On Krishnamurti

 

 

KRISHNAMURTI 

"Violence is not merely killing another. It is violence when we use a sharp word, when we make a gesture to brush away a person, when we obey because there is fear. So violence isn't merely organized butchery in the name of God, in the name of society or country. Violence is much more subtle, much deeper, and we are inquiring into the very depths of violence.

 

... Mere explanations will never eradicate the fact that we do not love our neighbour. On the contrary, it is because we are forever giving explanations and causes that we do not face the fact. You give one cause, I give another, and we fight over causes and explanations. We are divided as Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, this or that. We say we do not love because of social conditions, or because it is our karma, or because somebody has a great deal of money while we have very little. We offer innumerable explanations, lots of words, and in the net of words we get caught.

 

What happens when you face the fact and know for yourself that you do not love your neighbour or your son? If you loved your son, you would educate him entirely differently; you would educate him not to fit into this rotten society, but to be self-sufficient, to be intelligent, to be aware of all the influences around him in which he is caught, smothered, and which never allow him to be free. If you loved your son, who is also your neighbour, there would be no wars because you would want to protect him, not your property, your petty little belief, your bank account, your ugly country or your narrow ideology. So you do not love, and that is a fact.

 

 The contemptuous way you talk to others, the respect you show to your boss, the deep, reverential salute with which you greet your guru, your pursuit of power, your identification with a country, your seeking – all this indicates that you do not love. If you start from there you can do something. If you are blind and really know it, if you do not imagine you can see, what happens? You move slowly, you touch, you feel; a new sensitivity comes into being. Similarly, when I know that I have no love, and do not pretend to love, when I am aware of the fact that I have no compassion and do not pursue the ideal, then with the facing of that fact there comes a different quality; and it is this quality that saves the world, not organized religion or a clever ideology. It is when the heart is empty that the things of the mind fill it; and the things of the mind are the explanations of that emptiness...

 

So, if you really want to stop wars, if you really want to put an end to this conflict within society, you must face the fact that you do not love. You may go to a temple and offer flowers to a stone image, but that will not give the heart this extraordinary quality of compassion and love, which comes only when the mind is quiet, and not greedy or envious. When you are aware of the fact that you have no love, and do not run away from it by trying to explain it, or find its cause, then that very awareness begins to do something; it brings gentleness, a sense of compassion. Then there is a possibility of creating a world totally different from this chaotic and brutal existence which we now call life."

 

It is worth wondering if, as Jiddu says, the empty heart is filled with the mind's conjurations... then let us try the opposite, to empty the bellows we call our mind, and fill it with heart. It is said that the sage empties minds and strengthens bones... we could all use stronger bones, as we seem to have certain rugs pulled out from beneath us more and more often. But how to fill an empty heart? Since hearts are very personal, of course this is difficult to answer. There are six basic human needs (see the Traveler's Cloak post) regardless of continent or age -- so if one is willing, one may take some time to measure what aspects of life are filling those coffers, and how much -- and what aspects are subtracting more from your energy than what you would prefer.

Maybe it is easier to sit back and lament that "it was this way when I got here" and how is one person supposed to change the whole rotten world? Ahhhh, but who first convinced you it was here for you to change? Grasshopper, I am going to ask you a very deep question, one I myself wrestled with, and know its insanity... but -- what if, just what if.... what if nothing is wrong, and everything is just as it is supposed to be... such that YOU are being funneled into developing your knowledge of yourself, and your relationship to the infinite? 

 

Sounds crazy, especially when so much is going wrong, it seems we have no direction we can turn without hearing about tragedy and experiencing it ourselves. The amount of bad news and poor decisions of leaders make for an awfully hard climate to be our best. What if you could get rid of all your frustration? Not most of it, but all? 100%? What would you be willing to do for that? How about nothing? And so "the greatest intelligence seems stupid (TtC)."

But at this moment, look honestly at the care you give yourself.  The things you do when your body needs them, how you welcome things that are sustainable and life-promoting, and avoiding illness-promoting stress, or making important decisions while hangry, for example. Because how can you show your family and friends you care for them, if you do not know and practice care for your own body? 

 

When our brother Jesus said we are all one body, how none should compare to other parts for function -- what else do you think that meant? Like Jiddu said, we know but do not do. And again our brother pleaded with us, how can you call me Lord if you don't actually follow my example? When people ask what religion a person is, it is really asking what god do you serve, what is the spirit of your ideal.

 

 Regardless of what our keepers tell us for our own good, we have proof in their fruit, like our brother said. One peoples tell how their ancestors came here seeking a place to live in peace, taking only what they need, and living close to the land. How can we tell this is true? By seeing that they take only what they need, and are living in peace close to the land. Can you tell then, which peoples worship a different ideal? That some came here to find underlings to carry out their wishes, sewing discord with the land, polluting any number of people and places to get what they want? Eroding mind, body, and soul and killing independent thought, encouraging sheep-like behaviour to facilitate the consistent shaking up of the ant hill, watching them scurry about trying to keep their lives in order, never able to change the system of their discontent. Can you tell which people worship THAT god? 

Anyone can rid themselves of the chains they were born in. Know this now, it is damned uncomfortable, and living without comfort will have to be okay for an indefinite time -- maybe always -- but is the price and ransom of the big Truth. The reason you hear people tell you that for big change you must take big actions (Robbins) is that physics demands a huge up front ante in getting over that hump of ignorance.  It is uncomfortable to regrow an outdated mindset. The time and effort it takes is akin to having a whole other job. It is even scarier to think that one's own government isn't only lying to keep things easy and controlled, it is hurting people in the process. 

 

Adapt! This is not the end of the world just yet! Only the true note rings long. The falsities of this world outnumber us and our time on the planet. So begin with the very close, personal world of YOU. Make the garden of YOU abundant, healing, transformative -- and your fruits will surely bless all around you, for all the days of your life. That is real, abiding comfort. Don't settle for the cheap knock off. You see how that has gone.

 

But unless you look at taking care -- perfect care -- of your own person, from inside to out, from crown to ground -- there is really not much you have to offer your kids, your community, or your god.

 

🙔