from www.jkrishnamurti.org

The core of Krishnamurti's teaching is contained in the statement he made in 1929 when he said: 'Truth is a pathless land'. Man cannot come to it through any organisation, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, not through any philosophic knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of his own mind . . . Statement by Krishnamurti in 1981.

Jiddu Krishnamurti was born on 11th May 1895 in Madanapalle, a town in south India, the eighth child in a middle-class family. At an early age he was adopted by Annie Besant, then the President of the Theosophical Society, with its headquarters in Madras. She took Krishnamurti and his brother Nitya to England where she had them educated privately.

On Krishnamurti's return to India while still in his teens, Theosophists proclaimed him to be the world teacher whose coming they had been awaiting. They built a large and rich order round him, with many thousands of followers, but in 1929 Krishnamurti disbanded the organisation, returned the estates and monies that had been given to him and declared that his only purpose was to set human beings unconditionally free from psychological limitations. From that time he travelled throughout most parts of the world almost ceaselessly speaking to large numbers of people, until his death on 17th February 1986.

Krishnamurti is regarded globally as one of the greatest religious teachers of all time. He did not expound any philosophy or religion, but spoke of the everyday matters that concern all human beings—the problems of living in modern society with violence and corruption, the individual's search for meaning, security and happiness; and our need to free ourselves from the inner burdens of fear, anger, hurt and sorrow. He talked of the need to have a deeply meditative and religious quality in our daily life.

Krishnamurti belonged to no religion, sect or country, nor did he subscribe to any school of political or ideological thought. Instead, he stated that these are the very factors that divide us from one another and bring about personal and social conflict and ultimately war. His talks and discussions were not based on any authority of tradition or academic knowledge, but arose out of his own insights into the human mind and his own relation with the sacred. He consistently communicated a sense of freshness and directness with his audiences, although his message remained basically unchanged over the years.

Krishnamurti is unique in having left authentic written and recorded materials of his public talks and discussions and his conversations with scientists, philosophers, educators, children, businessmen and "ordinary" people. Many of these have appeared in books and on audio and videotapes and discs. His teachings are best approached directly and not through any interpreters or commentators.

 

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