Jiddu Krishnamurti
(1895-1986)
Jiddu Krishnamurti was born on May 11,1895. He was born into large family near Madras, in India, to Brahmin parents. His mother died when he was 10 years old. Soon after that, he began his first secretarial job.
At this time many Theosophists were watching closely for signs of the coming of the Lord Maitreya, the awaited World Teacher. Krishnamurti was spotted on the beach by a member of the society who claimed clairvoyance. He observed that Krishnamurti’s aura was very pure, with no traces of self-absorption. Soon after he was adopted into the society along with his younger brother Nitya. The ones who claimed him as Lord Maitreya founded an organization called The Order Of The Star, in preparation for the announcing of the arrival of The World Teacher. Both boys were educated by Theosophist tutors, until 1921 when Krishnamurti was summoned back to India so that he could begin speaking on behalf of The Order Of The Star. It was with reluctance that he returned. His brother had contracted tuberculosis, and soon the 2 found themselves in San Francisco in a small cottage.
It was here that Krishnamurti had a profound spiritual experience, which was a pivotal point in his spiritual growth. It brought with it a legacy of excruciating pain in his head and spine. He called this “the process,” and for many years he experienced periods of great pain. In 1927, it was announced by representatives of the order of The Star, that The World Teacher, Lord Maitreya, was here. In 1929, before a group of 3000 members of the order of The Star, Krishnamurti dissolved the organization. He did not so much deny being The World Teacher, but said, “I do not care if you believe I am The World Teacher or not. That is of very little importance… I do not want you to follow me… you have been accustomed to being told… what your spiritual status is. How childish! Who but yourself can tell you if you are beautiful or ugly inside?”
At the heart of Krishnamurti’s teachings is the idea that all conflicts and suffering in the world are a result of the inner world of each individual, and that one could not separate oneself from what one sees. In The Open Door (1988), by Mary Lutyens, Volume 3 of a comprehensive study of Krishnamurti’s life, the author says, “Krishnamurti saw the outer conflict in the world as being inseparable from the inner conflict in man. Society was the result of the individual and the individual the result of society; therefore we are, each one of us, responsible for all the horror and sorrow in the world, and, because every human being on earth suffers from the world's suffering, that we share a consciousness with the rest of humanity and are not really individuals at all, except superficially. No religion, no authority, no social reforms can ever end conflict and sorrow; the only thing that can is a complete mutation of each human psyche, a stepping out of the river of human consciousness, a change in the very brain cells themselves. And the mutation has to be instantaneous; it is useless trying to change, for what we are today we will inevitably be tomorrow.”
Thousands of people year after year have listened to Krishnamurti’s talks, in person and on audiotapes, and watched him on video. People who were close to him were puzzled by his “vacant mind.” He retained very little memory, focusing his awareness so fully on the moment. At times this was difficult for those who cared for him.
In his talks he would often speak about what things are not, instead of describing what they are, so that by letting all that “is not” fall away, “what is” would be revealed. In a talk in which he was trying to light upon what love is, he said, “…fear is not love, dependence is not love, jealousy is not love, possessiveness and domination are not love, responsibility and duty are not love, self-pity is not love, love is not the opposite of hate any more than humility is the opposite of vanity. So if you can eliminate all these, not by forcing them but by washing them away as the rain washes the dust of many days from a leaf then perhaps you will come upon this strange flower which man always hungers after.”
Jiddu Krishnamurti was well known for speaking on spiritual subjects, such as spiritual growth, healing, and higher consciousness. He was on a spiritual journey teaching the world to expand our brain matter and learn the art of catching consciousness within the moment. On the journey towards spiritual healing there is a sense of growth in our higher brain consciousness as if there is physical consciousness matter within us.