25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Practical Spirituality At Its Best, January 24, 2007
This review is from: Inward Revolution: Bringing About Radical Change in the World (Paperback)
Jiddu Krishnamurti has been one of the formative influences in my own life. I still have a paperback edition of some of his lectures that I devoured as a fifteen year old. He had enormous personal presence and the clarity of his teaching was amazing. The Dalai Lama described him as one of the greatest philosophers of the age, and I can only agree.
This book is one of my favorites. Krishnamurti was always a practical philosopher: his interest was in taking spirituality and making it a part of our day-to-day existence. The book begins with the premise that if we are to bring about meaningful change in the world, then we first have to change ourselves: outward change will only occur in response to the way in which we perceive things inwardly. One of the most attractive things about his work is that he always said that we should not rely on the authority of other people, because we come into this world equipped with an innate capacity to discern truth. Much of his teaching revolved around ways to reconnect with that ability.
The book is based on a series of lectures - most with some questions and answers - so there is some repetition. That being said, if anything the repetition is useful: some of his concepts may seem abstract the first time that you come across them. He covers many topics, from ways to live in harmony, to freedom, love and perception.
With clarity and compassion, Krishnamurti teaches us something that I am sure is true: if enough of us change the structure and dynamics of our thinking and our emotions, we can bring about radical transformations in the way in which our society deals with conflict, poverty, inequality and war. If we carry on the same way that we have for the last few thousand years, then no amount of technological innovation will save us.
The good news is that there is already evidence that many of us are changing and developing rapidly. This book is a great help along the way.
Highly recommended.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
must read, October 31, 2009
This review is from: Inward Revolution: Bringing About Radical Change in the World (Paperback)
I will keep this simple, INWARD REVOLUTION is a must read Krishnamuti book. Nice large print and easy to read, but you ask, will I understand whats in the book and the answer is simple, the I can never understand. Read it and see if the I is really real.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
RIGHT ON!, April 29, 2010
This review is from: Inward Revolution: Bringing About Radical Change in the World (Paperback)
Each chapter [lecture] is a variation, and one step deeper than the previous. The repetition is effective in a meditation-in-action way. By the end of the book, a feeling of self-empowerment on the spiritual (and logical) level definitely occurred for me. This book should be read without too much intensity, as the logic will integrate itself in a tangible way, naturally; however, try to read only one chapter per day or two, so that the proper reasoning can internalize and be used (by adding the Right Conscious Effort as often as possible) as a truly practical approach to developing personal confidence (facing and accepting fears) in seeing the world truthfully, learning to avoid habitual reactions, and to wake up in order to live life in the most meaningful and enlightened way.
Just remember to make this book a guide to Right Understanding and Action, not to use it as just another intellectual exercise.
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