THE SAGE WHO WOULDN'T BE GURU
Krishnamurti was a guru who never wanted to be one. What he taught stemmed from his personal realization: that truth cannot be reached by any path, religion or sect. To find it, the seeker must strive to ascend to it through his discovery. It is possible by casting aside past conditioning, and stilling thought that impedes awareness of what is.
Had he not abdicated, the throne of the biggest spiritual guru of modern
times would have been his. While other gurus struggle to build their organizations,
a worldwide platform, The Order of the Star of the East, was offered to
Jiddu Krishnamurti on a platter by Theosophical Society chieftains Annie Besant
and H.W. Leadbeater. They had groomed him since childhood to be a ready vehicle
for Lord Maitreya to incarnate. The twist in their script came when Krishnamurti
had a profound spiritual awakening.
What he later taught stemmed from his personal realization: that truth cannot
be reached by any path, religion or sect. To find it, the seeker must strive to
ascend to it through his own discovery. It is possible by casting aside past
conditioning, and stilling thought that impedes awareness of what is.
By 1930, Krishnamurti had dissociated himself from the Order and the
Theosophical Society.
Ironically, though he had refused messiah hood, he went on to become a
world-renowned teacher, giving talks occasioned by profound insights into
the deepest questions of humanity. He never quoted earlier masters, nor
threw the scriptures at you. His style, his compassion and the psychological
nature of his inquiry are reminiscent of the Buddha.
A sage-like figure, Krishnamurti died in 1986 in Ojai, USA, at the
age of 91.
Today, Krishnamurti Foundations continue to disseminate his teachings,
and the seven Krishnamurti schools—five in India, set up at his
behest—offer his approach to learning and self-discovery. The following
excerpt has been taken from Krishnamurti's Commentaries on Living.
