Star in the East: Krishnamurti--the invention of a Messiah [Paperback]

Roland Vernon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2002

The story of Krishnamurti, one of the twentieth century's most influential and controversial spiritual figures, takes place in the crucible of sexual scandal, mysticism, and an extraordinary personal history.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Roland Vernon's biography of Krishnamurti, subtitled The Invention of a Messiah, could also have been called simply Understanding the Man. Krishnamurti's life has been well chronicled, but Vernon keeps his sights on the people and events that shaped Krishnamurti's life. We learn about Charles Leadbeater, the allegedly pedophilic discoverer of and tutor to Krishnamurti; Annie Besant, the notorious social activist and Krishnamurti's second mother; and the mysterious and painful "process" that brought Krishnamurti to enlightenment. Besides the influences on his public persona, Vernon is also fascinated by the sometimes contradictory and less well-known private side of Krishnamurti. He had close ties to his brother Nitya, whose death galvanized Krishnamurti to forsake the organization that created him. And he carried on an extended clandestine affair with Rosalind Williams Rajagopal, his early companion and later wife of his friend and business partner. Not quick to pass judgment, Vernon looks at various perspectives of these people and events, unafraid finally to come down with his own well-reasoned opinions. Star in the East depicts Krishnamurti as a complex man who encouraged everyone to think for themselves. --Brian Bruya --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly

Vernon, a professional writer educated at King's College, Cambridge, offers the most comprehensive Krishnamurti biography to date, promising "water-tight impartiality." He presents detailed accounts of the New Age teacher's life (1895-1986) and career in chronological order, using primary and secondary sources scrupulously quoted as well as unattributed interviews with students, friends and colleagues. However, Vernon's objectivity is a fairly unreflective one that often fails to systematically interpret and connect the details of Krishnamurti's life and career to important trends of his time. Vernon fails to recognize, for example, that Krishnamurti's story does not so much herald the arrival of Eastern mysticism in the West as it clearly describes and anticipates the construction of a unique Eastern mysticism by the West. Also, Vernon does not detect the apparent influence of Victorian notions of sexuality and hygiene on Krishnamurti's early trance inductions and later physically punishing purification experiences (known collectively as the "Process"). The custody and training of young Krishnamurti by the Theosophist Charles Leadbeater clearly involved what would today be viewed as child sexual abuse, and the author's reluctance to acknowledge it as such precludes a more comprehensive and accurate psychological interpretation of Krishnamurti's important religious experiences. However, this biography is still the best available, providing a wealth of detail that will be appreciated by followers of Krishnamurti.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sentient Publications (October 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971078688
• ISBN-13: 978-0971078680
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #641,291 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Balanced Critical Assessment, July 25, 2001

By 

JGN (Santa Monica,, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star in the East: Krishnamurti--The Invention of a Messiah (Hardcover)

True believers in K-talk are not going to like this book, but as someone who is an alumnus of years of going to Krishnamurti talks and living the life as best I could, and can, I am truly glad that someone has done a good critical assessment of Krishnamurti, who he is, where he came from, and how he fits into the world. This is not a hagiography any more than Krishnamurti is a saint. I was fascinated with the detail and the research and the amplifications the author presented. I found myself checkings the references and notes constantly because Mr.Vernon seems to have read everything on K.--and I am envious of his indulging himself so much in the material. He is obviously a closet devotee, who has kept his own center of balance, and maintained his own independent critical mind and a soulful interest in Krishnamurti as a teacher of our times. Vernon revivified my interest in Krishnamurti's thought, simply because Krishnamurti is so compelling, so simple,and so straighforward, yet so complex and paradoxical. Vernon presents the philosophy by presenting Krishnamurti himself. We learn of the man, what he has to say, how it developed, and the context in which it is said. This book stimulated me to turn again to the path or yoga of knowledge which Krishnamurti followed even while he denied he was following any path at all. In some sense Krishnamurti even denied that he had anything to teach. Vernon helps us make sense of this so that we can actually discuss Krishnamurti in a western philosophy class and not have to consign Krisnamurti to "The wisdom of the East" or "mystical philosophy" dustbin. Krishnamurti is relevent, and necessary not only for modern psychology but also for the philosophy of mind as taught in our contemporary universities. Krishnamurti has great psychological technique which ought to be the envey of any depth psychologist. The paradox is that we must live our own lives even while we are studying life itself as K. demonstrated, and Vernon grasps. Krishnamurti's genius was that he could do this in his teachings,and it worked for him, but now we each have to live a life of our own, and K. cannot tell us how to do this. Vernon has provided the context of the life which produced this teaching and he does it convincingly and with scholarship. The whole picture of the man and his philosophy is much greater than the parts. For those of us who struggle with authority, there is no greater authority than Krishnamurti, and even he must be overthrown to attain the liberation that he so throughly castigates as "mere thought". With Vernon's insightful study we can put Krishnamurti on the shelf where he belongs--with Socrates,Plato, Nietzsche, perhaps Descartes,and maybe even St. Augustine. If there ever was a romantic and spiritual idealist, it was Krishnamurti. We need to free ourselves from him, even while we immerse ourselves in him. Vernon's book frees us from the ideal state he promulgated and proposed. We are human, and Vernon has written a very readable, if tame, assessment of a very human philosopher.

15 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A paradox explained., November 20, 2002

By 

Paraig (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star in the East: Krishnamurti--the invention of a Messiah (Paperback)

I believe that this book could not have come about except for the history of other writings on Krishnamurti. The Lutyens books were written by a friend and follower and acknowledged to be so, it is therefore understandable that they were not unbiased. The Sloss book was in some senses a reaction to all the other stuff written on Krishnamurti and perhaps felt to be an overdue exposé of many facts conveniently hidden from the general public. It was because of the existence of the Sloss book that Vernon could get such open access to the people who knew Krishnamurti. People no longer had anything to hide and everything to gain by being as open as possible. Also an unbiased book is the only book that Vernon could write because the market for the other two extremes was already full.

Vernon draws clues from the huge amount of material and presents the main arguments for all the significant events in Krishnamurti's life. But where this book excels is in differentiating the two sides of Krishnamurti, the private person and the teacher. This is Vernon's point as far as I can see, there are two sides (well at least two), but many people did not realise this while Krishnamurti was living and teaching. The cause of this incomplete view according to Vernon appears to be largely due to Krishnamurti's control of his public image. It seems inevitable that the effect of the revelations would be in proportion to the original investment in the image of someone so special. Therefore we have the irony, Krishnamurti would not have been be so popular without the image but in the end the image did huge damage to all the previous work.

I also enjoyed Vernon's insights into all the other characters in the story, for example Leadbeater "slipped like an eel beneath the waters of Theosophy".

Overall I believe that Vernons sympathies fall in the Krishnamurti camp, a respect for the teachings and a respect for the man. I would hope that Krishnamurti would find this is a worthy biography and also find it an open intelligent look at the facts which seemed to be Krishnamurti's message throughout his life.

20 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Treatment of the theosophical leaders, January 22, 2003

By 

Joseph E. Ross (Ojai, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Star in the East: Krishnamurti--the invention of a Messiah (Paperback)

I have now finished reading your fascinating book. My only critical comments relate to a few minor matters in the areas that I know best, and you obviously need to quote your source of material when presenting second hand knowledge.
In the "Author's Note and Acknowledgments p.xi, you stated, "I have encountered both supporters and detractors of Krishnamurti who will doubtless feel that my portrayal contradicts their own well-grounded experience, perhaps offensively so, and I apologise in advance... There were several occasions when I received directly conradictory reports about the same events, or about traits in the teacher's character, and at no time has it been my agenda either to reinforce his credibility or the opposite. I have attempted to take the balance, detached position... and in no case, to my knowledge, distorting the picture with half-truths or untruths."
It is too bad you did not apply the same standards to your treatment of the theosophical leaders associated with Krishnamurti. Those readers who respect the sincerity of motives of Blavatsky, Besant, Leadbeater, and others may find offensive the derogatory language used to describe motives that are largely the imaginings of your mind. Even the Masters do not escape unscathed:
p.11--"the machinations of the Masters"
p.13--"the mythical Masters Blavatsky created"
p.17--"Masters she [HPB] created"
p.19--"Blavatsky to ensnare the militant socialist [Besant]"
p.36--Besant's "courage and vanity" to implement universal brotherhood
p.178--"the ES...the inner core, whose secret machinations had been so lovingly cultured by Madame Blavatsky."
Your choice of words cheapens the January 11, 1910 initiation of Krishnamurti and the December 28 event during Krishna's handing out certificates to Star members:
p.50--"thirty-six hours of intense spiritual imaginings." "It was a magnificent piece of theatre."
p.69--suddenly "a solemn stillness fell...like love intangible...the whole world was present." You called it "the second major piece of theatre."
p.70--"the fever is induced by the soaring aspirations of the participants rather than the intercession of a divine agent." "The experience of religious hysteria is consistent."
In another area, you denigrate the instructions received from her Master as "Besant's ambitions." p.87--"to instigate a programme of social reform...[and] to campaign for the self-government of India."
Although the following few errors of fact deserve mentioning, as some are difficult if not impossible to answer.
p.42--"individuals who have develped spiritual Adepthood...possess a causal body..." If they are at the Adept level, i.e.,fifth initation, the causal body has been destroyed, although they can create a temporary one.
p.90--James Ingall Wedgwood "founded the Temple of the Rosy Cross." The TRC was actually organized by Mrs. Marie Russak in the Hollywood Krotona and its ritual and assessory objects devised by her.
p.13--"A string of accusations led to the revelation that many of her[HPB] so-called 'manifestations' of the Masters, or their letters were faked." This has been documented to be untrue.
p.147--"the Lord Maitreya and an even greater power in the hierarchy, the Mahachohan." At this time they were both at the same occult level.
p.159--"Arudnale said the Masters would approve her[Besant] resignation if she appointed himself as the new President." Where is your source of reference? Did he really say that?
p.147--the World Mother mission "was to divert interest away from the World Teacher and provide a reserve Vehicle should Krishna continue on his maverick course." Where is your source of reference? "This celestial female entity, who had at one time been the Virgin Mary, was now said to have descendedinto the bodyof none other than Rukmini Arundale..." Again, where is your source of reference?

p.189--"Theosophy...with political objectives...to bring about universal brotherhood within a federation of religiously sympatheitic states.
Some of your reference sources are of questionable credibility, i.e., books by Peter Washingtion and K P Johnson, such as Wedgwood's drug use,p.164.
THE SARDONIC
At times your sardonic narrations are humorous and add color to the story:
p.8--Blavatsky's intellect "unlike the virtualy immobile hulk of her boy, was athletic and lucid."

p.131-132--reference to the Ojai process which came to Krishna spontaneously and not "planned with solemn deliberationby Theoosphy's grandees...but it was a real, dynamic experience of his own...[not] a tale spun on the rooftops of Adyar."
p.164--Besant "provided rip-roaring fodder for their [the press] columns."
p.165--"impossible to write Annie Besat off as a crackpot."
LASTLY
The narrative of Krishna's life seems reasonably correct, and your summation (pp.165-274) of the final state of the TS and Krishna's message seem admirable.