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On Living And Dying
On Living and Dying reveals that the fear of death is not rooted in physical pain or in leaving loved ones, but in the fear that some essential part of what we are will not continue. Krishnamurti explains that to comprehend death, which is so inseparably joined with life, we must come to it with a fresh understanding, free of learned attitude and preconceptions.
166 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
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231 people want to read
About the author
J. Krishnamurti
1,323 books4,283 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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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
July 7, 2013
Jiddu Krishnamurti was one of the great teachers of the Twentieth Century. He stood alone. No one could put him in a box or attach a label to him. Completely original, he espoused and taught no particular theology, religion, philosophy or cosmology. He was a minimalist, setting aside traditions, scriptures, practices and methods. On Living and Dying is a compilation of teachings from a vast collection of talks, dialogues, journals and letters. He taught that transformation of individual consciousness has nothing to do with the mind's clinging to ideas and beliefs. Rather it has to do with understanding a handful of simple, basic facts: life, time, fear, death, sorrow and love. Our attachment to life and confusion about time leads to a fear of death which is the basis of all sorrow. One must realize that life and death are the same thing. Death is not a single moment at the end of life. Life and death are simultaneous. One must live life to the fullest by living every moment and one must die death to the fullest by dying every moment. There's no difference! An intellectual understanding of all this has nothing to do with the realization of the interconnectedness of these facts. The interconnetedness itself is love. This realization can come about only when we die to the mind and all its associated distractions: envy, greed, ambition, power, knowledge, emotion, imagination and all societal attachments. Meditation is suggested as the way to understanding, but Krishnamurdi gives us no methods or pathways. You have to figure it out on your own.
May 21, 2022
Jiddu Krishnamurthi is known for his philosophy. This book is full of content without any explanations or stories. That's what a seeker or philosopher needs.
Hard to read but full of content.
I won't recommend it because you will reach here one day if you are on the path of seeking.
Hard to read but full of content.
I won't recommend it because you will reach here one day if you are on the path of seeking.
February 17, 2024
anti-buddhist ❌
April 14, 2024
alright krishnamurti kinda popped off
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August 21, 2019Hint Filozof Jiddu Krishnamurti'nin farklı yıllarda, farklı kentlerde yaptığı söyleşilerden derlenmiş bir kitap, "Yaşamak ve Ölmek Üzerine". Krishnamurti, "yaşam"ın ve "ölüm"ün tanımlarını yapıyor söyleşilerinde, "yaşam"ı oluşturan "maddî ve manevî" koşulları araştırıyor, vardığı bilgileri izleyicileri ve okurları ile tartışıyor. "Yaşam"dan ve "ölüm"den duyulan "korku"nun bireyleri ve toplumları nasıl yıprattığını açıklıyor. "Yaşam"dan "korkmak" ve "ölüm"den "korkmak" birbirini besleyici "korku"lardır Krishnamurti'ye göre, bu "korku"lar aşılmadan "yaşam"ı tam anlamı ile ve tüm boyutları ile "yaşamak" olanaksızdır. Krishnamurti, "yaşam"ı zorlaştıran şeyleri ve "duyuş"ları bireyin nasıl aşacağını soruyor, "sonsuzluk isteği"nin "maddî yaşam koşulları"ndaki "sınırlanmışlık"la oluşturduğu "çelişki"nin "yapma bir çelişki" olduğunu açıklıyor, "yaşam"ın "yaşam" olarak yaşanması gerektiğini, herhangi bir "zorlanım"ın "yaşam"ı "yaşam" olarak yaşamayı engellediğini söylüyor ve "ölüm korkusu"nun ancak "yaşam"ın tam anlamıyla ve tüm boyutlarıyla yaşanması ile aşılacağını yazıyor.
July 12, 2024
Since I was first introduced to Krishnamurti's writings (though really, his transcribed talks, as he did very little writing himself), I have read him intermittently, every other summer or so. I consider him a spiritual guide of sorts, in that reading him centers me and allows me to better reflect on what it means to live and to die.
There is an irony to reading a book authored by a man who denounces words and ideas because they are not equivalent with facts. That is, I can't help but feel that in order to find truth, my time would be better spent meditating and observing the mechanics of thought than by reading about doing so. Nonetheless, always find it enlightening to listen to Krishnamurti's words, even if I could arrive at understandings far more directly by closing the book and paying close attention to my thoughts and feelings.
There is an irony to reading a book authored by a man who denounces words and ideas because they are not equivalent with facts. That is, I can't help but feel that in order to find truth, my time would be better spent meditating and observing the mechanics of thought than by reading about doing so. Nonetheless, always find it enlightening to listen to Krishnamurti's words, even if I could arrive at understandings far more directly by closing the book and paying close attention to my thoughts and feelings.
June 10, 2021
I rarely find horror movies to be horrifying. I tried reading Stephen King once, but gave up because I was bored. The very idea of the "horror" genre feels misguided - it seems to denote a kind of aesthetic and tradition rather than the evocation of actual horror, or the conveyance of the horrifying parts of being a human being.
To me, this book, On Living and Dying, was absolutely horrifying. The words implicated me, the reader, in a sudden and unsettling way. Over the course of the one-hundred-something pages, I lost my passivity as an innocent observer. I was being asked something by Krishnamurti — specifically, to die. And the idea that death is not only present right now, but achievable by some effortless, placeless gesture (non-gesture?) is, quite frankly, upsetting.
To me, this book, On Living and Dying, was absolutely horrifying. The words implicated me, the reader, in a sudden and unsettling way. Over the course of the one-hundred-something pages, I lost my passivity as an innocent observer. I was being asked something by Krishnamurti — specifically, to die. And the idea that death is not only present right now, but achievable by some effortless, placeless gesture (non-gesture?) is, quite frankly, upsetting.
May 23, 2020
Impegnativo come lo sono tutti i libri con i discorsi di Krishnamurti, perché si tratta di letture sostanzialmente da sperimentare. Ho particolarmente apprezzato il raggruppamento dei vari discorsi in base alla tematica della vita e della morte. Forse anche per questo mi è risultato più semplice seguire la trattazione, in particolare riguardo la morte il cui stesso vocabolo incute timore e paure più o meno vaghe. Come tutti i discorsi da lui tenuti, non offre nessuna risposta né al termine del libro si arriva quasi mai ad averne trovata una ma lo squarcio che apre nel pensiero e sul pensiero, e strumento prezioso per la sperimentazione di cui accennavo all'inizio
May 3, 2020
A brief book compiled from the speeches and interviews of Krishanmurti – His main premise - stating life and death are a continuum and the only reason we fear death is because we are so attached to our thoughts and memories glorifying our worldly identity
November 27, 2024
Insights about dying. Texts of the books are repetive, but overall interesting
November 14, 2018
Before going into review of the book. I would ask you one question about your experiences of sleep and dreams. If you are very serious about your problems, sorrows or agonies. Then answer very sincerely with natural honesty and attention.
Have you ever had a dream of your death?
We'll dream about becoming famous or dream about electronics, cars, properties etc. I didn't mean that metaphorical dream but the actual dream. The dictionary meaning of the word dream. When you get into deep and peaceful sleep it almost feels like you are dead. When you wake up morning you'll surprise like am I still alive?! or dreaming? How am I alive when I completely dead last night? These kinds of thoughts pop up into our mind when we wake up after such a fantastic sleep. So, if I'm asking you, have you ever had a dream of death means, I'm asking you, have you ever had such a kind of peaceful and mindless sleep? At least once in everyone's life it happens. For some people it happens at early ages about 12 to 18 years. You may forgotten that it happened for you. You'll never know the secret behind them if you never enquire why it happens.
Coming to the book. Like most of the non fiction books this book also appears quite boring up to half of the book. But keeping in mind what the speaker will say until that far, will help the reader to understand most complex paradoxes and secrets about death and love. In general I must say author inspite of speaker. But this book is not written by Jiddu Krishnamurti despite it is a transcripted format of J krishnamurti's talks on different locations.
Reading 2 to 3 talks we'll naturally fell into his train of instructions. He'll help us to face our subconscious fears. Including fear of death, fear of not getting a continuity of our fantasies. Basically any fears that a thought can generate. He'll bring them very closer for us that at some point he'll ask us to look directly in to the eyes of fears. He'll make our fears to shiver not ourselves. You can wonder how they vanish when you give your complete attention to it. I don't know whether there is such a thing called art of living. But JK teaches us the art of dying.
Without expectations. Without sorrow. Without agony. Without anxiety when you just simply stop everything on the spot. Then that's the experience of this magical moment called death. A kind of enthusiasm arises when he gives the experiences of death. And that he'll call it as living.
His advice is to die for everything on the spot without questions to live every moment to the fullest. What we know as death is entirely a wrong conception. We just observed a dead person's body and it's processings. But we never experience a dead person's state. We definitely not know what it is to die. Only a dead person knows what it is to die when he dies. JK tries to give us the little flashes of death when we are still alive. I'm sure he had experienced death very intimately. He makes us to understand that there is some kind of rejuvinance in dying. If not in the final death. At least in present you can experience death by falling into his whimsical instructions. And with that a living too.
Have you ever had a dream of your death?
We'll dream about becoming famous or dream about electronics, cars, properties etc. I didn't mean that metaphorical dream but the actual dream. The dictionary meaning of the word dream. When you get into deep and peaceful sleep it almost feels like you are dead. When you wake up morning you'll surprise like am I still alive?! or dreaming? How am I alive when I completely dead last night? These kinds of thoughts pop up into our mind when we wake up after such a fantastic sleep. So, if I'm asking you, have you ever had a dream of death means, I'm asking you, have you ever had such a kind of peaceful and mindless sleep? At least once in everyone's life it happens. For some people it happens at early ages about 12 to 18 years. You may forgotten that it happened for you. You'll never know the secret behind them if you never enquire why it happens.
Coming to the book. Like most of the non fiction books this book also appears quite boring up to half of the book. But keeping in mind what the speaker will say until that far, will help the reader to understand most complex paradoxes and secrets about death and love. In general I must say author inspite of speaker. But this book is not written by Jiddu Krishnamurti despite it is a transcripted format of J krishnamurti's talks on different locations.
Reading 2 to 3 talks we'll naturally fell into his train of instructions. He'll help us to face our subconscious fears. Including fear of death, fear of not getting a continuity of our fantasies. Basically any fears that a thought can generate. He'll bring them very closer for us that at some point he'll ask us to look directly in to the eyes of fears. He'll make our fears to shiver not ourselves. You can wonder how they vanish when you give your complete attention to it. I don't know whether there is such a thing called art of living. But JK teaches us the art of dying.
Without expectations. Without sorrow. Without agony. Without anxiety when you just simply stop everything on the spot. Then that's the experience of this magical moment called death. A kind of enthusiasm arises when he gives the experiences of death. And that he'll call it as living.
His advice is to die for everything on the spot without questions to live every moment to the fullest. What we know as death is entirely a wrong conception. We just observed a dead person's body and it's processings. But we never experience a dead person's state. We definitely not know what it is to die. Only a dead person knows what it is to die when he dies. JK tries to give us the little flashes of death when we are still alive. I'm sure he had experienced death very intimately. He makes us to understand that there is some kind of rejuvinance in dying. If not in the final death. At least in present you can experience death by falling into his whimsical instructions. And with that a living too.
Read
October 22, 2019Krishnamurti says : "We don't know the meaning of the death!" in his book "On Living and Dying". Krishnamurti talks on his thoughts and impressions about the death. For Krishnamurti, we must leave from our fear of death, we must think and understand the meaning of death in the life. Krishnamurti talks on his thoughts and impressions about the life. If we don't leave from our boredom and our anxieties we can not live our life!
August 10, 2009
Amazing, but the collection is extremely focused on the title topics and would not make, perhaps, a great intro to Krishnamurti...
December 5, 2012
Nice read, so meaningful.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews