The legacy of a solitary pilgrim

The life and teachings of J. Krishnamurti, which spanned the greater part of the 20th century, constitute a most original, and perhaps the longest, chapter in the history of religious philosophy. A legendary figure from boyhood, and hailed variously as Messiah, World Teacher, Buddha, Christ, and so on, Krishnamurti was a sage, philosopher, public speaker, writer, poet, educationist — a solitary pilgrim who went about the world for more than 60 years pointing out, to those willing to listen, the need to be a light to oneself.

J. Krishnamurti was born on May 11, 1895 to a pious family in Madanapalle, a small town in Andhra Pradesh in south India. He was adopted in his youth by Dr Annie Besant, the president of the Theosophical Society, which had its international headquarters at Madras. Besant and others proclaimed that Krishnamurti was to be the World Teacher, whose coming the theosophists had predicted. A World Teacher, according to various scriptures, takes a human form from time to time to bring salvation to mankind. To prepare the world for his coming, an organisation called the Order of the Star in the East was formed in 1911 with the young Krishnamurti as its head.

In 1922, Krishnamurti underwent certain mystical experiences which, as he said, made him touch that “compassion that heals all sorrow and suffering”. Some years later he dissolved the order with its huge following and gave up all the money and property collected for the work. In a historic speech in 1929 he explained why religious organisations cannot lead man to truth and declared that his only concern was “to set man absolutely, unconditionally free”.

Then for more than 60 years, till his passing away in 1986, he travelled round the world talking to people and holding discussions with them, not as a guru but as a friend. His talks and discussions were based not on book knowledge and scholarship but on his insight into the human condition and his vision of the sacred. He did not expound any philosophy, but rather talked of the things that concern all of us in our everyday life — the problems of living in modern society with its corruption and violence; the individual’s search for security and happiness; and the need for man to free himself from his inner burdens of fear, anger, envy, sorrow, and so on. He unravelled with great precision the subtle workings of the human mind and pointed to the importance of bringing to our daily life a deeply meditative and religious quality.

Although he is recognised in both the East and the West as one of the greatest religious teachers of all times, Krishnamurti himself belonged to no religion, 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 man from man and bring about conflict and war. He emphasised time and again that we are first and foremost human beings, that we are like the rest of humanity and are not different. He asked that we tread lightly on this earth without destroying ourselves or the environment. Thus his teachings transcend all man-made boundaries of religious belief, nationalistic sentiment and sectarian outlook. At the same time, they give a new meaning and direction to man’s search for God or truth. His teachings, besides being relevant to the modern age, are timeless and universal.

He insisted that his listeners use him merely as a mirror in which they can see themselves clearly, so that their own awareness would free them from their conditioning. When they asked questions about him or the “secret” of his understanding, he would always turn their questions back on them. At a public meeting when he was asked “Who are you?” he gave a characteristic reply: “Is that an important question? Or should the questioner ask, “Who am I?”; not “Who are you?” To find out who you are, you have to inquire.” He stated and restated his vision that he, the teacher, was not important. Living the teachings, and not living on the words of the teachings, was the only thing he expected of the thousands who flocked to his talks, read his books, or joined his institutions.

Krishnamurti did not address just the contemporary crisis: his prophetic vision warned us of coming events far ahead of his time. Nationalism leading to two World Wars and the nuclear holocaust; the violence unleashed by political ideologies; the savage destruction of the earth; the growing religious fundamentalism; the explosion of knowledge; the over-development of the intellect; the computer and the robot enabling man to pursue the path of pleasure; the collapse of moral values.

Nevertheless, Krishnamurti’s emphasis was not on social reform and good works, but on man’s ancient quest for truth through self-inquiry and self-knowledge. He repeated in several contexts his central perception that “thought cannot solve any human problem because thought itself is the problem”. All that man has done so far has led only to destruction and misery, and therefore a totally different action, not based on the known solutions, was needed.  

The personal charm of the man, the silence of his presence, and the clarity and cadence of his utterances cast a spell on his listeners, but the challenges he poses are always hard hitting and are addressed to every field of human endeavour. In a talk at the United Nations, he had declared that nations can never be united and that organisations can never bring peace on earth. He tells parents and teachers that cruelty has many forms and its “ultimate expression is examinations”.

The educational side of his philosophy was best expressed in the schools he founded in India, England, and the United States. He said: “A school is a place where one learns... to look at the whole of man’s endeavour, his search for beauty, his search for truth, and for a way of living without conflict... It is the intent of the schools to inquire into this possibility.” The dialogues he held with children on his annual visits to schools are a novel contribution to the educational, literature of the world.

During his lifetime, four Krishnamurti Foundations came up, in India, England, United States and Latin America. Today, his works are available in nearly 50 world languages. The foundations also run the schools and study centres and take care of the lands.

All these, and many more, are his material legacy. His living legacy lies in the minds and hearts of countless people the world over, whose lives he touched and transformed with his immense wisdom and boundless compassion.