Krishnamurti

Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895-1986) was the most well-known and influential Indian thinker of the 20th century. His philosophy emphasised what he called ‘choiceless awareness,’ self-realization, the immediate apprehension of the truth and a rejection of organized religion. Many Buddhists, particularly those interested in meditation, have found great similarities between some of Krishnamurti’s ideas and those of the Buddha. Krishnamurti denied that he had ever even read a book on Buddhism and never mentioned it throughout his long teaching career. Nonetheless, in the last public talk he gave before his death he said, ‘If I knew the Buddha was speaking here tomorrow, nothing in the world could stop me from going to listen to him. And I would follow him to the very end.’

References

• Buddhism A to Z. Ven. Dhammika, 2007.
• The Mind of Jiddu Krishnamurti, L.S.R.Vas, 1971.