You are the world

Jiddhu Krishnamurti wanted to take away all dogmas, so that you for yourself could judge freely.

He was for sure influenced by Buddhism but disliked the notion of for instance rebirth.
(as I do).

Here he speaks about that with a Buddhist and other people.



He seldom wanted to give own ideas, but here he uses the metaphor for our human condition;
we are all swimming in a river of desires, anxiety, anger and so on, paused with small moments of pleasure and happiness.

As we all share this, we are more of that common river, than individuals.

We are children of that river and it will still flow when we "die".
The river will just manifest itself in new bodies with new names.

Pessimistic?

Maybe, since he gives no method to free ourselves from the river.
All he says is that we should empty our minds.

But I think mindfulness can be a method.

We wan't be free of the river, but we can can get some distance from it and maybe for some time step out of it...

As I have traveled a lot in Asia, in cultures that are quite different then mine, I can agree that we humans share the  same desires and wishes. The cultures may differ, but on the inside we are the same. And we share that inside with most of the animals. Thats why "you are the world"...

But is it true that we cannot be happy if we live like most people do?

Living in India, Krishnamurti had seen many poor and sick people, his brother died young, he had a love affair with a women that had a troublesome marriage with K:s own secretary.

So in some ways he had had the same experiences as the Buddha. And as many of us have had.

Another man with this experiences was Mark Twain.


He had his time of fame and pleasure, but most of his life seems to be quite sorrowful;

Two of his children died in young age, he had problems with the economy and where depressed in his late years.

Krishnamurti's life was in that sense better. He didn't try to earn money, but got them anyway, mostly through donations. He didn't try to be famous, but was it anyway. As he had no children, he didn't have to worry about them. He lectured nearly until the end and seemed not to be sorrowful in the last years.

So maybe he was right about the river-metaphor.....



 

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