Page 97 - JOURNAL OF THE KRISHNAMURTI SCHOOLS

his brief article is the product of a perspective that incor-
porates a number of streams through which I have expe-
rienced Krishnamurti’s message—as a beneficiary of
T Krishnamurti’s life and teachings, a member, now Presi-
dent, of the Theosophical Society, and one who has recently par-
ticipated in the founding of an educational institution (The Adyar
Theosophical Academy) motivated by the Ageless Wisdom teach-
ings. All of these found a powerful contemporary voice in J. Krish-
namurti. Unless one counts his many videos, audio recordings,
and books, I was never in his presence. However, I have had a sense
of being with him through stories and conversations with many
people who worked closely with him, sat with him and discussed,
shared ideas, and recited with him his beloved mantras.
The importance to me of this blended perspective is that it places
K in a continuum of unfoldment. From childhood to the comple-
tion of his life, there is a dramatic unfoldment of his message and
capacity to share. Being a member of the Theosophical Society roots
K in a context that adds a certain richness to his message. K’s first
little book, widely read, was written at the age of fourteen—At the
Feet of the Master (AFM). Although many would say that the book
was the product of a ‘highly evolved’ young man, there is no doubt
that it is the product of youth with all its advantages and limitations.
The book is a summary of things that were told to K by someone he
regarded as a teacher. The teaching presented in it was not new, hav-
ing been expounded by Sankaracharya in a different language more
than a thousand years earlier. Krishnamurti’s addition to the mate-
rial was the simplicity and unelaborated expression of a young mind
which gave it clarity and immediacy. Essentially, it was a repetition of
someone else’s thought, thoughts which profoundly resonated with
him, but which could not be called original. AFM was a description
of a path leading ‘from the Unreal to the Real’ involving four specific
‘qualifications’ of mind and behaviour—Discrimination, Desireless-
ness, Good Conduct (also known as Satsampatti), and Love.

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