Customer Reviews

Total Freedom: The Essential Krishnamurti

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This presentation of Krishnamurti is the most complete to date. It contains four parts that are entitled:Early Works, Insights into Everyday Life, Life's Questions, and You are the World. The most important insight that the reader will gain is... a person does not have to become a member of any religious sect in order to gain peace of mind. J.K. asks us why we have certain fears, why are some of us so depended upon others for fulfillment?The insights presented within the book are not "teachings" in the sense of providing a system for the reader to follow. Instead, Krishnamurti asks us to question tradition and certain forms of dogmatism. I think the best analogy that could be used in describing this book would be to compare it to a mirror in which a person has to take a good hard look at his or her life, thoughts, fears, traditions, and habits. The reader is directed to look for the truth within, through observation, without any rigorous vows or monastic practices. Essential reading indeed.

I have been reading this book for almost 7 years many times over. It has been one of the most difficult books I have read. But why don't I just stop reading? Because I can't.

K challenges every bit of our thinking about the truth. After quite a while, I realised why he does not provide answers but just swirls our heads around with questions. He keeps telling us what one is NOT instead of what one IS. He is trying to help us know the "unknowable". He is trying to help us conceive the "inconceivable". He is trying to make us understand why any attempt at organizing the truth only produces an effect to the contrary. How would one explain that in words? I could never do that. But K does that brilliantly. It just takes some effort on the reader's part to follow his words and give them their due moment.

This was my first of a few Krishnamurti books... and I cherish it. What one gains from the book depends on where the reader is on the path of understanding. My experience with this book has proven that the book (it's effect on me) evolves as I evolve. I can only guess what his words will bring me when I read it 10 years from now.

...and would be worthwhile for that alone, but there's lots of good stuff here. I've found there are (in general) three mistakes to avoid when reading K: 1. expecting him to provide all the answers rather than taking him at his word and seeking them within; 2. trying to "get" him through a purely intellectual approach ("You want to live in a world of concepts, Sir?" he once asked a heckler; "Then live there"); and 3. rating the book poorly at amazon.com because you haven't exercized the awareness required to master the ordering instructions....

One of the gratest spiritual book. This is a life changing book and you will start observing with every aspect of life with new angle after reading this book. It covers the spiritual journey of K from 1929 to 1985. One will find it difficult to give off the concepts of nationalism and religion from their lives,particularly in such a hostile environment where social and religious conflicts are present in almost every continent,but if those barriers are overcome,world will certainly be a better place to live.
Very insightful and thought provoking book.

This book is an exceptional book for people for are in search for an authentic self. Krishnamurti never directly provides answers for vital questions in life because he understands that answers to vital questions are never meaningful when they come from the outside. He knows that for our answers to be meaningful they must come from within. He understands that his job is to guide us so that we approach the problem in a way that leads to our own answers from within. Although not all of us are ready, I think we all have much to learn from thinkers like him. If you are ready, this book will be wonderful for you. If you are not, you will find it meaningless. Although you find it meaningless now, keep it on your shelf and read it five or ten years later and see if it makes sense then. If you'd like a book using a more concrete approach to this topic, I strongly suggest "The Ever-transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato. It is a fabulous book that explains how many Western and Eastern theories relate to essential matters of the heart.

Reading krishnamurti's work, one gets the impression that he does not answer any questions directly.
Instead, he draws you out into the open and ask you to look within yourself, ask you to "see" the situation clearly and keep guiding you back to the situation by asking/guiding you with probing questions.

Krishnamurti does not answer your life's problem for you. There is no authority, no rules and no laws. He simply shows you the way to see into your own nature, just simple observation. Can you observe without a centre ? without ego/thoughts ? No one can explain his words more clearly then himself. I felt very fortunate to be able to experience his insights straight from the source.

I think this book is one of his best. It covers all the areas of the human condition and the essence of his teaching. After reading the book however, throw it away or give it to someone and dont let it become a crutch in your life...he would have wanted it that way.

I happened to come across this book by chance. As I had heard about Krishnamurthy before, I thought I should read a bit and see what his teachings were all about. The first 15 pages were enough to convince me to buy this. I was struck by the orginality of his thought and how he puts everything in perspective. I have tried reading other self-help (or improvement) books before, but none of them were of any use in real life. This book, has simply transformed my being without any conscious effort on my part. You have at read it to believe it. This is no self-help cook book you should know. This is my first reading of JK's book, I plan to check out his other works!

This is the first time I had read Krishnamurti, so I don't know how it compares to other compilations of his writings and discussions, but I can say that his is a beautiful mind. What he shares with his audience cannot be classified as doctrine or technique, but rather guidance on how to look for the truth. The teaching that initially resonated with me is his suggestion to start by observing yourself and your thinking, without judgment (good or bad), to really understand your thoughts and move beyond the series of events that you use to define "you." I found that the process of attentive observation is extremely powerful, dissolving the tensions I have built over time and revealing something truly beautiful and energizing. For those who want to explore his works before buying, there are websites with many of his "lessons." If these bits of information ring true to you, do yourself a favor and buy the book.

One last word of advice: Krishnamurti does not offer packaged answers to life's questions like one finds with religion. His suggestions require serious effort by the reader to find total freedom.

A very thought provoking and timeless work that mirrors the conditions for a journey towards self-liberation and the unending search for the truth. If you are looking for a new system or a method that you will follow and shape according to your desires for results and achievement, this book has none of that and it will dissapoint you. This is not a religious, a self-help or a motivational book.