There is something.
Much too vast to put into words.
There is a tremendous reservoir, as it were,
which if the human mind can touch it, reveals something which no intellectual mythology
- invention, supposition, dogma - can ever reveal.
I am not making a mystery of it ... Either one creates a mystery when there isn't one
or there is a mystery which you have to approach with extraordinary delicacy and hesitancy,
and, you know, tentativeness.
And the conscious mind can't do this. It is there but you cannot come to it,
you cannot invite it. It’s not progressive achievement.
There is something but the brain can't understand it.
{Mary Lutyens, Volume 2, Krishnamurti: The Years of Fulfilment, page 224}
[Ellipses added; emphasis in the original]
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Introduction:
This new website is a different approach to the scientist of the mind, Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986) (Wikipedia biography). The approach is from a holistic and integrated standpoint, as far as that is possible - it is not just taking a fragment here and there, a well-worn catchphrase or two. It is an exploration into the totality of the work - the books, dialogues and the public talks covering in all around 38 years, from 1948-1986 (hereinafter referred to universally as ‘the talks’).
It is held there is a call for such an endeavour as there appears to be much confusion surrounding the true nature of what has been ‘pointed out’. It is now clear that no-one has been transformed; it is equally clear very few have actually understood the totality of the talks, in all their nuances and subtle implications. The interconnected discussions herein are born from years of reading and reflection. In every case, they invite serious responses from you, the reader, in an ongoing and open dialogue.
Of necessity, there are a number of excerpts and quotations from the published works. This does not mean that the man and his words are set up as an authority, or one whose words should be accepted without question. Everything stated in the talks and in this site needs to be inquired into. The talks are ultimately a mirror into the crucial issues of the mind to be looked at, observed and explored by each one of us. If one sees the truth of a statement by observing the processes of the mind then this is sufficient; one does not need then to bestow authority on anyone else.
One subject that is not covered in this site and will not be discussed (as it is irrelevant) is the man and his life, along with all that such an examination entails. This ‘personality cult’ (for that is simply what it is) is as old as history itself, with all its notable and iconic examples of Jesus Christ and the Buddha, et al, which in the end is a clever escape from the import of the words spoken by these ‘gurus’, or so-called ‘great men’. What has been said is what is important; all the rest is mental distraction and escape (see Site Background).
This inquiry thus addresses two essential, interconnected questions:
What is it actually all about?
Can we understand it in its totality, even if only verbally?
The underlying premise is clear: the talks must first be grasped verbally before any further investigation can take place. You cannot have an insight into something you don’t intellectually comprehend. Hence these discussions are founded on logic and reason, the forces of the intellect, but there is an awareness of their limitations and those of words in general in dealing with all these issues. These are understandings shared openly and every effort has been made to avoid interpretations of any kind by encompassing the talks across the spectrum. Of course, by the very nature of the mind, such interpretations may appear inevitable, but any that do arise can be freely challenged in dialogue, in the spirit of ongoing self-inquiry.
The discussion is open, nothing is set in stone and this site is not attempting to convince you of anything. Hopefully it will illuminate or clarify some of these perennial issues.
The talks are a direct challenge to all of human civilization. The challenge is in terms of the content of the mind common to all humanity, and whether a new mind can come about. As such, these talks go far beyond the central tenets of modern organized religions such as Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, as well as the belief systems of the new age, the banalities of contemporary ‘spiritual teachers’, and all spiritual organizations. All these make followers of their members and instil conformity - whereas these talks are concerned with the development of the full human being as a true individual, completely uninfluenced by the past, by society and by all inner and outer authority.
The underlying thrust of the talks is about Truth, which is beyond the mind as we know it. It also addresses the actual meaning - the word used is significance - of human life. The purpose of our life. Eternal peace of mind. True peace on Earth. True freedom.
That's what the talks are really all about - but only when there is self-knowledge.
The journey of self-knowledge is the sole intent of this website.
This new website is a different approach to the scientist of the mind, Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986) (Wikipedia biography). The approach is from a holistic and integrated standpoint, as far as that is possible - it is not just taking a fragment here and there, a well-worn catchphrase or two. It is an exploration into the totality of the work - the books, dialogues and the public talks covering in all around 38 years, from 1948-1986 (hereinafter referred to universally as ‘the talks’).
It is held there is a call for such an endeavour as there appears to be much confusion surrounding the true nature of what has been ‘pointed out’. It is now clear that no-one has been transformed; it is equally clear very few have actually understood the totality of the talks, in all their nuances and subtle implications. The interconnected discussions herein are born from years of reading and reflection. In every case, they invite serious responses from you, the reader, in an ongoing and open dialogue.
Of necessity, there are a number of excerpts and quotations from the published works. This does not mean that the man and his words are set up as an authority, or one whose words should be accepted without question. Everything stated in the talks and in this site needs to be inquired into. The talks are ultimately a mirror into the crucial issues of the mind to be looked at, observed and explored by each one of us. If one sees the truth of a statement by observing the processes of the mind then this is sufficient; one does not need then to bestow authority on anyone else.
One subject that is not covered in this site and will not be discussed (as it is irrelevant) is the man and his life, along with all that such an examination entails. This ‘personality cult’ (for that is simply what it is) is as old as history itself, with all its notable and iconic examples of Jesus Christ and the Buddha, et al, which in the end is a clever escape from the import of the words spoken by these ‘gurus’, or so-called ‘great men’. What has been said is what is important; all the rest is mental distraction and escape (see Site Background).
This inquiry thus addresses two essential, interconnected questions:
What is it actually all about?
Can we understand it in its totality, even if only verbally?
The underlying premise is clear: the talks must first be grasped verbally before any further investigation can take place. You cannot have an insight into something you don’t intellectually comprehend. Hence these discussions are founded on logic and reason, the forces of the intellect, but there is an awareness of their limitations and those of words in general in dealing with all these issues. These are understandings shared openly and every effort has been made to avoid interpretations of any kind by encompassing the talks across the spectrum. Of course, by the very nature of the mind, such interpretations may appear inevitable, but any that do arise can be freely challenged in dialogue, in the spirit of ongoing self-inquiry.
The discussion is open, nothing is set in stone and this site is not attempting to convince you of anything. Hopefully it will illuminate or clarify some of these perennial issues.
The talks are a direct challenge to all of human civilization. The challenge is in terms of the content of the mind common to all humanity, and whether a new mind can come about. As such, these talks go far beyond the central tenets of modern organized religions such as Christianity, Islam and Buddhism, as well as the belief systems of the new age, the banalities of contemporary ‘spiritual teachers’, and all spiritual organizations. All these make followers of their members and instil conformity - whereas these talks are concerned with the development of the full human being as a true individual, completely uninfluenced by the past, by society and by all inner and outer authority.
The underlying thrust of the talks is about Truth, which is beyond the mind as we know it. It also addresses the actual meaning - the word used is significance - of human life. The purpose of our life. Eternal peace of mind. True peace on Earth. True freedom.
That's what the talks are really all about - but only when there is self-knowledge.
The journey of self-knowledge is the sole intent of this website.
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{Photo courtesy Microsoft Clip Art}
Site last updated on May 9, 2008.
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"If there is an awareness of how thought begins then there is no need to control thought. We spend a great deal of time and waste a great deal of energy all through our lives ... trying to control our thoughts – ‘This is a good thought, I must think about it a lot. This is an ugly thought, I must suppress it.’ There is a battle going on all the time between one thought and another, one desire and another, one pleasure dominating all other
pleasures. But if there is an awareness of the beginning of thought, then there is no contradiction in thought."
{No need to control thought, Freedom from the Known, page 103}
pleasures. But if there is an awareness of the beginning of thought, then there is no contradiction in thought."
{No need to control thought, Freedom from the Known, page 103}
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Copyright © 2007, beyondthemindsite. All Rights Reserved.
This site went online on November 22, 2007. It is undergoing continual development.
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