamurti began a transforming experience that completely changed his life. In the months and years to follow Krishnamurti continued with the painful state of preparation that he was to call "the process." During this agonizing period no attempt was made to consult medical opinion, as Krishnamurti and others around him concurred that these events were a spiritual preparation of his body and, according to ancient Hindu texts, was "the awakening of Kundalini," the "fiery serpent" said to signify the awakened and liberated state (pg 31).
For years there had been unquestioning faith on the part of the Star members that Nitya was chosen to stand at his brother's side in support of the work. It was part of a great plan. But Nitya had contacted tuberculosis. In October, 1925, Krishnamurti left Ojai, where his brother remained, to go first to England and then to India for the Jubilee Convention of the Theosophical Society. Krishnamurti was assured that his brother was safe. There was implicit faith that the masters would guard Nitya's life (pg 37). But it was not to be. A telegram telling of Nitya's death was delivered to Krishnamurti as his ship taking him to India entered the Suez Canal. With the loss of his brother, Krishnamurti was now alone, cut off from the past, bereft of familial ties. Shiva Rao, who shared the cabin with him, wrote that, "The news broke him completely; it did more--his entire philosophy of life-the implicit faith in the future as outlined by the Theosophical Society, all appeared shattered at that moment." After many days, slowly, with immense effort, he changed, pulling himself together to face life without Nitya.
In spite of the stimulating and broadening friendship of the many around Krishnamurti, a sense of disquiet remained as a constant in his life and as the single-pointed probing and acid dissent of Krishnamurti became more and more apparent to the thousands who thronged to hear his talks, unease and confusion roiled through the Order of the Star (pg 71). What had happened to the beautiful young man whose speeches in the past seemed but a calming continuation of what was already known? Where were the words of comfort to soothe the troubled? Where were the golden platitudes for a world weary of war, lost and disillusioned in peace?
Then, in a statement that was to foreshadow dramatic events to come, Krishnamurti wrote in 1928, "Because you have placed beliefs before life, creeds before life, dogmas before life, religions before life, there is stagnation. Can you bind the waters of the sea or gather the winds in your fist? Religion, as I understand it, is the frozen thought of men out of which they have built temples and churches. The moment you attribute to external authority a spiritual and divine law and order, you are limiting, you are suffocating that very life that you wish to fulfill, to which you would give freedom. If there is limitation, there is bondage and hence suffering. The world at present is the expression of life in bondage. So, according to my point of view, beliefs, religions, dogmas, and creeds, have nothing to do with life, and hence have nothing to do with truth."--Life The Goal, 1928.
In 1929, Krishnamurti dissolved the Order of the Star in a stirring speech that to this day can be a guiding light for a person who seeks a spiritual path. To many, that speech dissolving the Order of the Star is a manifesto of Krishnamurti and his teachings. It certainly is incredibly focused and inspiring. At Ommen camp on August 3, 1929, Krishnamurti issued his manifesto, Truth is a Pathless Path.
"We are going to discuss this morning the dissolution of the Order of the Star. many people will be delighted, and others will be rather sad. It is a question neither for rejoicing nor for sadness, because it is inevitable, as I am going to explain. . . ."I maintain that truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect. That is my point of view, and I adhere to that absolutely and unconditionally. 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. If you first understand that, then you will see how impossible it is to organize a belief. A belief is purely an individual matter, and you cannot and must not organize it. If you do, it becomes dead, crystallized; it becomes a creed, a sect, a religion, to be imposed on others. This is what everyone throughout the world is attempting to do. Truth is narrowed down and made a plaything for those who are weak, for those who are only momentarily discontented. Truth cannot be brought down, rather the individual must make the effort to ascend to it. You cannot bring the mountaintop to the valley. If you would attain to the mountaintop you must pass through the valley, climb the steps, unafraid of the dangerous precipices. You must climb towards the truth, it cannot be "stepped down" or organized for you. Interest in ideas is mainly sustained by organizations, but organizations only awaken interest from without. Interest, which is not born out of love of truth for its own sake, but aroused by an organization, is of no value. The organization becomes a framework into which its members can conveniently fit. They no longer strive after truth or the mountaintop, but rather carve for themselves a convenient niche in which they put themselves, or let the organization place them, and consider that the organization will thereby lead them to truth . . . I maintain that no organization can lead man to spirituality."
. . ."If an organization be created for this purpose, it becomes a crutch, a weakness, a bondage, and must cripple the individual, and prevent him from growing, from establishing his uniqueness, which lies in the discovery for himself of that absolute, unconditioned truth. So that is another reason why I have decided, as I happen to be the head of the Order, to dissolve it. No one has persuaded me to this decision."
. . ."This is no magnificent deed, because I do not want followers, and I mean this. The moment you follow someone you cease to follow truth. I am not concerned whether you pay attention to what I say or not. I want to do a certain thing in the world and I am going to do it with unwavering concentration. I am concerning myself with only one essential thing: to set man free. I desire to free him from all cages, from all fears, and not to found new religions, new sects, nor to establish new theories and new philosophies. Then you will naturally ask me why I go the world over, continually speaking. I will tell you for what reason I do this; not because I desire a following, not because I desire a special group of special disciples. (How men love to be different from their fellowmen, however ridiculous, absurd, and trivial their distinctions may be! I do not want to encourage that absurdity.) I have no disciples, no apostles, either on earth or in the realms of spirituality."
. . ."You can form other organizations and expect someone else. With that I am not concerned, nor with creating new cages, new decorations for those cages. My only concern is to set men absolutely, unconditionally free."
Krishnamurti was now his own man. Although many of the older followers from his "messiah" days dropped away in despair, some remained steadfastly at his side. The Theosophical Society, riven by conflict over his departure, regrouped as best it could. It survived and is currently a viable organization with many centers throughout the world. It continues to publish important books in the field of spirituality and religion.
Krishnamurti, over the next several years, spoke with increasing clarity and force, without the constraint of having to hew to an acceptable line. His language gradually moved from a florid Victorian/Theosophical style to the concise, pared-down language of his later years (pg 92).
"When the mind is swept clean of image, of ritual, of belief, of symbol, of all words, mantrams and repetitions, and of all fear, then what you see will be the real, the timeless, the everlasting, which may be called God; but this requires enormous insight, understanding, patience, and it is only for those who really inquire into what is religion and pursue it day after day to the end. Only such people will know what is true religion. The rest are merely mouthing words, and all their ornaments and bodily decorations, their pujas and ringing of bells--all that is just superstition without any significance. It is only when the mind is in revolt against all so-called religion that it finds the real." (pg 92)--Think On These Things, 1964.
Question: How can we best help humanity to understand and live your teachings? (pg 106)
Krishnamurti: "It is very simple: by living them yourself. What is it that I am teaching? I am not giving you a new system, or a new set of beliefs; but I say, look to the cause that has created this exploitation, lack of love, fear, continual wars, hatred, class distinctions, division of man against man. The cause is, fundamentally, the desire on the part of each one to protect himself through acquisitiveness, through power. We all desire to help the world, but we never begin with ourselves. We want to reform the world, but the fundamental change must first take place within ourselves. So, begin to free the mind and heart from this sense of possessiveness. This demands no mere renunciation, but discernment, intelligence."--Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, April 17, 1935.
Aldous Huxley, Author, Novelist and Philosopher (pg 110): "There is a transcendent spontaneity of life, a 'creative reality,' as Krishnamurti calls it, which reveals itself as immanent only when the perceiver's mind is in a state of 'alert passivity,' of ‘choiceless awareness.’ Judgement and comparison commit us irrevocably to duality. Only choiceless awareness can lead to non-duality, to the reconciliation of opposites in a total understanding and a total love. Ama et fac quod vis. If you love, you may do what you will. But if you start by doing what you will, or by doing what you don't will in obedience to some traditional system or notions, ideals and prohibitions, you will never love."
An Anecdote (pg 140): Someone said, What is your teaching, Krishnaji?" And Krishnaji looked a little stern and said, "There is no teaching." After a few moments, he turned again and said, "It's very simple. Where you are, the other is not," and he turned away.
Question: I am full of hate. Will you please teach me how to love? (pg 175)
Krishnamurti: "No one can teach you how to love. If people could be taught to love, the world problem would be very simple, would it not? If we could learn to love from a book as we learn mathematics, this would be a marvelous world; there would be no hate, no exploitation, no wars, no division of rich and poor, and we would all be really friendly with each other. But love is not so easily come by. It is easy to hate, and hate brings people together after a fashion; it creates all kinds of fantasies, it brings about various types of co-operation, as in war. But love is much more difficult. You cannot learn how to love, but what you can do is to observe hate and put it gently aside. Don't battle against hate, don't say how terrible it is to hate people, but see hate for what it is and let it drop away; brush it aside, it is not important. What is important is not to let hate take root in your mind. Do you understand? Your mind is like rich soil, and if given sufficient time any problem that comes along takes root like a weed, and then you have the trouble of pulling it out; but if you do not give the problem sufficient root, then it has no place to grow and it will wither away. If you encourage hate, give it time to take root, to grow, to mature, it becomes an enormous problem. but if each time hate arises you let it go by, then you will find that your mind becomes very sensitive without being sentimental; therefore it will know love."--Think On These Things, 1964.
Professor P. Krishna, Rector, Rajghat Education Center, Varanasi, India (pg 202): "One was not now talking to a professor or a philosopher but was actually in the presence of a seer who had seen what he wanted others to see, who said he cannot give his insight to them, that they must find it for themselves. There is no authority in the world that can give insight to you and that made me realize that I must not look to others, I must stand on my own feet and see the truth of it within myself. The basic effect of Krishnamurti's teachings is to open doors and windows of your mind. If you don't shut them again you keep learning all through life--you live with questions instead of living with answers."
Alan Kishbaugh, Author, Environmentalist, Los Angeles, California (pg 213): "Hardest of all is the recognition that seeing requires no other "action" than seeing. There is no need to be, or act. Doing, becoming, attaining are all projections of our conditioning."
. . ."What will you do when I am gone?" Krishnamurti often said to those charged with the work of the foundations. In other words, "if the work is only "mine," and not yours, how will it live?"
Mary Lutyens, Author, London, England (pg 249): "When people asked him late in life, "Why do you go on talking at your age, traveling round the world, talking, talking?" He thought for a moment and then said, quite simply, "Out of affection." "Then why don't you stay in one place and let them come to you?" "Because most of them have not got the money to travel." He had seen something very beautiful and, being so affectionate, he wanted to share it. He said, "I offer them something and if they don't want it, it doesn't matter at all. I'm not pressing them to listen to me."
Krishnamurti (pg 254): "What does it mean to die" Put that question to yourself. While we are young, or when you are very old, this question is always there. It means to be totally free, to be totally unattached to everything that man has put together, or what you have put together--totally free. No attachments, no gods, no future, no past. See the beauty of it, the greatness of it, the extraordinary strength of it--while living to be dying. You understand what that means? While you are living, every moment you are dying, so that throughout life you are not attached to anything. That is what death means."
The last part of the book describes the last few months of Krishnamurti's life primarily through the words of his attending physician, Gary M. Deutsch, M.D. and the diary entries of Evelyne Blau. People came from all over the world to make their last visit and to say good-bye. It was a poignant time. Author Evelyne Blau ends her book on Krishnamurti with a poetic message for all of us. She writes, "Krishnamurti's work did not end with his death in 1986. It reaches out to the years ahead. Those who are willing to explore, to question, and to observe themselves will find a companion in Krishnamurti. . . . There may be elements in this book, as recounted by witnesses to extraordinary events, that may seem incomprehensible, confounding to our linear, rational thinking. But let us not linger too long with this part of the story--it is unknowable. Let us move on: the present moment awaits."
Books of J. Krishnamurti:
From the vast body of Krishnamurti's teachings, we have selected the following books that we have found to be the most representative of his writings. Each book focuses on issues that have relevance and urgency in our daily lives. We stock all available editions of Krishnamurti's books.
At the Feet of the Master by Alcyone (81 pp)
Although this book is attributed to Krishnamurti, in later years of his life, he did not claim it as his writing. There have been some stories that attributed the writing to C. W. Leadbeater of the Theosophical Society. Be what it may, the book has always remained inspirational to many people. In the Foreword, the author writes, “These are not my words; they are the words of the Master who taught me. Without Him I could have done nothing, but through His help I have set my feet upon the Path. You also desire to enter the same Path, so the words He spoke to me will help you also, if you will obey them.” Alcyone says the four qualifications for this pathway are discrimination, desirelessness, good conduct and love. He adds, “What the Master has said to me on each of these I shall try to tell you.”
Selected biographies:
Krishnamurti: The Years of Awakening by Mary Lutyens, Krishnamurti--The Years of Fulfillment by Mary Lutyens, Krishnamurti--The Reluctant Messiah by Sidney Fields, and Lives In The Shadow with J. Krishnamurti by Radha Rajagopal Sloss.
The Collected Works of J. Krishnamurti
The Krishnamurti Foundation has made the collected works of J. Krishnamurti available online at www.krishnamurti.com.
The First & Last Freedom by Krishnamurti with a Foreward by Aldous Huxley (288 pp.)
Here, Krishnamurti cuts away symbols and false associations in the search for pure truth and perfect freedom. The freedom of which he writes is the breaking of debilitating, consuming concern with the self. Once you find this freedom, you are liberated from the unfulling and destructive obsessions of society.
“A mind that has come to the stillness of wisdom shall know being, shall know what it is to love. Love is neither personal nor impersonal. Love is love, not to be defined or described by the mind as exclusive or inclusive. Love is its own eternity; it is the real, the supreme, the immeasurable.”
--Krishnamurti as quoted by Aldous Huxley.
Freedom From The Known by Krishnamurti (124 pp.)
In this classic work, Krishnamurti shows how people can free themselves radically and immediately from the tyranny of the expected. And, by first changing themselves, people can then change the whole structure of society and their relationships. The essence of Krishnamurti’s message here is the vital need for change and the recognition of its very possibility.
A series of theme books have been compiled from the works of Krishnamurti. Each book focuses on a particular important topic. The books include: On Fear, On Freedom, On Learning and Knowledge, On Living and Dying, On Love and Loneliness, On Mind and Thought, On Nature and the Environment, On Relationship, On Right Livelihood, and On Truth. One of them is reviewed below.
On Fear by J. Krishnamurti (119 pp.)
Is fear an inevitable part of life? In this collection, we explore with Krishnamurti the whole complex problem of fear: how it makes our minds dull and insensitive, and how the roots of our hidden fears (which we constantly try to escape) cannot be dealt with through analysis of the past or by use of will. Instead, Krishnamurti teaches the art of “seeing” and “listening” through which we can recognize the root of fear and, once and for all, totally free our minds of it. Krishnamurti urges us to become aware of the “whole movement of fear” within ourselves; as we read his words, we have the opportunity to do so.
“So, can we, each of us, who are the rest of mankind, who are mankind, look at a very simple fact? Observe, see, that the causation of fear is thought/time? Then the very perception is action. And from that you don’t rely on anybody. See it very clearly. Then you are a free person.”
-- J. Krishnamurti
Think on These Things by Krishnamurti (258 pp.)
This the all-time favorite Krishnamurti book comes from talks to students, teachers and parents in India. Its keen penetration and lucid simplicity is deeply meaningful to most everyone. Krishnamurti examines with characteristic objectivity and insight the expressions of what is called our culture, education, religion, politics and tradition. We learn about such basic emotions as ambition, greed and envy, the desire for security and the lust for power--all of which Krishnamurti shows to be deteriorating factors in human society.
We hope that you've enjoyed the making of the Bodhi Tree Bookstore Lectures.
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