The Years of Awakening

Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986) was an independent spiritual teacher for the rest of his life, writing many books such as Krishnamurti Reader: No. 1, You are the World, Commentaries on living;: First series, from the notebooks of J. Krishnamurti. Mary Lutyens (1908-1999) was a British author best known for her three-volume biography of Jiddu Krishnamurti; the other volumes in this series are Krishnamurti: The Years of Fulfilment and Krishnamurti: The Open Door. She wrote in the Foreword to this 1975 book, "This account of the life of the first thirty-eight years of Krishnamurti's life has been written at his suggestion and with all the help he has been able to give me. it shows the circumstances of the unfolding of Krishnamurti's teaching and demonstrates his extraordinary achievement in freeing himself from the many hands that clutched at him in an endeavour to force him into the role of traditional Messiah." He told his audience, "I maintain that Truth is a pathless land, and you cannot approach it by any path whatsoever, by any religion, by any sect... I do not want to belong to any organization of a spiritual kind; please understand this." Lutyens' sympathetic, yet detailed and critical biography is "must reading" for anyone wanting to know more about Krishnamurti.

JIDDU KRISHNAMURTThe passages in this Study Book have been taken directly from Krishnamurti's talks and books from 1933 through 1967. The compil- ers began by reading all the passages from this period which contained the word action-the theme of this book. This would not have been possible without the use of a full text computer database, produced by the Krishnamurti Foundation Trust of England. Over 750 passages were studied in all, and the aspects of "action" most frequently addressed by Krishnamurti were noted. These aspects then formed the outline for the contents of this book. The material selected has not been altered from the way it was originally printed except for limited correction of spelling, punctua- tion, and missing words. Words or phrases that appear in brackets are not Krishnamurti's, but have been added by the compilers for the sake of clarity. Ellipses introducing a passage, or ending it, indicate that the passage begins or ends in mid-sentence. Ellipses in the course of a passage indicate words or sentences omitted. A series of asterisks between paragraphs shows that there are paragraphs from that talk which have been omitted. Captions, set off from the body of the text, have been used with many passages. Most captions are statements taken directly from the text, with some being a combination of phrases from the passage. Krishnamurti spoke from such a large perspective that his entire vision was implied in any extended passage. If one wishes to see how a statement flows out of his whole discourse, one can find the full context from the references at the foot of each passage. These refer primarily to talks which have been published in The Collected Works of J. Krishnamurti. This seventeen-volume set covers the entire period from which this study book has been drawn. A complete bibliography is included at the end of this book. Students and scholars may also be interested in additional passages on action not used in the book, available for study upon written request, in the archives of the Krishna- murti Foundation of America. This Study Book aims to give the reader as comprehensive a view as possible, in 140 pages, of the question of action as explored by Krishnamurti during the period covered. Most of the material presented has not been previously published, except in the Verbatim Reports which were produced privately, in limited numbers, primarily for those who attended Krishnamurti's talks.I (18951986) is regarded internationally as one of the great educators and philosophers of our time. Born in South India, he was educated in England, and traveled the world, giving public talks, holding dialogues , writing, and founding schools until the end of his life at the age of ninety. He claimed allegiance to no caste, nationality, or religion and was bound by no tradition. Time magazine named Krishnamurti, along with Mother Teresa, "one of the five saints of the 20th century," and the Dalai Lama calls Krishnamurti "one of the greatest thinkers of the age." His teachings are published in 75 books, 700 audio titles and 1200 videocassettes. Thus far, over 4,000,000 copies of his books have been sold in over thirty languages. The rejection of all spiritual and psychological authority, including his own, is a fundamental theme. He said human beings have to free themselves of fear, conditioning, authority, and dogma through self-knowledge. He suggested that this will bring about order and real psychological change. Our violent, conflict-ridden world cannot be transformed into a life of goodness, love, and compassion by any political, social, or economic strategies. It can be transformed only through mutation in individuals brought about through their own observation without any guru or organized religion. Krishnamurti's stature as an original philosopher attracted traditional and also creative people from all walks of life.