Krishmuti: knowing yourself is the real purpose of all education

Author: Krishmuti

Provenance: "get to know yourself again"

Q: what is real life?

Krishnamurti: a little boy asked this question. Playing games, eating delicious food, running, jumping, pushing, these are his real life. You know, we always divide life into real and false. Real life is to do what you love wholeheartedly, without any contradiction, without having to fight between what you do and what you have to do. So life is a complete process in which there is great joy.

Few of us really know how to think. most of us just repeat what we read in our books, or what others tell us, and our thoughts are the result of our own limited experience. We travel around the world, have countless experiences, meet many different people, listen to them, observe their customs, their religious beliefs, their behavior, all of which we remember, and then call them thoughts. We compare, judge and choose. Through this process, we hope to find a more reasonable attitude towards life. But this way of thinking is very limited, it is limited to a very small scope.

You are surrounded by the struggles of birth, old age, sickness, death, money, status and power, which we call the endless struggle of life. Even if you are very young, don't you ever wonder what this is all about? most of us want someone to tell us the answer, so we pick up a political or religious book or ask someone about it. but no one can tell us. Because life is not something that can be learned from books, nor can its meaning be obtained by following others or through some kind of prayer. You and I must understand for ourselves, and we can do it. Only when we are completely alive, very alert, alert, observant, and interested in everything around us can we discover what true happiness is.

Q: what is the joy of life

Krishnamurti: if you want to do something happy, I'm sure you'll be happy when you do it. You may want to marry the richest man, or marry the most beautiful girl, or pass the exam and be praised by someone. You think you will be happy if you get what you want. But is this happiness? isn't it like a flower blooming in the morning and soon withering at night, but this is our life, this is all we want. We are satisfied with such superficial things, such as a car, a stable job, and some unnecessary trifles, just like a boy happily flying a kite in a strong wind and tearful eyes a few minutes later. This is our life, and we are satisfied with it. We never say, "I'm going to put my heart and soul into it and find out what happiness is."

Have you ever sat quietly, with your back straight and motionless to experience the beauty of silence? have you ever let your mind wander, not to think about trivial things, but to explore and dig in an expanded, broad, and deep way? Do you know what the world is like right now? the present situation of the world is a projection of the inner reality of each of us. What we are, the world is. Most of us are in chaos. We are insatiably greedy, possessive, jealous and critical of others. This is what the world is like, but it is more dramatic and cruel. But neither you nor your teacher will take a moment to think about all this; as long as you take some time every day to think about these things seriously, it will be possible to bring about comprehensive change and create a new world.

I am sure that a new world must be created. It is not a continuation of another corrupt society in another form. If your mind is not alert, awakened, and cannot expand awareness, you will not be able to create a new world. So please think about these questions seriously, because from this kind of thinking, it will bring amazing joy and happiness.

Q: how do we know ourselves

Krishnamurti: you know your face because you often see it in the mirror. Now there is a mirror in which you can see who you are, all the things in your heart, all your feelings, motivations, hobbies, impulses and fears. This mirror is the mirror of relationship: the mirror between you and your parents, the mirror between you and your teacher, the mirror between you and rivers, trees, the earth, and the mirror between you and your thoughts.

In it, you don't see the image you want, but who you really are. I can observe how I talk to others. I am especially polite to those who can give me things, while being rude and contemptuous to those who can't give me things. I pay special attention to those who scare me. I hurried to my feet when the important people came in, but I didn't care when the servant came in. So by observing my own performance in the relationship, I will find how I mistakenly express my respect for others. At the same time, I can also find the truth in my relationship with trees, birds, ideas and books. You may have all the degrees in the world, but if you don't know yourself, you are the stupidest person. Knowing yourself is the real purpose of all education. Lack of self-knowledge, just collect materials or take notes, and then pass the exam. It's just a stupid way of living.

You may be able to quote from books such as the Upanishads, the Koran, the Bible, etc., but unless you know yourself, you are just a parrot repeating the words of others. But once you get to know yourself, no matter how small you are, extraordinary creative actions are already under way. Suddenly seeing who you really are is a new discovery, including greed, argumentative, anger, jealousy and stupidity. From this step, you can go deeper and deeper and endless, because there is no end to self-awareness.

Self-knowledge is the beginning of wisdom, which contains the whole universe and all the struggles of human nature.

For centuries, we have been fed with spoons by our teachers, elders, books and saints. We always say, "Please tell me what is behind the plateau, the mountains and the earth." We always live in a world that others call it superficial and empty, so at best we are only "secondhand" people. Yourself, what are you as a human being? no one or anything can answer this question for you, so you must know yourself first. Knowing yourself is the beginning of wisdom.