The Urgency of Change

by Jiddu Krishnamurti

The Urgency of Change takes the reader on a deeply personal journey through inner doubt and outer hostility. It is a book for everyone who longs to find a synthesis between the potential beauty of life and the brutal myth mankind too often makes of living. --from the cover

Genres: Philosophy, Psychology, Spirituality

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1970

About the author

This author also writes under: J. Krishnamurti

Reviews

[Last Melancholic · Rating 4 out of 5]

ჯიდუ კრიშნამურტის შემოქმედებასა და მის ლექციებს აქამდეც ვეცნობოდი და ამიტომ შეიძლება ითქვას, ამ წიგნმა, უფრო სწორედ კი დიალოგების კრებულმა, ახალი და განსაკუთრებული ვერაფერი შემძინა. თუკი ჯიდუს დავუჯერებთ, სამყაროში ყველაფერი ერთი დიდი განპირობებულობა და ილუზიაა, მათ შორის ის მე-ც რომელიც ახლა ამ განხილვას წერს .
მთავარი კითხვა შემდგომში მდებარეობს : "რატომ წერს ეს გოგო, სოფიდ წოდებული სუბიექტი, ამ წიგნის განხილვას ?გულწრფელად უნდა ემოციის გაზიარება, თუ უბრალოდ მეტი ყურადღების მიქცევას ცდილობს ამ გზით ? თუ კი, მაშინ რაში სჭირდება ეს ყურადღება.. და ა.შ
ეს შეკითხვები შეგვიძლია უსასრულოდ გავაგრძელოთ, სანამ საბოლოოდ იმ პასუხამდე არ მივალთ, რომ სინამდვილეში ყველაფერი თავის მოტყუებაა და საერთოდ არაფერს არ აქვს აზრი და რომ არ შეგიძლია არანაირი ჭეშმარიტი "ცოდნის" მიღება, თუ მანამდე ნასწავლი და გააზრებული ინფორმაციისთ გვაქვს ტვინი "დაბინძურებული". რა თქმა უნდა, ძალიან ბევრ რამეში ვეთანხმები ჯიდუს, იქნება ეს რელიგია, მიჯაჭულობა, დამოკიდებულებები, ურთიერთობები თუ სხვა რამ , თუმცა როგორც თავად გვეუბნება, ჭეშმარიტებისკენ სავალ გზაზე არ შეიძლება გყავდეს არანაირი მასწავლებელი და მოძღვარი, რადგან მეთოდის არსებობა უკვე განპირობებულობაა, ხოლო ამ გზის ბოლოს მხოლოდ ის მივა, ვინც ყოველივე ნაცად და "ტრადიციულ" ხერხზე უარს იტყვის.
ჰოდა, მგონია რომ რეალურ ცხოვრებაში საკმაოდ რთულია ჯერ ერთი ამ ფენომენის გააზრება და მეორეც პრაქტიკაში გადმოტანა. anyways, უდავოდ ღირს წაკითხვად, ვისაც მსგავსი ლიტერატურა აინტერესებს.

[Αγγελική Μανίτη]

Δεν ξέρω τι να γράψω γι' αυτό το βιβλίο. Αν κατάλαβα κάτι είναι πως ούτε να το βαθμολογήσω δεν πρέπει. Ούτε "πρέπει" πρεπει να υπάρχει. Κάθε προσπάθεια είναι κατακερματισμός για ό,τι πάμε να δημιουργήσουμε. Η γνώση είναι απαραίτητη μόνο για την τεχνολογία και τα πολύ πρακτικά ζητήματα και όχι για οτιδήποτε ψυχολογικό. Αλλαγή είναι η άρνηση της επιθυμίας για αλλαγή. Η λέξη, το όνομα, η εικόνα, η κρίση κ.ο.κ. δεν είναι ποτέ αυτό που πραγματικά "είναι". Το να βλέπουμε πραγματικά κάτι συνίσταται στο να το αντιμετωπίζουμε χωρίς καμία προϋπάρχουσα γνώση ή εμπειρία. Οποιαδήποτε κρίση προκύψει, αυτόματα σημαίνει σύγκριση με το παρελθόν. Αν μη τι άλλο, αξίζει μια ευκαιρία, όπως καθετι.

[Louis · Rating 5 out of 5]

A troublesome book to review, because it is so hard to penetrate and apply.

The first book I ever read by Krishnamurti was called 'Freedom of the Known'. It totally took me by surprise, with its world view so radically different from my own. That book was written as a collection of structured themes. I have yet to make an elaborate analyses on that work. At the moment I read it, I most likely was not ready to process its workings.

The work before us, the 'Urgency of Change', is written as a collection of dialogues between Krishnamurti and Questioners. The questioners are anonymous interlocutors; the conversations are recollections of Krishnamurti. So they are most likely paraphrases of past discussions.

My key takeaways from this lecture:
- to do away with thought, ego, distinctions, means embracing total freedom
- there is a distinction between knowledge (accumulation of learned facts) and learning (a continual process). Knowledge should be used for technical matters: we build upon the processes and fact accumulations of other human beings. Learning should be used for all other matters, which means all human interaction should operate on the constant flow of learning: not in the past, not in the future, but right here and now, over and over again.
- thought should be limited to productive work and nothing else; it ought to be quiet the rest of the time
- to bring 'I' into conversation, is to create division. There are multiple ways this works: I vs them (literal division, e.g. demonizing in war scenario, me against society), I with own ambitions who use people or knowledge to my own benefit, I who observe the world (while I am the world), my thoughts vs another's thoughts (whereas man really has a collective conceptual world) ...
- there is continuation and there is learning. Continuation is building upon the past (e.g. upon knowledge). If this is the only mode you operate in, you can literally be 'stuck in the past'. Learning is a continual process in the here and now, but can only be accessed when you let go of thought, which is the past recreating or extending itself; learning is the only way to really allow new experiences in your life.
- the quieting of thought is the practice of meditation.

The biggest issue for me was the theoretical nature of the text. I read Pema Chödrön's 'The places that scare you' earlier this year, which was a real eye-opener and a genuine case of 'right book at the right time'. It probably saved me from collapsing into myself, dealing with colossal pressure. Anyway, Chödrön's book is part theoretical, part exercise, and this makes sense: you want to learn about your thought processes, when they surface, how they are shaped, how you can keep them under control. She provides very accessible guides to meditation, and even has CDs for guided meditation sessions. I highly recommend it.
Anyway, as a standard human being, my mind is never still. It's always looking for puzzles to solve, and ways to solve them. So the biggest hurdle for me is quieting the mind. But Krishnamurti does not go into the practical methods to achieve this. (actually he would say that to achieve something is again the ego interrupting) To be really effective, this book for me needs to be read alongside other philosophers, like Chödrön, like Tolle (whose 'the power of now' is still so relevant!), who provide use cases, practical tips.

I cannot recommend Krishnamurti enough. He ruptures modern society's set of standards and really makes you wonder again about the world, about being able to experience the purity of it, without all of the people shouting for attention, all of the meaningless ruckus, clutter, empty talks, senseless ambition, blind belief, etc. About returning to the core of it all, the way you must have experienced it as a kid at some point.

[evi]

Είναι από τα βιβλία που δεν μπορείς να βάλεις βαθμολογία για εμένα. Αν σου αρέσουν τα φιλοσοφικά ερωτήματα είναι ότι πρέπει. Αυτό που μου έμεινε ήταν ότι ποτέ ο άνθρωπος δεν μπορεί να ξεφύγει από το παρελθόν του αλλά θα το κουβαλάει μαζί του και θα το διαμοιράζει στους άλλους κάπως πιο παραλλαγμένο.

[Vinay Nagaraju · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked the concepts - most of these are already covered in his other books, particularly the book of life and total freedom. This book was a little harder to follow compared to his other books, content repeats. The main takeaway for me was about the interpretation on how fast change or revolution should happen, learning as an art of the behaviour of not being biased - these are well articulated

[Arbër Racaj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whenever you feel like useless, bored or not knowing what to make of life's questions, read a passage in this book, it will wake you up and make see things a bit differently. One of the great Krishnamurti books for sure.

[An Nguyễn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes I think his teaching is utter nonsense, but overall I appreciate his interpretation of life, love, awareness and observation without the "observant", condemnation or comparison.

[Сергей Куликов · Rating 5 out of 5]

Душеспасительная книга в такие времена.

[Rohan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best book .

[Joshi Kirti · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's good to know these kind of thoughts .