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Krishnamurtis Notebook
When KrishnamurtiOs Notebook first became available in 1976, it was soon realized that it was a spiritually unique document giving his perceptions and experiences and describing his states of consciousness. It is a kind of diary but one that is little concerned with the day to day process of living, though very much aware of the natural world.
392 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
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About the author
J. Krishnamurti
1,328 books4,262 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
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June 15, 2025
Remember when Alfred Prufrock told us that it was IMPOSSIBLE to tell us just what he meant?
Well, the otherworldly mystic Jiddu Krishnamurti was, quite astoundingly, the polar reverse of Alfred Prufrock. In fact, he was quite sure he COULD tell us what’s going on between our ears.
Let me explain...
When the British Theosophical Society “discovered” him at the turn of the twentieth century, they reported that they were only homing in on a wonderfully benign emanation from deep within the Indian Subcontinent, and undeniably, they had discovered a young, impoverished boy living in a village within the depths of the jungles of India - with his brother and unassuming peasant parents - who was the very model of benign and irreproachable purity.
They - Annie Besant and a certain Colonel Ledbetter - were certain this child was an Avatar of the World Soul, born to be the World Teacher of a new (read Theosophical) way of life.
As the victim of a COLOSSAL breakdown in adolescence, he recovered completely - untreated - through a riveting, concentrated lifetime attention to the world around him, which he calls Choiceless Awareness.
My own take on all this, coming back to the vision presented in this book, is that this teacher of yes, undeniably irreproachable moral integrity, was - like me - slightly autistic. And these Theosophical mystical teachings had the kinda effect that transcranial stimulation had on John Elder Robison - and on me - by releasing all the devils that autism seeks to repress.
His frequent deep, yet disturbed trances - uncovered by at least two primary source biographers - seem to bear this out. Without his personal space (requiring a very wide berth indeed) he became easily overwhelmed by a vague intuition of evil in his interlocutors.
It was similar for me in the 1970´s...
A Superlatively sensitive Aspie, I had a nose for what we Flower Children called Bad Vibes. And I consequently became diagnosed as bipolar.
There’s a modest cure for that in a driven and committed edginess, playing by the rules and being "choicelessly aware" of others' feelings.
So I later saw that the reason for my acute sense of ethical sensitivity, deep down, was my simply being an aspie stick-in-the-mud. Was Krishnamurti so dissimilar? Granted, he didn't have the motivational slumps I experience with my meds, but he WAS morally conservative.
And I, following him, now had to face the cacophonous music of the world head-on to know its origin. So my quest for meaning had to be repressed and embedded deep in my subconscious self. That's his method.
Where it took on a life of its own!
Krishnamurti was certainly no shirk and he wasn’t stuck, but he always preferred his own company. That stemmed too, I think, from his autism. Mine did that too.
Like Wordsworth, he felt “the world is too much with us.” It’s a good thing he missed out on our in-your-face 21st century!
And I know that he was cursed - but at times blessed - by an affliction called the Process. The Process, for him as like me, was an embedding of the Quest deep within himself.
His every act thenceforth was a quest:
In, a nutshell, it was like an interior sound & light show - like the Who said, in pure Quadraphenia! Yikes. You’ll see its workings in this book.
And that’s how I finally saw a way out of my slight autism in the seventies - with an ongoing INTERIOR Journey.
To face the cacaphonous music of my mind I read. And I saw the ending of the Quest is in its utter impossibility. All the signs pointed outward after that.
So began, as it began for Krishnamurti, an alternating journey - within and without. Going back out again is a ho hum world for sure compared to our dreams.
But each purifies and sharpens the other.
Likewise, as a toddler I was - and I’m replaying my early memories as I say this - a slow learner. That’s my reason for loving these writings so much.
You can’t put food on the table with introspective dreaming. And Krishnamurti never tried. He was a true naïf. But blessed abundantly with influential friends, questers themselves.
What HE did, thankfully, and what’s STILL selling his books, is to live his life of innocence publicly, and to abjure the rest of us to:
Follow poet, follow right
To the bottom of the night.
To NEVER sell our INTEGRITY.
To keep on doing good things for people NO MATTER WHAT.
And to keep following our OWN PERSONAL STAR to the End.
For Krishamurti, as Blake says:
LIVED IN ETERNITY’S SUNRISE.
Well, the otherworldly mystic Jiddu Krishnamurti was, quite astoundingly, the polar reverse of Alfred Prufrock. In fact, he was quite sure he COULD tell us what’s going on between our ears.
Let me explain...
When the British Theosophical Society “discovered” him at the turn of the twentieth century, they reported that they were only homing in on a wonderfully benign emanation from deep within the Indian Subcontinent, and undeniably, they had discovered a young, impoverished boy living in a village within the depths of the jungles of India - with his brother and unassuming peasant parents - who was the very model of benign and irreproachable purity.
They - Annie Besant and a certain Colonel Ledbetter - were certain this child was an Avatar of the World Soul, born to be the World Teacher of a new (read Theosophical) way of life.
As the victim of a COLOSSAL breakdown in adolescence, he recovered completely - untreated - through a riveting, concentrated lifetime attention to the world around him, which he calls Choiceless Awareness.
My own take on all this, coming back to the vision presented in this book, is that this teacher of yes, undeniably irreproachable moral integrity, was - like me - slightly autistic. And these Theosophical mystical teachings had the kinda effect that transcranial stimulation had on John Elder Robison - and on me - by releasing all the devils that autism seeks to repress.
His frequent deep, yet disturbed trances - uncovered by at least two primary source biographers - seem to bear this out. Without his personal space (requiring a very wide berth indeed) he became easily overwhelmed by a vague intuition of evil in his interlocutors.
It was similar for me in the 1970´s...
A Superlatively sensitive Aspie, I had a nose for what we Flower Children called Bad Vibes. And I consequently became diagnosed as bipolar.
There’s a modest cure for that in a driven and committed edginess, playing by the rules and being "choicelessly aware" of others' feelings.
So I later saw that the reason for my acute sense of ethical sensitivity, deep down, was my simply being an aspie stick-in-the-mud. Was Krishnamurti so dissimilar? Granted, he didn't have the motivational slumps I experience with my meds, but he WAS morally conservative.
And I, following him, now had to face the cacophonous music of the world head-on to know its origin. So my quest for meaning had to be repressed and embedded deep in my subconscious self. That's his method.
Where it took on a life of its own!
Krishnamurti was certainly no shirk and he wasn’t stuck, but he always preferred his own company. That stemmed too, I think, from his autism. Mine did that too.
Like Wordsworth, he felt “the world is too much with us.” It’s a good thing he missed out on our in-your-face 21st century!
And I know that he was cursed - but at times blessed - by an affliction called the Process. The Process, for him as like me, was an embedding of the Quest deep within himself.
His every act thenceforth was a quest:
In, a nutshell, it was like an interior sound & light show - like the Who said, in pure Quadraphenia! Yikes. You’ll see its workings in this book.
And that’s how I finally saw a way out of my slight autism in the seventies - with an ongoing INTERIOR Journey.
To face the cacaphonous music of my mind I read. And I saw the ending of the Quest is in its utter impossibility. All the signs pointed outward after that.
So began, as it began for Krishnamurti, an alternating journey - within and without. Going back out again is a ho hum world for sure compared to our dreams.
But each purifies and sharpens the other.
Likewise, as a toddler I was - and I’m replaying my early memories as I say this - a slow learner. That’s my reason for loving these writings so much.
You can’t put food on the table with introspective dreaming. And Krishnamurti never tried. He was a true naïf. But blessed abundantly with influential friends, questers themselves.
What HE did, thankfully, and what’s STILL selling his books, is to live his life of innocence publicly, and to abjure the rest of us to:
Follow poet, follow right
To the bottom of the night.
To NEVER sell our INTEGRITY.
To keep on doing good things for people NO MATTER WHAT.
And to keep following our OWN PERSONAL STAR to the End.
For Krishamurti, as Blake says:
LIVED IN ETERNITY’S SUNRISE.
August 22, 2011
You can never go wrong reading a Krishnamurti book.
February 20, 2012
Beautiful commentaries on nature and life .....a lovely travel companion .
June 30, 2017
Krishnamurtis notebook is for me like a constant companion, even i have understand that live has no permanency, psychologicaly.
The notebook has its place now on my bedside table, but i pick it up too at daylight from time to time.
Over all the 40 years i read krishnamurtis writings, watched his videos and visited once one of his live gatherings at Saanen (Switzerland), i like to come back to his notebook.
For me it contains the essentials of his teachings in compromised form, maybe not the best book for a Krishnamurti newbie!
The notebook is for me too a written witness of the immensety of life wich maybe can overwhelm you when your mind ceases voluntarily, without any pressure, wandering from one nothingness to the next, dissipating endlessly energy.
Today afternoon, as i was sitting outside in the patio being occupied with some app on my cellphone, suddenly a dead leaf came sailing and landed on my shorts, cheering me up!!
Krishnamurti is often talking about the leaves in his books and talks. Here an example from the notebook:
"On that path in the wood, a yellow leaf fell; for some of the trees autumn was here. It was a single leaf, with not a blemish on it, unspotted, clean. It was the yellow of autumn, it was still lovely in its death, no disease had touched it. It was still the fullness of spring and summer and still all the leaves of that tree were green. It was death in glory. Death was there, not in the yellow leaf, but actually there, not an inevitable traditionalized death but that death which is always there. It was not a fancy but a reality that could not be covered up. It is always there round every bend of a road, in every house, with every god. It was there with all its strength and beauty."
As i told before, i keep on reading his notebook... the neverending book for me...oh of course i read the neverending story from Michel Ende!
The notebook has its place now on my bedside table, but i pick it up too at daylight from time to time.
Over all the 40 years i read krishnamurtis writings, watched his videos and visited once one of his live gatherings at Saanen (Switzerland), i like to come back to his notebook.
For me it contains the essentials of his teachings in compromised form, maybe not the best book for a Krishnamurti newbie!
The notebook is for me too a written witness of the immensety of life wich maybe can overwhelm you when your mind ceases voluntarily, without any pressure, wandering from one nothingness to the next, dissipating endlessly energy.
Today afternoon, as i was sitting outside in the patio being occupied with some app on my cellphone, suddenly a dead leaf came sailing and landed on my shorts, cheering me up!!
Krishnamurti is often talking about the leaves in his books and talks. Here an example from the notebook:
"On that path in the wood, a yellow leaf fell; for some of the trees autumn was here. It was a single leaf, with not a blemish on it, unspotted, clean. It was the yellow of autumn, it was still lovely in its death, no disease had touched it. It was still the fullness of spring and summer and still all the leaves of that tree were green. It was death in glory. Death was there, not in the yellow leaf, but actually there, not an inevitable traditionalized death but that death which is always there. It was not a fancy but a reality that could not be covered up. It is always there round every bend of a road, in every house, with every god. It was there with all its strength and beauty."
As i told before, i keep on reading his notebook... the neverending book for me...oh of course i read the neverending story from Michel Ende!
August 22, 2013
Krishnamurti's 'message' is essentially the same as Eckhart Tolle's. The uncompromising leit motif is the limitations of thought. His descriptions of being present uses vocabulary such as 'immensity', 'benediction' and 'silence'. It is a familiar problem - how to use words to describe spiritual experience. His descriptions are sandwiched between descriptions of village life and his itinery. Very moving. Meditative reading!
July 23, 2007
Krishnamurti's writing (which was surprisingly quite rare) almost always has the most moving and beautiful descriptions of nature at its core. His images move freely in and out of his philosophy and teaching with the fluidity of an improvisation, as if the writing flowed out freshly for the first time unedited. There is an experience of love when reading these journal entries.
August 6, 2017
I have read some attempts to bring the eastern vision of thought, mind, and, ultimately, human essence into the west. Namely Alan Watts is in my opinion a very inspired writer, and I could not recommend him more.
However, this was my first contact with Krishnamurti. I was warned that this was not an essay, this was supposed to represent how he lived his own teachings.
The book is written as a journal, but he keeps referring to himself in the third person. He always starts by describing his surroundings, although sometimes I don't think he had the experiences in the same day as he reports them, and a small teaching inspired by the sensory experience he just laid out.
There were two main things that popped out from the book for me, and that I think are deeply related with what he is trying to teach. The first is that, although I have read a lot of fiction, his descriptions of his surroundings seemed so vivid that they gave me goosebumps sometimes; he could so beautifully transport us to the world that he was trying to depict, without any literary pretenses and through abundant allure to the senses, that it was wonderful to just let go. The second thing was that, while this was supposed to be a journal, he never talked about himself!; he was "only" describing what was going on around him, so what was the purpose?
I think the reason for both are connected to his teachings, and this is how he shows how he lives them: he is only what he is conscious of (which for most of us are the voices in our heads), meaning that for him he will BE his surroundings, so in that sense he IS talking about himself. Complimentary to this, this level of involvement with what is around him is the only way that he could describe it so engagingly, because it speaks truly to the human experience of that specific scenario, it is not merely what the imagination predicts someone would feel in that same situation.
It is a text that invites a lot of reflection, and not one to read only once. I will definitely go back to it when I have a chance. Highest recommendation!
However, this was my first contact with Krishnamurti. I was warned that this was not an essay, this was supposed to represent how he lived his own teachings.
The book is written as a journal, but he keeps referring to himself in the third person. He always starts by describing his surroundings, although sometimes I don't think he had the experiences in the same day as he reports them, and a small teaching inspired by the sensory experience he just laid out.
There were two main things that popped out from the book for me, and that I think are deeply related with what he is trying to teach. The first is that, although I have read a lot of fiction, his descriptions of his surroundings seemed so vivid that they gave me goosebumps sometimes; he could so beautifully transport us to the world that he was trying to depict, without any literary pretenses and through abundant allure to the senses, that it was wonderful to just let go. The second thing was that, while this was supposed to be a journal, he never talked about himself!; he was "only" describing what was going on around him, so what was the purpose?
I think the reason for both are connected to his teachings, and this is how he shows how he lives them: he is only what he is conscious of (which for most of us are the voices in our heads), meaning that for him he will BE his surroundings, so in that sense he IS talking about himself. Complimentary to this, this level of involvement with what is around him is the only way that he could describe it so engagingly, because it speaks truly to the human experience of that specific scenario, it is not merely what the imagination predicts someone would feel in that same situation.
It is a text that invites a lot of reflection, and not one to read only once. I will definitely go back to it when I have a chance. Highest recommendation!
May 30, 2008
K's writings demand a fierce level of awareness. The Notebook is a gentler introduction to his teaching, and you pick it up by virture of making the journey with him. It's more like osmosis. One of my all-time favourite reads and something that helped me achieve profound levels of insight, aliveness and realisation.
November 24, 2021
This is a difficult book to review... how do you review the intimate private notes of one of the greatest wisdom teachers of the 20th century? "He did a good job"? "He doesn't know what he's talking about"? "I liked it, did not like it"?
Krishnamurti's Notebook offers us a rare look at the intimate thoughts and observations of this acutely aware and sensitive human being. Reading it is like getting to hear his innermost thoughts and musings, his reflections on everyday life. Some of his descriptions, for example, of watching the world go about its business as the sun rises in the early morning, or seeing/hearing the wind rustle the leaves of a tree are spell-binding in their simple beauty. The majority of the book reads like a diary because, well, that's what it is.
Krishnamurti was one-of-a-kind, known as "the philosopher's philosopher," a teacher of utmost depth, silence, presence, with an uncanny ability to put profundity into simple everyday language. He was my primary teacher for many decades, the go-to man when I was in need of guidance, centering, balance, inspiration, or peace of mind. He still is although there are also many others. Treat yourself to the wisdom of J. Krishnamurti.
Krishnamurti's Notebook offers us a rare look at the intimate thoughts and observations of this acutely aware and sensitive human being. Reading it is like getting to hear his innermost thoughts and musings, his reflections on everyday life. Some of his descriptions, for example, of watching the world go about its business as the sun rises in the early morning, or seeing/hearing the wind rustle the leaves of a tree are spell-binding in their simple beauty. The majority of the book reads like a diary because, well, that's what it is.
Krishnamurti was one-of-a-kind, known as "the philosopher's philosopher," a teacher of utmost depth, silence, presence, with an uncanny ability to put profundity into simple everyday language. He was my primary teacher for many decades, the go-to man when I was in need of guidance, centering, balance, inspiration, or peace of mind. He still is although there are also many others. Treat yourself to the wisdom of J. Krishnamurti.
July 3, 2007
It gives us a Glimpse into the Mind of an Enlightened Guy. The writings are very Poetic.
November 17, 2020
I was of the opinion that Jiddu Krishnamurti was a philosopher of the elite. I believe a similar claim can be made of any thinker or system of thought who/that does not speak of the category of action or speaks of it disapprovingly. I cannot be certain if my views have changed since this book but this opinion at the moment is irrelevant.
My closest brush with K was obviously during my two years at Rishi Valley. Krishnamurti is profoundly adored there but thankfully never worshipped. I surely grew admiration for some of his thoughts but his 'hype' remained inexplicable to me. This did not change despite my attempts to understand him through Youtube videos.
But this book, what a beautiful book it is! Krishnamurti is an absolute romantic (but he does not accept labels since labels have and will only constrict individuals). He has an eye for all things beautiful and sometimes all things in themselves - the world outside with its brown rocks, red earth, constellations in the sky, the Big Banyan Tree at Rishi Valley, the hills of Rome, stench in London and what not. But also the interior. Not what he thinks about them. He does not want to think about them at all; perhaps does not altogether. Instead - subterranean 'movements'. The vocabulary of the book is limited since words appear insofar as the person. He does not want to say something new each time. He says what he sees.
In Krishnamurti the world wakes afresh each day. And each day is a rebirth for him. He does not let the impressions from a previous day influence those of today. He shuns all conditioning and all paths so much so that one has to frantically search in order to find proper nouns in this book. Even the places that he visited he does not mention. The editors chose to insert them by way of footnotes (which suitably for K's thought, follow no method at all). This principle of seeing the world as oneself and anew each day and each moment is a phenomenal principle. It is a principle that can can be a seachange from the scientific pursuits that we are all consumed in our little ways day in and day out - involving marginal developments, building on the work of ourselves, and others.
A quote: "Every movement, action with a motive is inaction; it is this inaction that corrupts energy. Love with motive ceases to be love; there is love without motive. The body was completely motionless and the brain utterly still and both were actually aware of everything but there was neither thought nor motion. It was not a form of hypnosis, an induced state because there was nothing to be gained by it, no visions, sensations, all that silly business. It was a fact and a fact has no pleasure or pain. And the movement was lost to all recognition, to the known."
My closest brush with K was obviously during my two years at Rishi Valley. Krishnamurti is profoundly adored there but thankfully never worshipped. I surely grew admiration for some of his thoughts but his 'hype' remained inexplicable to me. This did not change despite my attempts to understand him through Youtube videos.
But this book, what a beautiful book it is! Krishnamurti is an absolute romantic (but he does not accept labels since labels have and will only constrict individuals). He has an eye for all things beautiful and sometimes all things in themselves - the world outside with its brown rocks, red earth, constellations in the sky, the Big Banyan Tree at Rishi Valley, the hills of Rome, stench in London and what not. But also the interior. Not what he thinks about them. He does not want to think about them at all; perhaps does not altogether. Instead - subterranean 'movements'. The vocabulary of the book is limited since words appear insofar as the person. He does not want to say something new each time. He says what he sees.
In Krishnamurti the world wakes afresh each day. And each day is a rebirth for him. He does not let the impressions from a previous day influence those of today. He shuns all conditioning and all paths so much so that one has to frantically search in order to find proper nouns in this book. Even the places that he visited he does not mention. The editors chose to insert them by way of footnotes (which suitably for K's thought, follow no method at all). This principle of seeing the world as oneself and anew each day and each moment is a phenomenal principle. It is a principle that can can be a seachange from the scientific pursuits that we are all consumed in our little ways day in and day out - involving marginal developments, building on the work of ourselves, and others.
A quote: "Every movement, action with a motive is inaction; it is this inaction that corrupts energy. Love with motive ceases to be love; there is love without motive. The body was completely motionless and the brain utterly still and both were actually aware of everything but there was neither thought nor motion. It was not a form of hypnosis, an induced state because there was nothing to be gained by it, no visions, sensations, all that silly business. It was a fact and a fact has no pleasure or pain. And the movement was lost to all recognition, to the known."
January 7, 2019
This is a remarkable hidden gem. It does not read like a book, as it is in daily journal form. It took me a long time to get through it because of this as I had to read it slowly and reflect to picture and take in all his description of nature and life as it happened. It may be better suited to be picked up daily and to re-read entries. Nevertheless there is much wonderful wisdom here. The observations in nature reminded me of John muir's writings because of their raw in the moment nature. They both do not try to romanticize nature, only observe it. The philosophy and repetition of his beliefs, espically the concepts of death, love and creation are well understood after reading the notebook all the way through. There are plenty of quotable passages here to look back at. I will for sure be reading more and more krishnamurti.
May 23, 2013
I have always admired his mind but don't care much about his headaches and his feeling of "immensity" and "otherness" and the like. And I guess all these would not bother me AS much if it weren't 80% repetitive. I know it says in the preface that he saw thing as if they were new every time he wrote about them. So? After reading it, I have the impulse to cut down everything that is repetitive and all the description of his pain and ecstasy and what's left would be a gem. But if you've read Krishnamurti before, what's left is nothing new to you anyway.
July 24, 2015
Perhaps not the best starter for people who have never heard of or read something by K., but if you have, this book helps a lot to take distance of the 'teachings', not to see them as teachings anymore neither see K. as a teacher, but to go for a personal enquiry. Ful of beautiful descriptions of landscapes, and reflections.
December 31, 2015
Read about 80% of it before my kindle went into coma. Typical K stuff. Mystically beautiful. Ideas are not new for someone who has read a lot of K, but still gives that feeling of peace.
February 7, 2017
Intimate, passionate, observant man.
November 30, 2017
Compelling and life changing philosophy albeit not an easy mindset to adapt for a severely conditioned mind. This book is a keepsake that I'll hope to keep rereading for years to come.
January 2, 2019
Provides insights into K’s process and his own awakening .
March 14, 2019
5 Star.
Experience of Reality defined in the best words possible
Experience of Reality defined in the best words possible
July 18, 2019
Sheer poetry...a book to be read over and over again...
August 11, 2024
For a guy that's encouraging us to look beyond words, he's pretty good with words.
June 15, 2020
It's bad enough that this is repetitive and a bit dull, but the worst part is that, much like many other spiritual leaders, Krishnamurti loved empty, pointless statements that sound deep but are actually really stupid. Be prepared for immense insights like: "A cup is the shape of the cup and the emptiness in the cup" and "If you tear up a flower, you no longer have a flower but just the memory of a flower". I got through about half of this tome of nonsense before I started skimming.
Go on to YouTube and find the video where a person in his audience asks Krishnamurti what happens when we die. Krishnamurti hems and haws for a long time while obviously thinking of something clever and deep sounding to say, and ends up just rambling on about how people cry when someone close to them dies.
I honestly don't think Krishnamurti was a con-man, though. I think he was just someone that drank a little too much of his own Kool-Aid. People told him he was wise, and so he tried to be just that.
In my opinion, Krishnamurti's greatest contribution to spirituality is the idea (although not original to Krishnamurti himself) that dogma, empty rituals, and imaginary boogy-men are impediments to spirituality rather than necessities. It's just unfortunate that he ended up being everything he preached against: a guru that told you not to have a guru, a person with quite a bit of power over his followers that detested people in power, and a supposed enlightened man that had a long affair--complete with several illegal abortions--that ended because of (according to Krishnamurti himself) money.
Go on to YouTube and find the video where a person in his audience asks Krishnamurti what happens when we die. Krishnamurti hems and haws for a long time while obviously thinking of something clever and deep sounding to say, and ends up just rambling on about how people cry when someone close to them dies.
I honestly don't think Krishnamurti was a con-man, though. I think he was just someone that drank a little too much of his own Kool-Aid. People told him he was wise, and so he tried to be just that.
In my opinion, Krishnamurti's greatest contribution to spirituality is the idea (although not original to Krishnamurti himself) that dogma, empty rituals, and imaginary boogy-men are impediments to spirituality rather than necessities. It's just unfortunate that he ended up being everything he preached against: a guru that told you not to have a guru, a person with quite a bit of power over his followers that detested people in power, and a supposed enlightened man that had a long affair--complete with several illegal abortions--that ended because of (according to Krishnamurti himself) money.
May 17, 2021
I almost feel bad saying it, but I struggled to finish this book. It was monotonous and repetitive, obscure as the shobogenzo and nearly as dry as a library catalogue. To his credit, it wasn't intended as a book and satisfies the curiosity about Mr. Krishnamurti which compelled me to pick it up in the first place. Also, the end, the last few months are very interesting and show glimpses of future ideas in a raw form which was the reward for my perseverance.
February 20, 2016
Deeply insightful, but repetitive because it's a diary of Krishnamurti's day to day meditations and mystical experiences.
March 1, 2022
One of the most amazing books I ever had the chance to read. It doesn't have a story, it is not an essay, the structure is actually almost non-existent, it is just a very simple diary with descriptions of nature juxtaposed, literally, with psychological facts. Some of these facts are expressed through analogies, but they are very simple, and the actual gold is in the long run, not in any moment.
Having written this, I still have to say that I can't advise this book to anyone that I know, not a single soul! Which is something that I find to be very sad, really.
The main thing is this, the book doesn't want anything from you, not a single thing, it doesn't want to entertain, nor to call for you attention, it just shows, and very, very clearly, I might add.
With this book the image that I had created of Jiddu Krishnamurti changed, and I am perfectly aware that I still have one, it is just more abstract now. Thought fools us all, and I am not different. But I have to say that having seen countless hours of K.'s talks: public and private discussions, also just audio talks, I still felt flabbergasted with the intensity of this book. In fact, I couldn't read much of it at once, and I stayed away from it for a while, from time to time. It really shows you something completely different, and this something is something that you are hiding from yourself, and I still am, but maybe I can see more cracks, and once you perceive certain things, it is very hard to miss them, but you can, I must tell you, trick yourself in other ways.
K. was right, there is no possible security, the only way of living is in a total state of attention.
A very, very, very special human being. That wasn't perfect, for sure, there is no such thing. But he had a remarkable capacity to understand the limits of thought. Remarkable.
If you don't know the work of Jiddu Krishnamurti, I really don't know if this is a good start, really can't say. Just don't try anything with this book, specially to read it all at once, or even in a week or a month... you will understand.
Having written this, I still have to say that I can't advise this book to anyone that I know, not a single soul! Which is something that I find to be very sad, really.
The main thing is this, the book doesn't want anything from you, not a single thing, it doesn't want to entertain, nor to call for you attention, it just shows, and very, very clearly, I might add.
With this book the image that I had created of Jiddu Krishnamurti changed, and I am perfectly aware that I still have one, it is just more abstract now. Thought fools us all, and I am not different. But I have to say that having seen countless hours of K.'s talks: public and private discussions, also just audio talks, I still felt flabbergasted with the intensity of this book. In fact, I couldn't read much of it at once, and I stayed away from it for a while, from time to time. It really shows you something completely different, and this something is something that you are hiding from yourself, and I still am, but maybe I can see more cracks, and once you perceive certain things, it is very hard to miss them, but you can, I must tell you, trick yourself in other ways.
K. was right, there is no possible security, the only way of living is in a total state of attention.
A very, very, very special human being. That wasn't perfect, for sure, there is no such thing. But he had a remarkable capacity to understand the limits of thought. Remarkable.
If you don't know the work of Jiddu Krishnamurti, I really don't know if this is a good start, really can't say. Just don't try anything with this book, specially to read it all at once, or even in a week or a month... you will understand.
March 10, 2020
A fascinating journey into probably one of the most innocent brains
I admired him. I still admire him. When I first read about what happened in his life and what made Krishnamoorthi Krishnamoorthi, I loved him. This personal diary he wrote is such an insight into his mind , a mind that probably learned every philosophy but yet felt deceived at the end of the day. Was it the death of his brother? We don’t know for sure. But, his repeated references to meditation as a natural phenomenon as opposed to a practice sits polar opposite to any great texts on Meditation and at the same time, his views on what that meditation should do to you is right from the heart of all the Upanishads and probably any other stoic philosophy texts. He was blessed in a lot of ways, alas, he denies it but. He was cursed in a lot of ways, alas, he denies it but. In this denial, which he keeps pointing to, he lived a life that would be near to impossible for anyone who doesn’t have a solid understanding of all the philosophy he might have read, understood, practiced and lived. His tender heart was protected by his steely brain. He protected his tenderness with denial. He did not probably wanted anyone else to feel the pain his tender heart did, probably because he is so innocent that he believed everyone’s heart is tender. A noble human being, a beautiful soul and a learned man, although, if he is alive , he would not agree with the last statement.
I admired him. I still admire him. When I first read about what happened in his life and what made Krishnamoorthi Krishnamoorthi, I loved him. This personal diary he wrote is such an insight into his mind , a mind that probably learned every philosophy but yet felt deceived at the end of the day. Was it the death of his brother? We don’t know for sure. But, his repeated references to meditation as a natural phenomenon as opposed to a practice sits polar opposite to any great texts on Meditation and at the same time, his views on what that meditation should do to you is right from the heart of all the Upanishads and probably any other stoic philosophy texts. He was blessed in a lot of ways, alas, he denies it but. He was cursed in a lot of ways, alas, he denies it but. In this denial, which he keeps pointing to, he lived a life that would be near to impossible for anyone who doesn’t have a solid understanding of all the philosophy he might have read, understood, practiced and lived. His tender heart was protected by his steely brain. He protected his tenderness with denial. He did not probably wanted anyone else to feel the pain his tender heart did, probably because he is so innocent that he believed everyone’s heart is tender. A noble human being, a beautiful soul and a learned man, although, if he is alive , he would not agree with the last statement.
November 23, 2023
My son bought me a used copy of Krishnamurti's Notebook for one Christmas in the late 90s. It was what he could afford as a student. Little did he or I know just how important that purchase would prove to be. I did not read the Notebook immediately, but after I did, I went on to read fifteen more of his books including his biography, some more than once. It is safe to say that at that time in my life Krishnamurti became a lifeline of sensibility in a world that seemed mad to me. His greatest teaching for me was this simple idea: "Truth is a Pathless Land". This phrase says everything one needs to know. Basically, it is that the search for truth is a personal journey, not something we learn at school, from parents, or from any supposed authority be it church or state. It is much more complex and important.
I have not read a bad Krishnamurti book although some have been more significant for me than others. Over time, I will share some of those with you, and I would certainly welcome any thoughts or questions you may wish to share.
I have not read a bad Krishnamurti book although some have been more significant for me than others. Over time, I will share some of those with you, and I would certainly welcome any thoughts or questions you may wish to share.
October 6, 2023
The master work of his lifetime.
Not a good introduction, but absolutely possible someone new to K will (un)find much in this book.
If you’re looking for a starting point, find the anthology “Total Freedom.” It’s phenomenal in its breadth. I’d also highly recommend starting with the dialogue series with Allen W. Anderson.
If you’re going to study K, go all in or leave him alone. Lastly, do most of the reading on your own. If you join groups or use forums, be sure to take the time away from it all and study the work directly, and leave the work to think for yourself.
Good luck.
Not a good introduction, but absolutely possible someone new to K will (un)find much in this book.
If you’re looking for a starting point, find the anthology “Total Freedom.” It’s phenomenal in its breadth. I’d also highly recommend starting with the dialogue series with Allen W. Anderson.
If you’re going to study K, go all in or leave him alone. Lastly, do most of the reading on your own. If you join groups or use forums, be sure to take the time away from it all and study the work directly, and leave the work to think for yourself.
Good luck.
March 22, 2020
I am not really sure how to write a review on this book other than it's full of the 'truth'. I feel blessed he put some of his offerings in writing.
January 1, 2023
Great format for krishamurtis work. This is in dated journal format, and only 2nd to the classroom q&a format that I have read.
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