Customer Reviews

Think on These Things

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I discovered Krishnamurti during my freshman year in college and it shattered the way I looked (or didn't look) at life. Ten years later, this book still remains by my side. It's hard to pigeonhole it into a particular category. It could be seen as a self-help book, but it really isn't. Krishamurti's advice is among the most unpractical and difficult you'll ever find and there are no magical recipes here. It could be seen as a book on religion, and even though you get a feel for eastern mysticism, it's very much against the superstitions and dogma we associate with religion. To me it's a book on philosophy in the truest sense of the word. Instead of parroting or following a line of thought set forth by others, it is an exercise in the art of questioning everything, in particular the assumptions, traditions, and prejudices that society imposes on us and which we live by without even being aware. It encourages us to discover for ourselves what we mean by truth, beauty, goodness, and God. Buy this book, read it as many times as you can, and please, think on these things.

I've read over 25 Krishamurti books, including all the "big ones" like Freedom from the Known, The First and Last Freedom, Total Freedom, Awakening of Intelligence, Flight of the Eagle, Krishmaurti's Notebook, etc., many of which I've read more than once. I've given all of them away to share K's message but kept four of them which I keep as references for focused daily reflection/meditation (as opposed to the meditation of all waking life). The four I've kept are Freedom from the Known, On God, On Right Livelihood, and Education and the Significance of Life (the last one of great relevance to me since I'm an educator). And so now I always recommend (and often give) the first three books on that list I just mentioned to anyone who wants to learn more about K's "teachings." "Freedom from the Known" is the single best, most concise and thorough summary of all K's teachings. "On God" should greatly help anyone who is searching for ultimate reality, Truth, God, Enlightenment, Nirvana, The Meaning of Life, or whatever one wants to call it. No summary will do it justice; you must read it for yourself. "On Right Livelihood" addresses the issue of our daily living, in work, leisure, and even to some degree home life and family relationship, becuase, as K emphasizes, they all should be an integrated whole, not fragmented parts of our lives. "Education and the Significance of Life" is also or relevance to anyone who has children or who teaches; it will transform the way you view childrearing and education. I would say that those four books would be all a person would need to transform one's life; to have a radical revolution in living. Now that being said, why do I still highly recommend "Think on These Things?" It and Life Ahead are numbers Five and Six on my list; those two are books that I never keep for myself, but I often give to others: mostly children and young adults, or people who otherwise either wouldn't enjoy or couldn't handle the relatively more complex and philosophically-oriented nature of K's other works; I even gave copies of them to my mentally-disabled adult sister, and she is able to understand these latter two books. This is because both "Think on These Things" and "Life Ahead" were talks given to young students and their parents, and both the language K uses and the ideas themselves seem much more simple and direct, yet retain all their power and vibrancy. I highly recommend "Think on These Things" and "Life Ahead" as gifts, or for any reader who wants a more "accessible" Krishnamurti.

I have read literally hundreds of books and manuals in my search for understanding of both myself, and those other sojourners that I share this planet with. To wit, two manuals of life and understanding have impacted my life beyond all others combined, they are, "The Holy Bible", and "Think On These Things", by J. Krishnamurti. The wisdom contained in this book defies, even mocks the words to describe it. If you are looking for truth, wisdom, and are open to rattle the very foundations of both your life and the true meaning of education (both in and out of the home), then I cannot encourage you enough to spend the rest of your life with this book of revelation. And may I wish you peace in your search for a greater meaning in life....

This is perhaps the most accessible collection of Krishnamurti's teachings and insights, which isn't to say he's an obscurantist, or that the content is easy. Unlike the scores of self-appointed gurus and self-help peddlers pandering to lazy and impatient seekers, Krishnamurti offers direct, often uncomfortable, but ultimately liberating insights into the hows and whys of the human mind, and what lies beyond it.

Personally I've read this book dozens of times and always see a little more clearly and deeply with each re-reading. Folks who are repelled by both traditional religion and New Age trash, yet hunger for deeper questions and answers, may draw tremendous wisdom from this book.

In this book, first printed in the 1960s, Krishnamurti challenges the audience / reader to want to think for themselves. He invites them to learn about their own thinking processes by observing their thoughts, motivations and reactions, etc. Krishnamurti explores the audience's questions with insight and kindness, challenging traditional patterns of thought and cultural values. He examines attitudes, such as fear, envy, ambition and the desire for security, that motivate our actions, illuminating the ways in which these attitudes hinder our freedom, intelligence and ability to be kind, vivacious entities. "If you are here to merely have confirmation, to be encouraged in your own thinking, then your listening has very little meaning. But, if you are listening to find out, then your mind is free, not committed to anything... therefore capable of discovery." pg. 27

The language of the book is easy, purposeful and direct. The material is derived from actual lectures in India. The book is setup in a series of chapters in which the first section is a monologue followed by a Q&A session. A cool feature of the book is that it has an index of all the audience's questions. I learned a lot from reading this book, and I highly recommend it to readers of all ages.

This is a very good first book in Krishnamurti's philosophy. However, if you've already read some of his thoughts, this is still a good book to read and re-read.

This collection is a compilation of talks given to groups of students and their teachers in India. It is still of universal appeal and for all stages in life. The occasional references to scenes and situations more familiar to his Indian audience than to us give a slight glimpse into this culture.

The style of writing is simple and direct without patronizing
the younger people in his audience. There are questions from the audience in the last part of each chapter, and are quite penetrating.

One sample of his directness is illustrated by a rather weighty question posed by one of the youngest members of the audience and the author's response which indicated his suspicion that one of the teachers gave the question to the student. Another time, he directly tells the questioner that he wasn't listening to the talk. One student asks a question which pits one of the professors against Krishnamurti, a question well handled by the author.

The reader must be prepared to expect basic thoughts, especialy those involving religion, nationalism, and patriotism, to be challenged. However, these are challenges from one who is a friend, not from a guru or holy person.

I had heard about Krishnamurti for years before I took the plunge with this book. It is probably one of the best introductions to his work since it consists of introductory material and question and answer sessions with Indian students. As such, the complex web of ideas is made a little easier to see. The book is broken down into short chapters related to everyday issues such as Freedom, Ambition and the Quest for Knowledge. I especially enjoyed the discussions regarding the purpose of education. Krishnamurti would not be a fan of our system of emphasis on test results over all else. The purpose of education is not rote learning and ticket punching, but rather the development of the ability to think in a critical fashion for yourself and develop your own path. This is a great book to read from start to finish and then leave in a convenient spot to pick up and peruse as the mood hits.

This book is a collection of talks given by J. Krishnamurti to a group of school children and teachers. He talks about different things like Education, love, freedom, etc.

Personally this was a life changing book for me. This was not another book which told you what to do, but tells you 'Just see yourself'. The first time I read this book, I found it too intellectual and I thought Krishnamurti was a very negetive guy. Sadly, at that time I was too caught up in my own beleif system and was not ready for reality.

This book is not really a book. It is a mirror where you can see yourself. It makes you question everything including the way we look at life, the way we interact with people. Each talk is followed by a series of questions put forward by children like "Why do we feel shy?" , "What is jealousy?" etc. Krishnamurti's words are totally unbiased and honest. He is like a surgeon. A surgeon cuts throught the patient with a sharp knife! His objective is not to hurt the patient, but to remove the ulcer from him. His objective is to let us see ourself, and make us live a life in which their heart, mind and action are in harmony and not in conflict.

The other book of krishnamurti that I would recommend is "The awakening of Intelligence". It covers everythign that this one doesn't and is meant for really serious people. You don't need any other book after that.

With so many books, tapes, videos, pamphlets & whatnots out there, people might wonder where to begin with Krishnamurti. This title is an excellent introduction. Krishnamurti is very simple & direct, but unless you've read a good number of his works, you might be confused because he has many unique definitions of words and also breaks down the mind & thought into many layers & categories. This collection of talks were given to students, so the philosophy is very simple. Points that are given emphasis here are regarding people doing what they truly love as opposed to what they think they should do, the need to question belief of any kind & breaking free from one's conditioning. Krishnamurti stayed away from classifying himself & his teachings, but he's an existentialist and this & his other works should intrest people into that branch of philosophy and thinking. He's a worthy blood-brother to Nietzsche. Get this. Read it. You'll dig it.

I got this book from a second-hand store when I was a child. I read it over and over again as a young person, living in the heart of the bible belt. The ideas in this book are as simple or complex as your heart and mind are prepared to accept. Krishnamurti has a message of self appraisal and personal responsibility that has served me well throughout my life. Even through years when I had forgotten his name, had forgotten this book, was surrounded by people pushing me to other value systems, I have always carried the influence of the thoughtful mind and purposeful action. Now, rediscovering this book and others by Krishnamurti, I can look back and appreciate the great benefit that I had from exposure to this perspective of life, which is so different from and superior to the culture and environment of the deep south.