Jiddu Krishnamurti: Meditation And Self-Awareness
Explore Jiddu Krishnamurti's unique approach to meditations and self-awareness, revealing his philosophical journey from early Theosophical influences to independent thought. Discover his radical view of meditation as a natural, thought-free state, enriched with his best quotes on meditation.
MINDFULNESS & MEDITATION
Krishnamurti's Life and Philosophical Journey
Jiddu Krishnamurti was a man of many roles. He was born on May 11, 1895, in Madanapalle, India. He became a speaker, writer, and philosopher. People still talk about his ideas today, in areas like spirituality and education. At age 14, an exciting thing happened! Charles Leadbeater from the Theosophical Society found him. Society thought he may be a World Teacher. He was then educated by the group to fit the function. However, he later left this role, leading to a big change.
In 1929, Krishnamurti left the Order of the Star, which was a group made to back him. He made a pivotal decision that truth has no defined path. He advocated the importance of individual discovery. This move led him away from organized religion and Theosophy, starting his independent thinking. For many years, Krishnamurti traveled globally. He spoke to packed halls and discussed ideas with world-renowned thinkers. He chatted about the human mind, the urgency for a psychological revolution, and learning about oneself.
Krishnamurti’s take on meditation was closely tied to his beliefs. He didn't agree with the old ways that stressed methods. Instead, he favored a kind of meditation that understood oneself and the mind. He thought that real meditation is not a ritual but a mental state. It's when the mind is thought-free, totally conscious, and in total attention. This idea was revolutionary and provided a new way to understand and exercise meditation.
Krishnamurti shared knowledge that didn't stick to any one belief system. He believed in changing how we think. Part of this was his ideas on meditation - these were key. He saw it as a route to calmness and self-liberation. He was always chasing the truth, trying to understand. This journey shaped perceptions of meditation worldwide.
The Essence of Krishnamurti's Meditation and Self-Awareness
Jiddu Krishnamurti had an original slant on meditation. He saw it not as a skill to master, but a natural mind state born from understanding and awareness. He constantly pointed out that meditation cannot be trained, it's a state of being that needs no effort or control.
Krishnamurti thought that common meditation methods like certain positions, controlled breathing, and mantra repetition might induce calm, but it's not genuine meditation. He felt these techniques might limit the mind since they require discipline, control, and focus, all against meditation's free spirit.
Krishnamurti's meditation idea based on understanding oneself. He thought that self-awareness lights the path to meditation. This includes observing thoughts, feelings, and actions impartially, without disturbance. With this observation, one notices the mind's patterns and presets. He insisted that in this alert state, the mind is naturally calm and capable of finding its truth.
He also advocated for the importance of living in the present moment. According to Krishnamurti, meditation plays a real part in this.
Living in the now, fully focused on each second - that's what meditation was all about to Krishnamurti. No distractions from past or future, just the present. Understanding the mind and the world - that's what he believed required this type of attention. Krishnamurti's meditation teachings shake up the usual ideas. No rituals, no techniques. Just a pathway to inner calm and freedom.
Good thing about it? It's unique. His advice: think of meditation as a journey of understanding yourself. It leads to a mind clear, active, and fully in tune with the present moment. Nice, right? This discussion throws light on Krishnamurti's meditation style, offering a peek into a practice centered on understanding the mind and recognizing yourself.
Applying Krishamurti's Teachings in Modern Times
Technology, stress, and societal problems loom large. Yet, Jiddu Krishnamurti's meditation teachings offer solutions. His view on meditation focuses on self-understanding. In our hectic times, this approach brings clarity and peace.
Krishnamurti suggests nonjudgmental self-observation. See your thoughts and feelings without trying to alter them. This can lead to self-insight and a better world view. Amid daily distractions, this practice encourages calm and focus.
His teachings also mesh with today's mindfulness methods. They promote 'living in the now'. This way, people battling modern day stress and anxiety can cope better. Living in the present gives a more mindful response to life's hurdles.
Krishnamurti also critiques the 'money-making' side of meditation today. Instead, he supports meditation free of financial motives. This contrasts with the profit-led wellness methods often seen these days.
Krishnamurti said changing how we think could really shape our society. In a world battling stuff like climate shifts, unfairness, and political issues, his words provide steps towards a caring and awake society. He felt that changing one person at a time could lead to big changes for everyone.
This section looks at how we can use Krishnamurti's ideas today. It gives practical tips for you if you're trying to find your way in our complex world with more awareness and peace. His lessons are timeless, and continue to help people find inner calm and insight in our always shifting world.
Best Quotes By Jiddu Krishnamurti From Meditations
"In the space which thought creates around itself there is no love. This space divides man from man, and in it is all the becoming, the battle of life, the agony and fear."
"Meditation then is not the pursuit of some vision, however, sanctified by tradition. Rather it is the endless space where thought cannot enter."
"Meditation is an action which comes when the mind has lost its little space."
"Meditation can, however, take place when the eyes are open and one is surrounded by objects of every kind. But then these objects have no importance at all. One sees them but there is no process of recognition, which means there is no experiencing."
"The mind can never be silent within itself; it is silent only within the vast space which thought cannot touch. Out of this silence, there is an action which is not of thought. Meditation is this silence."
"Meditation is one of the most extraordinary things, and if you do not know what it is you are like the blind man in a world of bright colour, shadows and moving light."
"It is not an intellectual affair, but when the heart enters into the mind, the mind has quite a different quality: it is really, then, limitless, not only in its capacity to think, to act efficiently but also in its sense of living in a vast space where you are part of everything."
"Meditation is the movement of love. It isn't the love of the one or of the many. It is like water that anyone can drink out of any jar, whether golden or earthenware: it is inexhaustible."
"The craving for more experience, for visions, for higher perception, for some realization or other, makes the mind look outward, which is no different from its dependence on environment and people. The curious part of meditation is that an event is not made into an experience."
"To have no resistance, to have no barriers inwardly towards anything, to be really free, completely, from all the minor urges, compulsions and demands, with all their little conflicts and hypocrisies, is to walk in life with open arms."
"When you meditate in solitude, it must be solitude. You must be completely alone, not following a system, or a method, repeating words, pursuing a thought, or shaping a thought according to your desire. This solitude comes when the mind is freed from thought."
"I don't know if you have ever meditated, if you have ever been alone, by yourself, far away from everything, from every person, from every thought and pursuit.."
"Meditation is really very simple. We complicate it. We weave a web of ideas around it what it is and what it is not."
"And this mind dictates the activity of the heart, and then the trouble begins. But meditation comes naturally, with extraordinary ease, when you walk on the sand or look out of your window or see those marvellous hills burnt by last summer's sun."
"Meditation is not the pursuit of pleasure and the search for happiness. Meditation, on the contrary, is a state of mind in which there is no concept or formula, and therefore total freedom."
"Meditation is not the mere control of body and thought, nor is it a system of breathing-in and breathing-out. The body must be still, healthy and without strain; sensitivity of feeling must be sharpened and sustained; and the mind with all its chattering, disturbances and gropings must come to an end."
"When the mind is healthy, vital and vigorous, then feeling will be heightened and will be extremely sensitive. Then the body, with its natural intelligence which hasn't been spoiled by habit and taste, will function as it should."
"Thought destroys feeling, feeling being loved. Thought can offer only pleasure, and in the pursuit of pleasure, love is pushed aside. The pleasure of eating, of drinking, has its continuity in thought, and merely to control or suppress this pleasure which thought has brought about has no meaning; it creates only various forms of conflict and compulsion."