What do you think?
Rate this book
Questioning Krishnamurti: J. Krishnamurti in Dialogue
Krishnamurti is one of the best-loved spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. Krishnamurti's conversations with scientists, Buddhist scholars, philosophers, artists and a Jesuit priest have been collected in this volume.
288 pages, Paperback
First published January 25, 1996
3 people are currently reading
160 people want to read
About the author
J. Krishnamurti
1,323 books4,286 followersJiddu Krishnamurti was born on 11 May 1895 in Madanapalle, a small town in south India. He and his brother were adopted in their youth by Dr Annie Besant, then president of the Theosophical Society. Dr Besant and others proclaimed that Krishnamurti was to be a world teacher whose coming the Theosophists had predicted. To prepare the world for this coming, a world-wide organization called the Order of the Star in the East was formed and the young Krishnamurti was made its head.
In 1929, however, Krishnamurti renounced the role that he was expected to play, dissolved the Order with its huge following, and returned all the money and property that had been donated for this work.
From then, for nearly sixty years until his death on 17 February 1986, he travelled throughout the world talking to large audiences and to individuals about the need for a radical change in humankind.
Krishnamurti is regarded globally as one of the greatest thinkers and religious teachers of all time. He did not expound any philosophy or religion, but rather talked of the things that concern all of us in our everyday lives, of the problems of living in modern society with its violence and corruption, of the individual's search for security and happiness, and the need for humankind to free itself from inner burdens of fear, anger, hurt, and sorrow. He explained with great precision the subtle workings of the human mind, and pointed to the need for bringing to our daily life a deeply meditative and spiritual quality.
Krishnamurti belonged to no religious organization, sect or country, nor did he subscribe to any school of political or ideological thought. On the contrary, he maintained that these are the very factors that divide human beings and bring about conflict and war. He reminded his listeners again and again that we are all human beings first and not Hindus, Muslims or Christians, that we are like the rest of humanity and are not different from one another. He asked that we tread lightly on this earth without destroying ourselves or the environment. He communicated to his listeners a deep sense of respect for nature. His teachings transcend belief systems, nationalistic sentiment and sectarianism. At the same time, they give new meaning and direction to humankind's search for truth. His teaching, besides being relevant to the modern age, is timeless and universal.
Krishnamurti spoke not as a guru but as a friend, and his talks and discussions are based not on tradition-based knowledge but on his own insights into the human mind and his vision of the sacred, so he always communicates a sense of freshness and directness although the essence of his message remained unchanged over the years. When he addressed large audiences, people felt that Krishnamurti was talking to each of them personally, addressing his or her particular problem. In his private interviews, he was a compassionate teacher, listening attentively to the man or woman who came to him in sorrow, and encouraging them to heal themselves through their own understanding. Religious scholars found that his words threw new light on traditional concepts. Krishnamurti took on the challenge of modern scientists and psychologists and went with them step by step, discussed their theories and sometimes enabled them to discern the limitations of those theories. Krishnamurti left a large body of literature in the form of public talks, writings, discussions with teachers and students, with scientists and religious figures, conversations with individuals, television and radio interviews, and letters. Many of these have been published as books, and audio and video recordings.
This author also writes under: Jiddu Krishnamurti
In 1929, however, Krishnamurti renounced the role that he was expected to play, dissolved the Order with its huge following, and returned all the money and property that had been donated for this work.
From then, for nearly sixty years until his death on 17 February 1986, he travelled throughout the world talking to large audiences and to individuals about the need for a radical change in humankind.
Krishnamurti is regarded globally as one of the greatest thinkers and religious teachers of all time. He did not expound any philosophy or religion, but rather talked of the things that concern all of us in our everyday lives, of the problems of living in modern society with its violence and corruption, of the individual's search for security and happiness, and the need for humankind to free itself from inner burdens of fear, anger, hurt, and sorrow. He explained with great precision the subtle workings of the human mind, and pointed to the need for bringing to our daily life a deeply meditative and spiritual quality.
Krishnamurti belonged to no religious organization, sect or country, nor did he subscribe to any school of political or ideological thought. On the contrary, he maintained that these are the very factors that divide human beings and bring about conflict and war. He reminded his listeners again and again that we are all human beings first and not Hindus, Muslims or Christians, that we are like the rest of humanity and are not different from one another. He asked that we tread lightly on this earth without destroying ourselves or the environment. He communicated to his listeners a deep sense of respect for nature. His teachings transcend belief systems, nationalistic sentiment and sectarianism. At the same time, they give new meaning and direction to humankind's search for truth. His teaching, besides being relevant to the modern age, is timeless and universal.
Krishnamurti spoke not as a guru but as a friend, and his talks and discussions are based not on tradition-based knowledge but on his own insights into the human mind and his vision of the sacred, so he always communicates a sense of freshness and directness although the essence of his message remained unchanged over the years. When he addressed large audiences, people felt that Krishnamurti was talking to each of them personally, addressing his or her particular problem. In his private interviews, he was a compassionate teacher, listening attentively to the man or woman who came to him in sorrow, and encouraging them to heal themselves through their own understanding. Religious scholars found that his words threw new light on traditional concepts. Krishnamurti took on the challenge of modern scientists and psychologists and went with them step by step, discussed their theories and sometimes enabled them to discern the limitations of those theories. Krishnamurti left a large body of literature in the form of public talks, writings, discussions with teachers and students, with scientists and religious figures, conversations with individuals, television and radio interviews, and letters. Many of these have been published as books, and audio and video recordings.
This author also writes under: Jiddu Krishnamurti
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 25, 2011
When Krishnaji speaks, I cannot help but listen--and be changed as I listen. The observer as the observed--I understand this now, and with such understanding, a great sensitivity is born in a flash. And take this incredible fact that discipline and time mean absolutely nothing if you want to become an awakened person. It might sound controversial but it is also true. The more you repress who you are or what you feel through some regime of 'goodliness' or ritualistic meditation, the more likely that nothing will change within you. How many times have I encountered the truth of this fact in my own addiction-riddled life! And it is only when you 'attend' (Iris Murdoch's word, which she uses in trying to restate Krishnamurti's own word) to your desires--the Buddhists call it 'mindfulness' but they often fail miserably to convey the complexity of what mindfulness entails--through a state of choiceless awareness that something, something nearly unspeakable, happens. It just happens! And it is so hard to articulate what is happening, yet Krishnaji manages to refer to it through the process of negation (eg. true attention comes when one realises that one has been inattentive). In this book, Krishna converses with the likes of a Catholic priest, a theoretical physicist and a Tibetan monk, all of whom come to an agreement on what it means to live without the trappings of conditioning or thought (which is always, in Krishnaji's definition, past), and on the cunning intrusions of the self (many call it "ego", but again, without the illuminating description that this man provides) when it hides cleverly even behind the most earnest intentions to be 'good', 'detached' or 'englightened'. Think on these things and find out for yourself, is what Krishnaji kept saying. And he is right. What he says is absolutely meaningless if you do not even attempt to apply it (by, for eg., watching one's own self-image and addictive feelings when they arise without judgement or any intention to suppress--the seeming impossibility!) Don't be attached to detachment; don't struggle to be good; don't hope that, in time, everything will resolve itself--because it won't. The time is now. There is, in fact, no time, if you would only consider it!
August 19, 2020
My 6th book by J Krishnamurti!,!It was a Fantastic read .. I really liked the depth of the questioners....these of Krishnamurti interviews with people from varied sectors like philosophers, meditation gurus,Buddhist scholars and so on.They all mainly focused on the state of being which Is beyond the reach of mind and JK prescribes that it’s not the conventional dictated affair to achieve that ....(Realisation) that you generally accept authority....and beg him for this and he gives you austere precepts and follow and you get it...
Krishnamurti has very lucidly conveyed that the human being know about themselves in relationship with others and with the world ,monks are escapists and claim that it’s supreme way of living ...which is completely absurd..The sacredness which comes upon is unwarranted and it comes uninvited ....the mind should be completely free of fear and conflict ....the desire to achieve it is totally neurotic and it can never come because you have a desire which is a product of thought and the other comes only when the thought ends ...
The discussions made were a bot solely focused on this by many interviewers ...which was too repetitive and JK himself in certain conveyed that let’s focus on the main factors that needs to be settled first and that being could be reached!
He as always puts at most emphasis on love,death and the seeing of the world in a totally different way which is simply exemplary and we are unwilling to see that as we accepted this life with constricts,misery,division and due to millions of conformity ....we are being stagnant in this awful kind of living!,!
Am taking break from J K books for now and I feel I went into depth and have to focus reading other books !The real potential of his teachings comes out when you practically apply them and see the actuality of it which he stressed constantly...Or else intellectual understanding is of mere help...
Krishnamurti has very lucidly conveyed that the human being know about themselves in relationship with others and with the world ,monks are escapists and claim that it’s supreme way of living ...which is completely absurd..The sacredness which comes upon is unwarranted and it comes uninvited ....the mind should be completely free of fear and conflict ....the desire to achieve it is totally neurotic and it can never come because you have a desire which is a product of thought and the other comes only when the thought ends ...
The discussions made were a bot solely focused on this by many interviewers ...which was too repetitive and JK himself in certain conveyed that let’s focus on the main factors that needs to be settled first and that being could be reached!
He as always puts at most emphasis on love,death and the seeing of the world in a totally different way which is simply exemplary and we are unwilling to see that as we accepted this life with constricts,misery,division and due to millions of conformity ....we are being stagnant in this awful kind of living!,!
Am taking break from J K books for now and I feel I went into depth and have to focus reading other books !The real potential of his teachings comes out when you practically apply them and see the actuality of it which he stressed constantly...Or else intellectual understanding is of mere help...
January 31, 2020
It's very well written with great insights However you need to get familiar with Krishnamurti before you pick up this book. I felt lot of conversation here are steered away from main interests and since it's conversation with many what I noticed is they've asked more or less same and Krishnamurti has tried best to answer all of them in beautiful way. You get great insights on life's perspective.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews