The Talks on Freedom - Notes on Quotations & Copyright

     Quotations:

The matter of Context:
It may be noted that some of the quotations and one-liners in these discussions appear to be taken out of context, so context itself needs to be investigated. For instance, take the statement: “Truth is a pathless land”. This statement stands by itself. Of course it can be elaborated on but the actual statement can be quoted (and is, both within this site and in other places) without any further elaboration - it does not necessarily require the context of a paragraph or a theme or a chapter from a book to make itself clear or to be reflected on. Another example where this situation equally applies is the statement: "The observer is the observed".

To take yet another example, consider the straightforward statement: “Thought is time”. This statement does not need to be included in a whole paragraph to be considered as a statement in and of itself; it stands alone and does not need expansion or clarification. If further elaboration is needed however, one may refer to the citation and follow up where the quote appears, in its full and original context, if that is deemed necessary (in those cases of course where a page number is included - see the note on page citations below).

There are many examples where a single statement or a one-line quotation stands on its own, hence the one-liners page. When one thinks through these lines one can see that the statement presented can stand by itself - certainly they can be elaborated upon but the statement itself does not depend on this elaboration.

The matter of Selectivity:
It may also be observed that certain quotations have been carefully selected only to bolster the text and theme of that particular page. That is, the inference is that other quotations on the same topic have been excluded as they contradict (or appear to contradict) the point or theme in question. This is simply not the case. There has been a broadest possible reading in order not to selectively quote from one particular book or passage: the intent is to see the totality of what has been pointed out, so far as this is possible.

As for contradictory text, let it be very clearly stated that in no case has a passage ever been consulted by this writer for this site that appears to contradict anything else that is stated on this site. As stated elsewhere, the talks are not self-contradictory - only the terminology has changed over time which makes it appear at times that they are. This use of certain words, which at times appears almost cavalier, has caused confusion, but this is only quibbling about semantics. The fundamental themes pointed out in the talks are and have always been clear, unwavering and non-contradictory.

The challenge this presents is clear: if anyone has an instance of any passage that appears to contradict any of the points made in this site then he or she is welcome to submit this to the Self-Inquiry page, so that it can be openly and fully discussed.

The matter of Page Citations:
Where a quotation appears from a book but there is no citation of the page number, this is because that excerpt has been taken from the Kinfonet daily quotations page, which does not generally include page numbers of cited books in any excerpts that appear on the daily quotations page of that site. Where a page number does appear, the quotation in question is either from the J. Krishnamurti Teachings International daily quotes page, or from a book that is in the personal possession of the writer.

The matter of Formatting and Emphases:
In many instances with longer passages, paragraphs have been added simply in order to bring greater ease of reading to them. This does not distort or alter the text and the meaning of the passage in any way. Without variation, where emphases appear in a quotation, these have been added by the writer for the sole purpose of highlighting what is seen to be a particularly important point. Where the emphasis exists in the original, this is always noted along with the citation.

The matter of Ellipses:
It will be noted that there is also the use throughout the site of ellipses (the three dots …) which appear in a number of the quotations selected - see this Wikipedia Article for more on the general use of this function. This indicates that words have been omitted from the original text. (Note that an ellipsis can also sometimes be used to indicate a pause or hesitation in the text, or an abrupt interruption to an interlocutor in a dialogue, but this is not the use to which we are referring.)

The use of an ellipsis is not meant in any way to distort, mislead or alter the point being made in the quoted passage. To the contrary, in every case, it is used to omit what is considered to be repetitive words or phrasing in the text, or words that appear superfluous to the central point being made. The intent in every case is to bring greater clarity to the expression and the point involved. There is undeniable repetition in the talks and the removal of it brings the point being made into much sharper focus.

Where ellipses are used, there is a citation provided for those who wish to view the omitted words. If the use of this function in any particular quote should become an issue, the omitted words from the original quotation could generally be provided, should the situation warrant. There are, of course, a number of passages where ellipses are included as part of the original text, so they have been included.

The following is an example of the use of ellipses: first the passage as it appears, and then the full passage where the omitted words are highlighted (this is also an example where paragraphs have been added for ease of reading):

       * Example of the use of Ellipses, which are in bold, from a passage in It's the Words, not the Speaker:

K: “… You have the idea somebody can teach you. Therefore you begin right off with a fragmentation … you and the teacher, you and the enlightened being - obviously there is a division.

Q: But aren’t you teaching?

K: “Am I? From the beginning the speaker has said there is no teacher and no disciple. He has been saying this for forty-five years [this dialogue took place in 1970] … And you ask: are you a teacher or not? I’ve shown it to you. A teacher implies one who has accumulated knowledge and transmits it to another; like a professor and a student. We are not in that relationship here at all. We are learning together, we have made that very clear. …

But if you have the feeling that because the speaker sits on the platform he knows better, he is the enlightened one, I say: please don’t attribute things to the person who is sitting on the platform. You know nothing about enlightenment. …“

        * The complete Quotation:

K: “… You have the idea somebody can teach you. Therefore you begin right off with a fragmentation; this division is a fragmentation - you and the teacher, you and the enlightened being - obviously there is a division.

Q: But aren’t you teaching?

K: “Am I? From the beginning the speaker has said there is no teacher and no disciple. He has been saying this for forty-five years, [this dialogue took place in 1970] not out of foolishness or as a reaction, but because he perceived the truth that nobody can teach enlightenment to another through any system, nor through meditation, nor through any discipline. One saw that forty-five years ago. And you ask: are you a teacher or not? I’ve shown it to you. A teacher implies one who has accumulated knowledge and transmits it to another; like a professor and a student. We are not in that relationship here at all. We are learning together, we have made that very clear. All communication means learning together, creating together, watching together. If that is understood then our communication is entirely different.

But if you have the feeling that because the speaker sits on the platform he knows better, he is the enlightened one, I say: please don’t attribute things to the person who is sitting on the platform. You know nothing about enlightenment. …“
{The Impossible Question, page 142}

                                 ~~~~~~~~

Use of Copyrighted material:

Written permission for the use of the extensive quotations reproduced on this site has been gratefully received from the coordinator at kpublications.com. All the books from which these quotations have been taken are available at the Foundations' official book purchasing website - www.pathless.com.

If any reader wishes to use quotations of the non-Krishnamurti text for their own purposes on their own blog/website, then please email the writer. For the reproduction of all the Krishnamurti quotations themselves, of course, you must first seek written permission from the rightful copyright holders: the Krishnamurti Foundation of America (KFA) in Ojai, California, and the Krishnamurti Foundation Trust (KFT) in Hampshire, England.