The Legacy of Jiddu Krishnamurti: Biography, Work and Philosophy
Jiddu Krishnamurti was an Indian philosopher, speaker, and writer, who had a different perspective on religion and spirituality. His speeches and writings are of world renown and he has influenced many famous people from different fields. Let us look at his life and work in this biography of Jiddu Krishnamurti.
Jiddu Krishnamurti’s Life Story
Born on May 11, 1895 in Madanapalle (today’s Chittoor district in Andhra Pradesh), Jiddu Krishnamurti was one of the 11 children born to Jiddu Narayanaiah (father) and Sanjeevamma (mother). In 1903, the family shifted to Cudappah. As a child, he contracted malaria many times and was sickly. He was considered intellectually disabled and beaten by his teachers and father. Since childhood, he had developed an unusual bond with nature that stayed throughout his life. As a young boy, no thought entered Krishnamurti’s mind, he just watched and listened.
In the April of 1909, Krishnamurti met Charles Webster Leadbeater, who said that he could see the most wonderful aura around him. He was sure that Krishnamurti would be a great spiritual master and orator. So, Leadbeater with his team, started preparing Krishnamurti to be the World Teacher. They trained him at the Theosophical Society in Adyar and later in Europe.
Krishnamurti acquired English within 6 months and could speak and write well in the language by the age of 14. His daily education included exercise, sports, yoga, meditations and religious lessons. He was also educated about hygiene and given knowledge of British society and culture. Leadbeater gave him mystical instruction. Krishnamurti was good in sports, not very academically inclined, but had a flair for languages. The discovery of Krishnamurti by Leadbeater proved to be life-changing event for him, as it paved his way to spirituality and shaped his personality as a writer, teacher and speaker.
In 1911, the Theosophical Society established the Order of the Star in the East (OSE) to prepare the world for the appearance of the World Teacher. Krishnamurti was given the position of its head. In April that year, Krishnamurti and his brother Nitya went to England, where Krishnamurti spoke to OSE members in London. They travelled across Europe and after the first World War, Krishnamurti started giving lectures and conducting meetings about his work as the head of OSE, and he also wrote about the work of the order. During the same time, Krishnamurti developed a strong bond with Annie Besant who took custody of him and his brother Nitya in 1912.
Annie Besant, J. Krishnamurti, and Ernest Wood
In 1922, Krishnamurti, along with Nitya went to California and stayed at a cottage in Ojai Valley. There they met Rosalind Williams. Soon, a trust was formed through which a cottage and property were bought for Krishnamurti and Nitya. Later that year, Krishnamurti underwent a spiritual awakening at Ojai, where he also transformed physically and psychologically. It started on August 17 with an intense pain in the neck after which he seemed to enter a state of unconsciousness, but he described it as an experience of mystical union, which eventually gave him immense peace. This came to be called the ‘process’. According to biographer Vernon, the process at Ojai provided Krishnamurti with the soil in which his newfound spirit of confidence and independence could take root.
In the next few years, Nitya’s health declined. Members of the Theosophical Society had assured Krishnamurti that Nitya was essential for his life’s mission and would not be allowed to die, but in 1925, he died due to complications from tuberculosis and influenza. This shattered Krishna’s belief in the Theosophical Society’s leaders. Nitya’s death had a deep impact on Krishna as it meant the loss of his best friend and the only link to his childhood.
As a young man, Krishnamurti grew rebellious and did not like the publicity around him. In 1929, Krishnamurti dissolved the Order and dissociated himself from the Theosophical Society. He denounced the concepts of teacher-follower and decided to work on setting people ‘absolutely, unconditionally free’. He resigned from trusts and organizations related to the Order of the Star. He returned donations given to the Order to their donors.
In the span between 1930 and 1944, he took part in speaking tours and published works under Star Publishing Trust, which he had founded with Rajagopalacharya Desikacharya, his friend. They operated from Ojai. Rosalind Wiliams married Rajagopal, but after the birth of their daughter they drifted apart and Rosalind had a love affair with Krishnamurti.
In the 1930s, Krishnamurti gave speeches in Latin America, Europe, Australia, India and the United States. In 1938, he met Aldous Huxley and they were friends for many years since then. They had similar views about the conflict in Europe. During World War 2, he came under SBI surveillance due to his stand on the war which was perceived as pacifism or subversion. He did not speak publicly from 1940 to 1944. He worked in Arya Vihara, a self-sustaining farm and helped relief efforts in Europe. In 1944, Krishnamurti started giving speeches again. He spoke in Ojai, then toured India, where he learned yoga from Iyengar. He also met Jawaharlal Nehru, when they spoke elaborately about his teachings.
In the 1960s, Krishna struck a friendship with physicist David Bohm which continued lifelong. The two started a common inquiry in the form of dialogues and discussions which were published as books.
In the 1970s, Krishnamurti met Prime Minister India Gandhi many times and they had long conversations.
In 1984 and 1985, Krishnamurti spoke at the United Nations in New York. In October 1985, he visited India, which turned out to be his last visit to the country. During this visit he spoke about fundamental questions he had, and newer questions about the impact of science and technology on mankind. In his talk on January 4, 1986, which turned out to be his last speech, he spoke about the nature of life and meditation, the nature of creation and the nature of inquiry.
He did not agree with the idea of his teachings being handed down to some successors and was of the view that after he was gone, no one should pose as an interpreter of his teachings. Sometime before his death, he had said that nobody had understood what had happened to him, and that the supreme intelligence operating in his body would be gone after his death. He advised people to live his teachings.
In October 1985, Krishnamurti started having symptoms like fever, tiredness and weight loss. In January 1986, he returned to Ojai and underwent tests after which he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and as per medical experts the disease was not treatable. He decided to spend his final days at his residence in Ojai, where friends took care of him. Krishnamurti died on February 17, 1986. He was aged 90 at that time. As per his wishes, no memorial service was conducted. A part of his ashes was kept in Ojai, a part was sent to England and a part was sent to India.
Krishnamurti’s most notable written works include ‘The Awakening of Intelligence‘, ‘Commentaries on Living‘ and ‘Freedom from the Known‘. According to him, truth is a pathless land. He did not advise following any particular discipline or authority. He advocated concepts like choiceless awareness, psychological inquiry and freedom from religious, spiritual and cultural conditioning. He established 7 schools, 5 in India, 1 in England and another in California. Through education, he aimed to develop a holistic approach devoid of prejudice, to establish harmony between humans and the environment as he believed that humanity is a part of nature and nature should be cared for, and to develop in people a religious spirit that includes a scientific approach. The schools are managed by the Krishnamurti Foundations functioning in USA, England and India.
Krishnamurti was popular among religious and spiritual figures in India. He held discussions with many Hindu and Buddhist scholars, many of which were published as books. He had a great influence on important people like the Dalai Lama, George Bernard Shaw, Jawaharlal Nehru and Eckhart Tolle. Krishnamurti’s foundations are working towards publicizing his works by publishing his writings in different languages and on different platforms. Even years after his demise, he remains to be a popular spiritual personality and philosopher, and his followers span the globe.
Here are a few thought-provoking quotes by Jiddu Krishnamurti that may challenge your perspective on life.