Page 98 - JOURNAL OF THE KRISHNAMURTI SCHOOLS

the journal of the krishnamurti schools no.25

It was at this initial stage of K’s unfoldment process that many
members of the TS, others around the world, and I first encountered
him. And it was from these youthful beginnings that an attempt has
been made to follow the increasingly original and demanding nature
of his message. Although later in life his sense of connection to his
previous line of thought diminished, even losing the memories of
that other time, the central core around which his lifetime of teach-
ing revolved was always the movement from ‘the Unreal to the Real’.
To teach is to communicate in a manner that effects change.
K focussed on nothing less than liberation, an ‘unconditional free-
dom’ that is only possible as one becomes free from obscuring
emotion and thought—what the Buddhists describe as ‘afflictive
emotion’. Freedom is not teachable, neither is liberation. But the
cultivation of the observant mind that explores, questions, and is
comfortable with stillness is something that can be communicated.
The problem for developing educational models capable of this
type of teaching is that a different approach to teaching and learn-
ing is required—one that involves both teacher and student in a
common dynamic.
In the language of Maria Montessori we, “educate the human
potential”. The Theosophical Society was founded with three main
objects, of which the most important was, in the language of 1875,
‘Brotherhood’, or ‘Unity’ and ‘Oneness of life’. One of the other
objects relates to the investigation of ‘powers’ latent in human beings.
Frequently these powers have been interpreted as psychic in nature,
an idea which, while true at a certain level, diminishes a deeper
understanding. What might be thought of as paranormal becomes
completely normal for anyone who attains a certain level of insight.
Krishnamurti, though endowed with such abilities, rightly
rejected the desire to place any focus on them, seeing them as
yet another binding, personal distraction from a genuine under-
standing. The real powers, the powers worthy of an educational
effort are utterly different in nature. Compassion, truthfulness,

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