TOI, Patna 18.10.08
Irreverence Inevitably Attracts The Young
Jaithirth Rao
I must have been 16 years old. When my brother introduced me to Jiddu Krishnamurti’s writings. He had suggested that I read a couple of books in the ‘commentaries on Living’ series. We were living in madras – as Chennai was then called – and I went one evening to Vasant Vihar to listen to a talk by JK as my brother referred to call him.
I found many things about the meeting and the talk different. JK walked in and sat down a couple of minutes before the scheduled and the talk started precisely on time. This was and remains quite unusual, particularly in India. The speaker (as JK liked to allude to himself) sat cross-legged and ramrod straight. I have never been able to sit without a slouch and I found the straight posture quite fascinating. JK spoke with a clipped English accent and his singsong was quite hypnotic.
He talked about a large and gorgeous tree in front of us; he talked about the soothing colours of the sunset and gradually walked us down the path of dealing with our minds. There are two sentences from that talk which have stayed with me over the years. "We must find eyes that have never shed tears" is one of them. I have used this haunting theme in some of my writings elsewhere.
The other sentence was: "If you really believed in the karma theory, you would never do anything without an enormous amount of sensitivity; you would not be casual or act out of habit." For an iconoclast, this way quite an unusual things to say. Maybe he was reminding us that we tend to use religious doctrines to suit our convenience.
He went on to tell us that there was no reason for us to fall back on so-called revered teachers be they Shankara or Buddha, no need to look for a guru. Such candour bordering on the impertinent was really new to me. I was shocked, but pleasantly so. A .teenager likes such irreverence and the investigation to work things out oneself.
I read more of JK and attended other talks although no experience equaled the sheer magic of the first one that I went to. One of JK’s talks where he dealt with the "fear of death" that each of us has to deal with has also stayed with me over the years.
Very few have dealt with the issue of death with as much honesty and grace as he has. In Pupul Jayakar’s biography of JH, she mentions that when Pupul lost a dear friend, after a couple of days, Krishnamurti told her to "let go" of her friend as he made a gesture suggesting "eternity". This has to be one of the most sensible and sensitive responses to a grieving person for death of a loved one has to be one of the great imponderable experiences we all have to face sooner or later.
Over the years as three of our children one after the other decided to go to Rishi Valley, we became regular visitors there. There were times walking past the old guest house when one felt JK’s presence. And to my credit I kept "observing" and not judging as he would have liked, I hope!
Many have asked me to explain in simple and summary terms what JK stood for. One must resist these temptations. The books are there, the recordings are there. Let whoever is interested read, hear watch and reflect. Above all as one of my friends Samit Ghosh said about the impact of JK on him "each of us has to deal with the issues ourselves". There are no summary short cuts that can fit into two minute television episodes. One must make one’s own path in the "pathless land".
I found many things about the meeting and the talk different. JK walked in and sat down a couple of minutes before the scheduled and the talk started precisely on time. This was and remains quite unusual, particularly in India. The speaker (as JK liked to allude to himself) sat cross-legged and ramrod straight. I have never been able to sit without a slouch and I found the straight posture quite fascinating. JK spoke with a clipped English accent and his singsong was quite hypnotic.
He talked about a large and gorgeous tree in front of us; he talked about the soothing colours of the sunset and gradually walked us down the path of dealing with our minds. There are two sentences from that talk which have stayed with me over the years. "We must find eyes that have never shed tears" is one of them. I have used this haunting theme in some of my writings elsewhere.
The other sentence was: "If you really believed in the karma theory, you would never do anything without an enormous amount of sensitivity; you would not be casual or act out of habit." For an iconoclast, this way quite an unusual things to say. Maybe he was reminding us that we tend to use religious doctrines to suit our convenience.
He went on to tell us that there was no reason for us to fall back on so-called revered teachers be they Shankara or Buddha, no need to look for a guru. Such candour bordering on the impertinent was really new to me. I was shocked, but pleasantly so. A .teenager likes such irreverence and the investigation to work things out oneself.
I read more of JK and attended other talks although no experience equaled the sheer magic of the first one that I went to. One of JK’s talks where he dealt with the "fear of death" that each of us has to deal with has also stayed with me over the years.
Very few have dealt with the issue of death with as much honesty and grace as he has. In Pupul Jayakar’s biography of JH, she mentions that when Pupul lost a dear friend, after a couple of days, Krishnamurti told her to "let go" of her friend as he made a gesture suggesting "eternity". This has to be one of the most sensible and sensitive responses to a grieving person for death of a loved one has to be one of the great imponderable experiences we all have to face sooner or later.
Over the years as three of our children one after the other decided to go to Rishi Valley, we became regular visitors there. There were times walking past the old guest house when one felt JK’s presence. And to my credit I kept "observing" and not judging as he would have liked, I hope!
Many have asked me to explain in simple and summary terms what JK stood for. One must resist these temptations. The books are there, the recordings are there. Let whoever is interested read, hear watch and reflect. Above all as one of my friends Samit Ghosh said about the impact of JK on him "each of us has to deal with the issues ourselves". There are no summary short cuts that can fit into two minute television episodes. One must make one’s own path in the "pathless land".
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