This Light in Oneself [Paperback]

Jiddu Krishnamurti (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 16, 1999

These selections present the core of Krishnamurti's teaching on meditation, taken from discussions with small groups, as well as from public talks to large audiences. His main theme is the essential need to look inward, to know ourselves, in order really to understand our own—and the world's—conflicts. We are the world, says Krishnamurti, and it is our individual chaos that creates social disorder. He offers timeless insights into the source of true freedom and wisdom.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Krishnamurti ranks up there with Kahlil Gibran in what you might call common sense mysticism. Repudiating his upbringing as a Theosophist World Leader, Krishnamurti pushed a sort of religious self-reliance, as evidenced in the title of this collection of essays, This Light in Oneself. Meditation for Krishnamurti has nothing to do with gurus, postures, or concentration exercises, nor is its purpose "to sleep longer, do your job better, or to get more money." What it is can be a bit slippery, though. As Krishnamurti states it, meditation is a psychological state--a kind of choiceless awareness, "a state in which the 'me' is totally absent." His argument comes out gradually in this series of essays that are here published for the first time. But since each essay was originally a self-enclosed lecture on meditation, there is much overlap of material. So the reader must approach the book like a spaceship that circles planets and moons in order to be slingshot to further reaches. Path: unknown. Final destination: enlightenment. --Brian Bruya

About the Author

Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986) was one of the most influential spiritual teachers of the twentieth century. He traveled and lectured throughout the world until his death at the age of ninety. His talks and works are preserved in more than seventy books.

Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1st edition (March 16, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570624429
• ISBN-13: 978-1570624421
• Product Dimensions: 4.9 x 0.4 x 7.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #161,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

J. Krishnamurti (1895-1986) was a renowned spiritual teacher whose lectures and writings have inspired thousands. His works include On Mind and Thought, On Nature and the Environment, On Relationship, On Living and Dying, On Love and Loneliness, On Fear, and On Freedom.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "True Meditation" should be the Title, not the Sub-Title., October 6, 1999

By 

Giles Galahad (El Paso, Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: This Light in Oneself (Paperback)

Or, "The Quintessence of Krishnamurti" would be even more informative. This is the best effort yet to reduce the vast volume of Krishnamurti's teachings to one small volume, worth re-reading again and again.

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For those who want to seek truth with an open mind, December 14, 2000

By 

H.K.Narayanaswamy (Hiiliard,OH United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: This Light in Oneself (Paperback)

This is an excellent collection of Krishnamurthy's thoughts on the subject of Self and Truth. For those who intent to seek truth, shredding the inhibitions of narrow mindedness that religions have burdened us with, this book makes an excellent reading. Among the vain voices of the so-called champions of various religions who vehemently strive to prove the superiority of one religion over other, here is a voice that tells 'You and Only You' can liberate yourself. The thoughts in this book can become more than mere ideas provided one gathers the courage to look in the direction they point to.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Observe the self to know the truth, April 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: This Light in Oneself (Paperback)

Krishnamurti summarizes in a small book what other religions, philosophers, and lineages have made so incredibly complicated. "Who am I" To know this truth all we need to do is to watch ourselves in action, our thoughts, fears, and desires. We like to make things complicated and to make "techniques" out of otherwise simple notions. Mindfulness, Bare Attention, and all of the other Buddhist terms do not quite apply to what K speaks of. Like K says "the description is never that which is described." One cannot analyze the self and then try to experience it. One must experience first through observation and the truth reveals itself.