Forget All Meditation Techniques — Jiddu Krishnamurti’s Great Exposé

Summary

Jiddu Krishnamurti's teachings on meditation emphasize choiceless awareness, a state of observing thoughts, emotions, and surroundings without judgment or preference. Unlike traditional meditation techniques, this awareness arises naturally, free from the desire to change or achieve anything. Krishnamurti encourages observing the world and one's own mind with openness and freedom, dissolving conflict and ego. In this space of stillness, true intelligence and clarity emerge. Meditation, for Krishnamurti, is not a goal but a process of direct insight into the nature of self and the world, where the sacred is found in the silence of a mind that truly sees.

Takeaways

• 😀 Meditation, according to Jiddu Krishnamurti, is not about following a system or repeating a mantra, but rather about being in choiceless awareness.
• 😀 Choiceless awareness involves observing your thoughts, emotions, and surroundings without judgment, preference, or division between the observer and the observed.
• 😀 The practice of choiceless awareness transforms the mind more profoundly than any method or technique could, leading to inner peace.
• 😀 Human conflict arises from constantly choosing, grasping, and resisting, but choiceless awareness dissolves these divisions by seeing without picking and choosing.
• 😀 Krishnamurti emphasized that one should not try to be aware, but instead be aware of their unawareness, watching how the mind moves and reacts.
• 😀 Choiceless awareness is not something cultivated or achieved, but exists naturally in the act of fully listening and seeing without interference from thought.
• 😀 When listening to sounds or observing things, choiceless awareness means experiencing them fully without labeling or judging them.
• 😀 This type of awareness comes from freedom, not from effort or a desire to achieve something, and does not arise from discipline.
• 😀 The key to choiceless awareness is not wanting to change or hold onto life’s experiences but simply being present with them as they are.
• 😀 When the observer disappears in choiceless awareness, there is a quieting of the mind, and an extraordinary clarity and intelligence emerges.
• 😀 In choiceless awareness, there is no path to follow or goal to achieve. It is a direct insight into the nature of self and the world, with no division between the sacred and the mundane.

Q & A

What is the core of Jiddu Krishnamurti's view on meditation?

Krishnamurti believes that meditation is not about following a system, repeating mantras, or adopting specific postures. Instead, it is about choiceless awareness, which involves observing thoughts, emotions, and surroundings without judgment, preference, or division between the observer and the observed.

How does Krishnamurti define choiceless awareness?

Choiceless awareness is the art of observing everything—thoughts, emotions, reactions, surroundings—without any judgment or preference. It involves seeing things as they are, without trying to change, escape, or condemn them.

What does Krishnamurti mean by the phrase 'watch the movement of your own mind'?

Krishnamurti encourages observing how the mind moves, including how it compares, judges, and escapes, without interference. This observation helps bring awareness to the mind’s unconscious patterns and reduces the influence of the ego.

How is choiceless awareness different from typical meditation techniques?

Unlike typical meditation, which may involve specific techniques or goals (such as controlling thought or achieving a state of calm), choiceless awareness is not something you cultivate or strive for. It is about observing without judgment, labeling, or desire to achieve anything.

What does Krishnamurti say about the relationship between the observer and the observed?

Krishnamurti states that the observer and the observed are not separate. For instance, when you are angry, you are not separate from your anger; you are the anger in that moment. Observing without division helps dissolve the sense of a separate self.

Why is choiceless awareness considered sacred by Krishnamurti?

Choiceless awareness is sacred because it allows one to experience life without wanting to change or hold onto it. By being fully present with the world, without desire or judgment, one experiences life intimately and in its natural state.

What happens when the mind is quiet, according to Krishnamurti?

When the mind is quiet, not forced into stillness but naturally silent, there is a different kind of intelligence and clarity. It allows perception to be immediate and direct, without distortion by thought.

How is choiceless awareness different from concentration?

Concentration narrows the focus of attention, excluding distractions and fixing on a specific object or idea. Choiceless awareness, on the other hand, is inclusive and open, allowing everything to be observed without preference or judgment.

What does Krishnamurti say about achieving something through meditation?

Krishnamurti emphasizes that meditation is not about achieving something, such as gaining peace or enlightenment. The moment one seeks an outcome, it becomes a pursuit of an image or goal, which takes one away from true awareness.

How does Krishnamurti describe the nature of truth?

Krishnamurti suggests that truth is not something one can achieve through effort. It emerges naturally when the mind is still and free of distractions. Truth is directly perceived in the stillness of the mind, like a pool of water without ripples.