Krishnamurti - Talks and Dialogues Saanen 1968

Talks and Dialogues Saanen 1968

Copyright 1969 Krishnamurti Foundation Trust Ltd.

J. KRISHNAMURTI

TALKS AND DIALOGUES

SAANEN

1968

CONTENTS

TEN TALKS AT SAANEN

From the very first day and during these gatherings I hope we are going to be very serious. Most of us, I am afraid, have come with a sense of holiday spirit, to look upon the hills and mountains, the green valleys and the flowing streams, to be quiet, to meet friends, to gossip, to have a little fun, which is all right, but if we are to get any worthwhile meaning out of these gatherings we ought to be very serious from the beginning.

There are tremendous problems confronting us as human beings. Living in this mad and stupid world we have to be serious; and those people who are really serious in their hearts, in their very beingnot neurotically, not according to any particular principle or commitmentit seems to me, have that quality of seriousness which is necessary.

As one observes what is going on in this worldthe students in revolt, the anxiety of war, the extreme poverty, the racial hatreds and riots, the deplorable satisfaction of the small countries with their monetary position, and so onone feels one does not know what it is all about. One has listened to many explanations, from the philosophers, from the intellectuals, the theologians, the priests, the sociologists, from all the organized bureaucracies and so on. But explanations are not good enough; and even to know the cause of these disturbances does not solve the issue. During these gatherings here, we are going to be individually and humanly responsible; we are going to see if we can understand the problem of our existence, with its turmoil, with its chaos, misery and enormous sorrow, which is both within us and outside. It obviously behoves us to dispel the darkness which we individually have created in ourselves and in others. That is why it seems to me we ought to be very serious.

You know, there are those people who are serious rather neurotically; they think if they follow a certain principle or belief or dogma or ideology and keep practising it, that they are serious. They are not serious, such peoplethey believe and that belief breeds an extraordinary state of imbalance. So one has to be extremely alert to find out what it means to be serious.

One can see that ideologies play a tremendous part in the life of man throughout the world and that these ideologies do separate man into groupsthe republican and the democrat, the left and the right and so onthey divide people and by their very nature these ideologies become authority. Those who assume power in these ideologies tyrannize, democratically or ruthlessly; this is observable throughout the world. Ideologies, principles and beliefs not only separate man into groups, but they actually prevent cooperation; yet that is what we need in this world, to cooperate, to work together, to act togethernot you acting in one way, belonging to one group, and I in another. Division inevitably comes about if you believe in a particular ideologywhether it is that of the communist, the socialist, the capitalist and so onwhatever that ideology be, it must separate and breed conflict.

An ideologist is not a serious man, he does not see the consequences of his ideology. So, to be really serious one has to put away completely, totally, these nationalistic and religious divisions, deny that which is utterly false and perhaps as an outcome of that there might be a possibility of being really and truly serious. We have to build a totally different worlda world that has nothing whatsoever to do with the present world of manias and conflicts, of competition, ruthlessness, brutality and violence.

It is only the religious mind that is a truly revolutionary mind; there is no other revolutionary mind, whether calling itself revolutionary from the extreme left or centre, it is not revolutionary. The mind which calls itself left or centre is only dealing with a fragment of the totality and is even breaking that fragment into various other parts; it is not a truly revolutionary mind at all. The really religious mind in the deep sense of that word is truly revolutionary because it is beyond the left, the right and the centre. To understand this and cooperate with each other is to bring about a different social order; and it is our responsibility. If we could put away all these immature, childish things, I think we could be the salt of the earth; and that is the only reason for which we have come together, there is no other reason. You are not going to get something from me, nor I from you. That which is absolutely essential is not possible round an ideology. I think that is fairly obvious, historically and factually. What is going on in the world indicates this, the division and conflict of ideologies; you, knowing of an ideology however superior, however great, however noble, cannot possibly bring about cooperation; perhaps it can bring about a destructive tyranny, of the left or right, but it cannot possibly bring this cooperation of understanding and love.

Cooperation is only possible when there is no authority. You know, that is one of the most dangerous things in the worldauthority. One assumes authority in the name of an ideology, or in the name of God, or Truth, and an individual, or group of people, who have assumed that authority cannot possibly bring about a world order.

I do hope you are listening to all this and are not mesmerized by words, by perhaps the speakers intensity; I hope you are sharing these things with the speaker.

Authority gives a great deal of satisfaction to the man who exercises itin whatever name he does sohe derives immense pleasure and therefore he is the most...! One has to be tremendously aware of such a person; from the beginning of these talks let us be very clear on this one point, at least. Seriousness entails non-acceptance of any authority, including the speaker. There are those who come from the East, unfortunately, who maintain that they have most extraordinary experiences, that they can show the past to another, that they know how to give some word which will help you to meditate most excellently. I do not know if you are caught in those kinds of trapsmany people are, thousands, millions are. Such authority prevents a human being from being a light to himself. When each one of us is a light to himself, then only can we cooperate, then only can we love, then only is there a sense of communion with each other. But if you have your particular authority, whether that authority be an individual or an experience which you yourself have felt, have known, then that experience, that authority, that conclusion, that definite position, prevents communication with each other. It is only a mind that is really free that can commune, that can cooperate.

During these days please do be very wise and not accept anyones authority, neither your own authority which you have cultivated through experience, through knowledge, through various conclusions that you have reached, nor the authority of the speaker nor the authority of anybody. It is only then when the mind is free really free that it can learn; such a mind is both the teacher and the pupil. It is vital to understand this because it is that we are going into, in all these discussions and talks.

One has to be, for oneself, both the teacher and that which is taught. And that is only possible when there is a sense of observation, of seeing things in oneself, as they are. You know, most of us are so unconscious of ourselves. I do not know if you have observed those people who are all the time talking about themselves, their self-evaluation about their position in lifeyou know, me first and everything else second. If there is to be cooperation between us, communication and communion with each other, this barrier of me first and everything else second must obviously disappear. The me assumes such tremendous importance, it expresses itself in so many ways. That is why organizations become a danger, yet we have to have organization. Those who are at the head of the organization, or who assume the power of that organization, gradually become the source of authority. And with such people one cannot possibly cooperate, commune.