Freedom from the Known by Jiddu Krishnamurti Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Freedom from the Known
Book Review: Interpret with your own intellect
Summary: 4 Stars
What Krishnamurti does to the reader, through his commentaries and his writings (as is the case with this particular book), is that he completely intends to destroy all notions of all the layered edifices of thoughts and belief systems that man has created by himself. In his words, if one remains completely true to ones current state of existence, that is, to remain completely honest to 'what is' and not what should be or what shouldn't be, is the beginning of self-realization and the understanding of true religion. Krishanamurti, who is, amongst the world's foremost agnostics, preaches the denial of everything, including culture; which as per him is the root of all suffering and pain. However, the rational and the more down to earth aspects of his 'teachings' are quite impracticable, things such as the denial of all culture would make little sense, or little meaning of all good of human endeavour since the days of yore. The theory of evolution is scientific and comes from Darwin, and on similar lines Krishnamurti is very much an analytical scientist, wishing to shred every endeavour, every single notion and cultural insight of the human will from the days of the ancients. Art, if one were to define in a very down to earth, non-pretentious, non-religious sense, would quite ideally be the end of evolution, the very top of the pyramid of the evolutionary juggernaut; where the human form expresses his very best, his most refined, his most intense offering. Howsoever as K would have liked to deny, his writings bring forth a silhouette of a 'perfect human being', free of guile and guilt and harm and 'non-violence'. The very basis and structure of the human animal is not completely 'godly' or 'perfect' as one would like to ordain it to be. As humans, not a single one of us are the perfect products of evolution, each one of us uniquely different, endowed with uniquely different qualities. `Through negation comes creation', says this modern day seer; and creation if one were to comprehend would be an idea of bliss of complete happiness and a sense of godliness. However, leave humans alone, even nature is unforgiving in many ways than ever. The very force of nature is a mix of creation, destruction and preservation, with a considerable degree of randomness. Hence to comprehend a concept of complete bliss and happiness and call what one may will ( beyond the realm of the known) is utterly irrational. What 'what is' does to one is to make one completely aware of ones strengths, ones weaknesses, ones fears and prejudices; in a very sincere manner making oneself completely exposed without any underpinnings of ego or make-belief. When one reads K, one needs to read every thing with an open-mind; the positive outcomes are many such as the one cited above; but one needs to use one's own mind- there is nothing called absolute bliss or `beyond the known'- phrases such as this must simply be the fabric of Krishnamurtis own imagination. The best part of K is that he challenges you, makes you ride your very own intense intellectual journey and that's perhaps his single most unique contribution.
Book Review: Awareness is everything
Summary: 5 Stars
This book will not only change the way you look at life, but will change every detail about living, without meaning to. If life as the same to offer over and over, "Freedom from the Known" is a must read. It is not a self-help book, but a guide to living if you want to suck the marrow out of life.Book Review: Innovation guarranted !!
Summary: 5 Stars
Wow,what a splendid book this is!which i call now the real BIG THING.The reason is that the empowerment of the self,whether you believe K or not but surely this book does make a great impact in human life and one finds constant INNOVATION goin in his life and living as happily as ever without any doubt.TRULY REMARKABLE !!Book Review: the most important writer of the 20th century
Summary: 5 Stars
Krishnamurti's message is simple but profound: all religious teachings have failed, all meditations and techniques cannot work because they take place within the same old field of knowledge, thought, experience, time, and so can never lead to consciousness without content. There has never been a message quite like this, not even in the best of Zen or Taoism. If all the spiritual seekers of the world could just understand this man's work, all the other "religious" teachers would have to close up shop--because Krishnamurti, as you might one day discover for yourself, was right all along.Book Review: A Challenge to be you
Summary: 5 Stars
In book after book, the central message is the same, and yet new appearing. Krishnamurti's challenge is to find yourself rather than follow someone else's path. This may seem rather scary. There's no shortage of churches and groups that will willingly take you in and instruct you in your thinking and doing. And you will emerge thinking another person's thoughts, doing as another thinks you should do.
J. Krishnamurti is unique in his writings. Sure, you will find a little inconsistency, and he will even admit to this. He does not claim to know it all. But he does know how to inspire one to search for that which is within and to do so indepently.
You will not find immediate answers in Krishnamurti's writing. The answers are to be found in yourself. But this book along with his others will give you the impetus.
And this is probably the best "first" book of his to read.