Notes on UG Krishnamurti

UG Krishnamurti was a great thinker. Not to be confused with his famous contemporary, Jiddu Krishnamurti (JK). If you follow one, you’ll certainly find the other. Many things are common between them. Both were associated with Theosophical Society, but later their views changed. Not only both disassociated with the Theosophical Society, but broke relationship with each other. UG claimed that though JK preached ‘no isms’, ‘no groups’, ‘no gurus’, he (JK) got tangled in his own teachings and developed a certain followership.

UG spent considerable time searching for enlightenment. Or to find out if it is possible for a common man to get enlightened? His eventual conclusion: There is no enlightenment. Because of this statement, certain people do think UG is enlightened! (One gets enlightened only when one is not looking for it!)

It seems that UG went to Ramana Maharshi, and asked the famous teacher: “This thing called moksha (enlightenment), can you give it to me?”

Ramana Maharshi replied with a counter question: “I can give it, but can you take it?”

This answer irked UG to such an extent, he stayed away from all gurus or people who claimed to be enlightened, then onwards.

Many thinkers (JK, Ekhart Tolle) disagree with Descartes (Father of modern Philosophy), who identified Mind with ‘I’ in his famous axiom: “I think therefore I am”. UG goes little ahead by his own question to Descartes: “What If I don’t think, do I exist therefore?”

Below is a video of talks between Psychologist Jeffrey Mishlove and UG.

Freedom from the Known [J Krishnamurti simplified]

Mind is a recording machine. It records everything: good and bad experiences.

This collection becomes “me”.

When I encounter a new challenge, I face it with the collection of my past experiences.

The challenge is new. But my solution is old.

When you let-go the past experiences, every challenge is faced without the burden of past. Your mind becomes sensitive. You face everything with a new curiosity, like a child.

GOD [J Krishnamurti simplified]

Our mind cannot seek the unknown.

When you seek something, you already have an idea of the thing you are searhing. For e.g. if you are searching a lost wallet, you already know what you are looking for——the color of the wallet, texture etc. So, when you find the wallet under the dining table, you recognize it immediately.

Can you search a thing that you haven’t seen before?

Let’s say you are looking for Pseduert. You don’t know what it is. How would you recognize Pseduert when you find it? It is not possible. Because you haven’t seen it before. Similarly, human mind cannot find God. It’s a futile search.

We learn about God from Parents, religious leaders, and holy books. Krishnamurti asks, What if they are wrong?

Reference:

On God by J.Krishnamurti.

NOW

(This was my fourth Toastmasters speech)

NOW

(Tostmasters Speech 4; 569 words; 7 minutes.)

Rene Descartes——17th century French mathematician and philosopher, now known as Father of Modern Philosophy——asked an important question to himself: How can I prove my existence? It is possible that it was a Friday evening, and he was in a downtown bar, Or maybe he was on the wrong side of forties, when men tend to ask such questions. Nevertheless, he came up with an important axiom: Cogito ergo sum. In english: I think, therefore I am. Somebody is asking the question——How can I prove my existence? That somebody must exist, to ask such a question. Hence I exist.

Earlier he had rejected the validity of senses by  Wax theory. Wax has certain color and texture. But when you bring it near to a flame, wax changes its properties; hence, our senses deceive. Only a thinking mind can tell us what is right and what is wrong.

Thus Descartes identified ‘I’ with mind. And, this has been carried on for centuries now. We say a person is intelligent, solves crossword puzzles, solves Rubik's cubes, IQ over 150 etc. We identify people with mind.

Now, Eckhart Tolle——spiritual leader, New York times best selling writer of The Power of Now and A New Earth——says, Descartes was wrong. We are not our mind. Mind is just a tool. Like a hand or an eye. If you don’t use it properly, it’ll use you.

Compulsive thinking

Human beings are compulsive thinkers. As I give this speech your mind is somewhere else——Mortgage, bills, children, appraisals, health etc. Also, mind has this ability to dig out past incidents and blow them up, out of proportion. Mind plays past events again and again.

How could she say I look fat?

That was probably an off-hand remark. But our mind digs it out, adds emotions, and repeats it again and again.

This activity exhausts us.

The solution: disassociation with the mind. Observe the mind chatter. You thought about mortgage right after you woke up in the morning. Now you are thinking again at lunch. Observe that. Gradually mind chatter reduces.

Another solution is to live in the PRESENT.

NOW

Babies live in the present. They don’t know the concept of time: Past and Future. So are the animals——Dogs and Cats. They live in the present. They are just happy to see US, when we return from work.  Only adult human beings are tangled in Time.

We worry about the past that can not be changed. We have an illusion that things would become better in future. But only thing we can do is live NOW.

Enlightenment

Creativity needs the presence. You cannot think about mortgage and write a poem. That’s why you feel relaxed, when you indulge in an activity that needs complete presence. Because the mind is not thinking.

Right NOW you don’t have any problems. Of course you need to take care of mortgage, bills, children. But right NOW as I speak we don’t have any problems. If a tornado to hit this building, we’ll take appropriate action. Run to a safe area. Call 911. Our mind is capable of doing the right thing.

So compulsive thinking is not necessary. By not thinking, you are relaxing the mind. You are creating a distance between 2 thoughts. At first you’ll find short periods of silence. When you practice this, gradually the distance increases. You become AWARE. When you are 100% AWARE, you become enlightened.

Thank you.

The untethered soul

The untethered soul [4.5/5]

By Michael A. Singer

Ramana Maharshi asked the question: who am I? When you think about it, it is very difficult to answer that question. You are not your name——letters arranged in a particular fashion. You are not the image in the mirror. Ten years ago the image was different. Every cell in the body is replaced in 7 years. You are physically different now, since 7 years ago.

Ramana Maharshi finally gives a cryptic answer: the one who asks the question——‘Who am I?’——I am that person.

Yeeeeeks. Little tricky. Michael A. singer has written a 200 page book to answer this question.

Since childhood, we come across a lot of experiences. We cling to them and develop convictions.

You go to church every Sunday. You like Kishor Kumar songs. You love to drive fast. A pretty girl ditched you during your college days. You love baby-laughs. You jog everyday.

These experiences make you. Some stay with you as positive energy. Some negative.

When we face new situations, you compare them with your convictions and judge them.

When you meet a person who likes contemporary songs, you become uncomfortable, since they don’t share your likings. When you meet an agnostic, you are uncomfortable. You don’t understand people who don’t exercise. When people cut you in the traffic, you get edgy. You think women who wear short dresses are of loose character.

You judge everyone with your past experiences. What happens when you don’t store past experiences? You become a window. You don’t store any energies. The experiences pass through you like the white lines on the road. When a new situation confronts you, you don’t have anything to compare with, you face them with the enthusiasm of a child. You don’t judge anyone. You become more peaceful.

It is a great book. I highly recommend this book.