The Wayback Machine - https://web.archive.org/web/20100806212355/http://www.beyondthemind.net:80/background.html
Site best viewed through Internet Explorer;
there are some page display issues with Chrome & Firefox
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Copyright © 2007-2010 Daniel Marks | beyondthemind.net. All Rights Reserved.
This website went online on November 22, 2007 and is being continually developed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This website is about the dissemination of the talks, amongst other things. Acknowledgements are in order for the quotations used from
the websites run by the various affiliated organizations, whose activities are basically dissemination and the sale of books & dvds:
§ K Publications - Publishing J. Krishnamurti Worldwide, based in Ojai, California, US (Online);
§ The Krishnamurti Foundation of America (KFA), based in Ojai, California, (Books, Quotations, Online);
§ The Krishnamurti Foundation Trust (KFT), based at Brockwood Park, Hampshire, UK (Books, Daily Quotations, Online);
§ Krishnamurti Foundation India (KFI), based in Mumbai, India (Booklets, Online);
§ The Krishnamurti Information Network (Kinfonet), based in Hawaii, US (Online);
§ The Krishnamurti Text Collection (tchl) (Free transcripts of many Krishnamurti publications - Online);
§ Krishnamurti Link International: The Link Magazine (KLI), based in The Netherlands - see Kinfonet online.
(An aside: the writer is a complete outsider, not affiliated in any way with these Foundations, Centers, Schools, Committees and/or dialogue forums.
He has no nationality, belief system or ideology, and is not a member of or involved with any other secular, spiritual or religious organization.
Organizations by their very nature promote a conformist groupthink; they are insular and the antithesis of dynamism, originality and creativity.)
~~~~~~~
Daily Quotations & Copyright:
The writer also acknowledges and thanks those behind the compilation of the daily quotations pages on the J. Krishnamurti Teachings International
(jkrishnamurti.org) website (abbreviated in this site to JKTI), which is a joint venture of Krishnamurti Foundations worldwide. Also freely referred to are
the daily quotations of the Kinfonet site and the KFA website’s Book of Life Daily Meditations web pages, which have been extensively consulted
over recent years (for copyright permission regarding the use of quotations, see Notes on Copyright).
Site Title, Design, and Images:
* The site title is a contraction; it is drawn from the full statement: Beyond the mind, as we know it. Implied in it is the possibility of an entirely new mind,
not limited and corrupted by self-centered thought, a mind that is open to the vast energy of the cosmos.
* Most webpage panoramic banner footer photos and page photos courtesy Wikimedia Commons, under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 2.5 Generic License, and other licenses, enabling these photographs to be copied, under certain conditions. Some other photos are courtesy freestockphotos.com & FreeNaturePictures.com, these are so marked. Florida beach photos courtesy beachhunter.net; permission gratefully received via email from the webmaster/photographer to reproduce these photographs. All site photographs have been resized from the original.
* The Home page photograph is courtesy of Microsoft Clip Art.
* The design of this site is through BlueVoda (see button on this page). Note that the site is best viewed through the Internet Explorer browser, as there are some unfortunate, unresolved page display issues, as well as poor rendering of certain bold fonts, if viewed through Chrome and Firefox.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This is a serious website devoted to an ongoing investigation of the talks and it is grounded in many years of reading and reflection. The writer is unimportant. It is the clarity of what is presented, and the depth or otherwise of the understanding, that is the only issue. It is clear that the talks present a mirror to the entire contents and structure of the human mind per se. The key to it all is to directly perceive the facts presented through this mirror, not through an interpretational or past, self-interested and prejudicial distortion of it.
The original intent in setting up a new website based entirely on the talks occurred over six years ago, though little was done at that time beyond extensive reading. Then, four years ago, due to a confluence of life events, a question of intensity arose in the mind: What is it actually all about? This was coupled with an acute awareness of a complete lack of self-knowledge, despite years of familiarity with the man’s life and his talks. The current website, the actual preliminary construction of which began in early 2007, presents a shared understanding through the persistent and unwavering pursuit of this question, which may (or may not, as the case may be) prove to be of value to others. It is a life commitment.
During this journey of understanding (a journey in the chronological sense, with no psychological arrival, goal or destination, as there is no such thing) there have been three surprising discoveries:
The first is a fundamental one and simply cannot be overstated: One will not understand the talks on a first reading. They are too subtle, too nuanced, too interconnected, too challenging to the entire structure of one’s accustomed thinking processes. The mind will resist much of what is said, carefully stream it out; it is only on subsequent readings that this resistance appears to break down. So it is only when one re-reads passages of the talks that one has read days, weeks, or even months before (and has forgotten), that one sees clearly in these passages aspects or flashes of understanding that were not apparent originally. It is as if one were each day viewing a diamond: different facets of the thing comes to light depending on the day and the angle at which it is viewed.
This may have something to do with the workings and perception of the unconscious mind; indeed, it is as if there is some sort of foundation of understanding being laid down in the unconscious, which then comes into being when passages are re-read. This occurred to the writer without exception on everything that was read; but of course, this will only happen when one is really interested in what one is reading (it may in fact be directly related to the question held in the mind). It is also necessary to extensively reflect on one’s level of understanding - to, as it were, ‘think it through’ (this is not a paradox, despite appearances, see Are the talks clear?).
The second discovery, allied to the first, is that there is such a thing as an expansion of awareness/understanding. One starts to be aware of the total process of thought, the self and all the ideas one has about everything (these ideas are all wrong; there are not good ideas and bad ideas). The ideas prevent this thing called the alert passivity of awareness. This expansion of awareness obviously occurs over chronological time. However, the series of breakthroughs in understanding that have occurred in only the last six months do not occur through accumulated knowledge gained from the past. Each breakthrough has appeared as new, unpremeditated and unsought.
The third discovery is that all the passages in all the talks are intricately, subtly and irrevocably interconnected. This is especially true of the differing terminology that was employed over time. Sometimes, a number of terms are used to convey exactly the same thing but have been expressed differently according to the differing approach adopted on each day. The primary example here is of course awareness, which is synonymous with attention, observation and watching. However, although the terminology changes over the years and although the central issues are approached from a myriad of differing angles, the essence of the talks always remains the same.
~~~~~
There is no end to learning, no destination, no arrival point. The outlining of this understanding does not preclude further learning - in fact, the contrary has proved to be the case. The talks are truly vast in their scope, an all-encompassing penetration into the human condition. This site has focused on what is perceived to be the central themes, comprising the essence of it all; it is not a complete look at all the myriad issues raised in the talks. It is a work in understanding and must not be regarded as an authority - or, more importantly, an interpretation - on either the talks or the themes that are pointed out - there is simply no authority, one must see the truth for oneself.
Important Note: The writer has seen in the workings of the mind the factual nature of what is pointed out in the talks, again and again, and it is from this basis alone that this site has been created. Therefore, he is not in any way a 'follower' or 'devotee' of the man behind these talks (see: It's the words, not the speaker) Nor does he consider that the man is an authority or that the talks are, or contain, the Truth - in the largest sense of that word. Truth is ever-changing and cannot be captured. Whereas the talks consist entirely of pointers to the workings of the mind, which is trapped in time and is unable to perceive truth. This site is thus an investigation into these pointers, but this is not to say that the pointers are all that there is and the final word on everything; seeing the contents of the mind, of consciousness, is what is important.
No-one can help another, hence this site is not to 'help' anyone, it is the writer's journey into the pointing out, into himself. It is undertaken for the understanding of the writer, not the readers. Thus, quotes are used for the pointers that they are, but once the seeing has taken place, they, and likewise all the books, must be discarded. There is only direct seeing, for oneself. It is, however, the overarching contention of this site that all these subjects need a fresh airing and evaluation, free as far as possible from all existing conclusions and biases.
May you therefore find in this, somewhere, something of value.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Bibliography
Krishnamurti’s Notebook - Hampshire, England: Krishnamurti Foundation Trust Ltd (KFT), Full text edition, 2003; [1976]
(The most extraordinary document ever written) (Site references pertain to the Victor Gollancz paperback edition, published in 1985)
The Transformation of Man: The Wholeness of Life - Krishnamurti Foundation India, KFT edition, 2004; [© KFT, 1978]
The Impossible Question - London: Orion Books Ltd, Reprinted, 2003; [© KFT, 1972]
On God - San Francisco: HarperCollins, 1992; [© KFT, KFA]
Krishnamurti: The Years of Fulfilment (Volume 2) - Mary Lutyens, New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Inc., 1983.
Krishnamurti: A Biography - Pupul Jayakar, New York: Harper & Row, 1986.
~~~~~~~~~
The Future of Humanity - Full transcript of conversations with Professor David Bohm, in 1983, on the Krishnamurti Text Collection website.
The Ending of Time - Conversations with Professor David Bohm in April, 1980.
The Awakening of Intelligence - Harper Collins, 1987.
Education and the Significance of Life - Harper Collins, 1992.
Freedom From the Known - Harper & Row, 1969.
Unconditionally Free: Introduction to the life and work of J. Krishnamurti (1895-1986) - Booklet, © KFA, KFI and the KFT Ltd, 1995.
J. Krishnamurti Speaking with the International Committees at Saanen, 1981 to 1985 - Booklet, Revised edition, 2003.
Exploration Into Insight - Gollancz, 1979,
Krishnamurti: Reflections on the Self - Edited by Raymond Martin, Open Court Publishing, 1997.
A Wholly Different Way of Living - Conversations with Professor Allan W. Anderson, Gollancz, 1991.
Questioning Krishnamurti: In Dialogue - Harper Collins, 1996.
Beginnings of Learning - Orton, 2003.
On Living and Dying - Harper Collins, 1992.
On Relationship - Harper Collins, 1992.
The Book of Life: Daily Meditations with Krishnamurti - Harper Collins, 1995 (Online webpage daily quotes courtesy the KFA Website).
Commentaries on Living: First Series; From the Notebooks of J. Krishnamurti - Edited by D. Rajagopal, Theosophical Publishing House, 1956.
Biographies/Reminiscences/Memoirs:
A Vision of the Sacred: My Personal Journey with Krishnamurti - Sunanda Patwardhan, Ph.D., Edwin House Publishing, Inc., Ojai, 1999.
Krishnamurti: 100 Years - Evelyne Blau, Stewart, Tabori and Chang; Reprint edition, 1997.
Star In The East: Krishnamurti: The Invention of a Messiah - Roland Vernon, Sentient Publications, 2002.
Krishnamurti: The Open Door (Volume 3) - Mary Lutyens, Farrar Straus and Giroux, Inc., 1988.
The Kitchen Chronicles: 1001 Lunches with Krishnamurti - Michael Krohnen, Edwin House Publishing, Inc., Ojai, 1997.
Krishnamurti: The Reluctant Messiah - Sidney Field, Paragon House Publishers; 1st Edition, 1989.
The Beauty of the Mountain: Memories of Krishnamurti - Friedrich Grohe, The Krishnamurti Foundation Trust, 2001.
Truth Is A Pathless Land: A Journey with Krishnamurti - Donald Ingram Smith, Theosophical Publishing House; 1st Edition, 1989.
- The Transparent Mind – Interview with Donald Ingram Smith, by Alan Mann – May, 2000 (Nowletter, December, 2008 - pdf).
One Thousand Moons: Krishnamurti at Eighty-Five - Asit Chandmal, 1980.
As The River Joins The Ocean: Reflections about J. Krishnamurti - Giddu Narayan, Edwin House Publishing, Inc., Ojai, 1999.
Krishnamurti: The Years of Awakening (Volume 1) - Mary Lutyens, Farrar Straus and Giroux, Inc., 1981.
The Life and Death of Krishnamurti (Volume 4) - Mary Lutyens, Farrar Straus and Giroux, Inc., 1990.
Krishnamurti and the Rajagopals - Mary Lutyens, Farrar Straus and Giroux, Inc., 1996.
Krishnamurti: World Philosopher (1895-1986) His Life and Thoughts - Dr. C. V. Williams, 2004 (Google E-Books).
Candles in the Sun - Lady Emily Lutyens, London: R. Hart-Davis, 1957.
Krishnamurti: Two Birds on One Wire - Ravi Bavindra, Theosophical Publishing House, 1995.
The Inner Life of Krishnamurti: Private Passion and Perennial Wisdom - Aryel Sanat, Quest Books, 2000.
J. Krishnamurti and the Nameless Experience: A comprehensive discussion of J. Krishnamurti's approach to life - Rohit Mehta, 1989.
Infinite Potential: The Life and Times of David Bohm - F. David Peat, Addison Wesley Publishing Company, 1997.
[Bibliographic Note: The books of course do not contain the truth, only pointers to it. It is physically impossible to read all the works, but there are some that comprehensively encapsulate the essential, central points. Hence the content of this website's discussions is essentially grounded in the top 6 works, all of which, without exception, have been read more than once. The editing in these compilation works is excellent, as they encompass a series of talks over consecutive days and thus give an overall view of the content of the talks themselves. The writer has not read the Radha Sloss book, for reasons given in the It's the words, not the speaker page. What has been read is the Lutyens refutation of it, as well as some excerpts drawn from it. All the other major biographies have been read per the bibliographic list above; this was done prior to the central understanding that the man himself is unimportant, only what he says is. Nearly all of the above-mentioned books may be purchased through the Krishnamurti book and video/dvd sales website at www.pathless.com]
~~~~~~~~
Krishnamurti Monograph Series:
Preserving the Teachings: The Historical Importance of Krishnamurti - Professor S. Lloyd Williams, Krishnamurti Foundation America (KFA), 2001.
The Nature and Implications of J. Krishnamurti’s Teachings on Transformation - Professor Hillary Rodrigues, Ph.D, Krishnamurti Foundation America, 1995. (Here is a listing of all the published Monographs.)
Videos/DVD's/other sources:
The Link (From Issue #14 - Spring/Summer 1998, to #22 - Spring/Summer 2006: Full text available of all these issues on the Kinfonet website)
Krishnamurti Foundation Trust Bulletins (Numbers: 50, 53, 63, 80-86: From 2001 to 2005)
Krishnamurti Foundation India Bulletin (Volume No 2, Issue 3, July-October 2005)
The Krishnamurti Text Collection (Comprehensive online transcription of most of the works) - www.tchl.freeweb.hu
Thirty-nine videos of various dialogues and talks, including dialogues with Bohm, Shainberg, Anderson, Sheldrake, Jayakar, Zimbalist, Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche, Dr. Wilkins, Huston Smith, Iris Murdoch et al., available in the Video/DVD archives at the Krishnamurti Centre in Brockwood Park, England; also available for sale at www.pathless.com; Listing of Krishnamurti books (by and about) available on Amazon.
“The treasure is not in books, but buried in your own mind,
and the mind alone can discover this treasure.”
(Bombay, 7th Public Talk, March 25, 1956)
We have this absurd notion in our democratic society that the majority of the people are always right. Everything in society is ultimately judged by how many people adhere to, support, or belong to a particular idea or movement. Hence the talks are adjudged a 'failure' (as well as the man who delivered them) because of the small number who have taken them up.
The reverse is actually true. It is the minority that has always been shown to be right - history has demonstrated it, time
and time again. All change has always started with one person. The majority is, in fact, always wrong.
Life after Death: A Most Extraordinary Discussion -
on the Stream, Pure Energy, Death & Reincarnation
(Page last updated July 30, 2010)
"As we were talking, for no reason, for what we were talking about was not too serious, out of some unapproachable depths suddenly one felt this immense flame of power, destructive in its creation.
It was the power that existed before all things came into being; it was unapproachable and by its very strength one could not come near it.
Nothing exists but that one thing."
(The Notebook, 1976 edition, page 35; paragraphs added)
It is clear in the pages of that remarkable document, the Notebook, written in 1961, that the man lived n a mind-state far beyond anyone else on the planet. It was a state where thought was completely absent, where the mind had no identity and was not driven by any desire. In this state of essential indifference, what he called the "otherness" came to him, he did not go to it. Although he attempts in various ways to describe it, it was actually indesribable, a mind-state in a different dimension (which implies that the nature and power of universal creation is beyond the intellect of man, and everything in history up to now points to this being so).
The Basis Behind this Website:
The cornerstone of this entire site is the writer's discoveries from looking into the 'mirror' that is the talks. Time and again the pointers in the talks allude to the actual nature of the contents of consciousness (ie., thought, desire, time, and the self) - the actual workings of the mind on a daily basis. When pondered and reflected upon, these pointers have been shown to be true, and it is on this foundation alone that the site has been constructed, in order to share this understanding with others. The key is to choicelessly observe one's mind - and the pointers, once read and understood, can then be put aside. Both the man and the pointers themselves are not the central issue, it is the seeing of them.
The question has often been asked: Are the talks 'practical' or are they so-called 'unproductive'. If you want something out of them, anything at all, if you are seeking a result, you will regard them as both impractical and unproductive. The seeking, the wanting, is the self in operation. The facts in the pointers have to be seen in the mind, not intellectualized (which is reducing them to clever abstractions, thus escaping from them). It is this direct "seeing" that is the core of it, and this is a state of mind brought about by questioning. The issue is really whether we have ever had a full insight into the whole movement of thought, into the whole operation of desire.
On Studying the Talks: "Vasanta Vihar [a Study Centre in Chennai, India, though meant here generically to cover all the study centres] should draw people who have a good brain, a good intellect. They should study the "teaching" thoroughly, soak in it deeply as you would do if you were to study medicine or Buddhism or any other subject. Studying means to go deeply into the subtleties of the words used and their contents and seeing the truths in them in relation to daily life. They should be able to discuss the teaching with specialists in any branch of knowledge, as scholars do. While they are studying, these people should have a spirit of cooperation.
A spirit of cooperation does not mean working together for some purpose, but it means that one is able to share one's discoveries and findings with one another. For instance, I share with you as a friend what I have discovered. You may doubt it, question it, but I am sharing with you the discovery. It is not my discovery; it does not belong to me or anybody. Perception is never personal."
(Sunanda Patwardhan Memoir: A Vision of the Sacred: My Personal Journey with Krishnamurti, 1999, page 63)
The minute you hold your discoveries into the workings of the mind unto yourself, your self is in operation and so you have actually understood nothing.
