Think on These Things

Rating:
Summary: I Dare You...
Review: I dare you to think on these things. C'mon in, the water's fine.

Rating:
Summary: thought provoking, groundbreaking, powerful!!
Review: I discovered Krishnamurti during my freshman year in college and it shattered the way I looked (or didn't look) at life. Ten years later, this book still remains by my side. It's hard to pigeonhole it into a particular category. It could be seen as a self-help book, but it really isn't. Krishamurti's advice is among the most unpractical and difficult you'll ever find and there are no magical recipes here. It could be seen as a book on religion, and even though you get a feel for eastern mysticism, it's very much against the superstitions and dogma we associate with religion. To me it's a book on philosophy in the truest sense of the word. Instead of parroting or following a line of thought set forth by others, it is an exercise in the art of questioning everything, in particular the assumptions, traditions, and prejudices that society imposes on us and which we live by without even being aware. It encourages us to discover for ourselves what we mean by truth, beauty, goodness, and God. Buy this book, read it as many times as you can, and please, think on these things.

Rating:
Summary: Life-changing
Review: I first encountered this book as a confused seventeen-year old, and it changed my life. At the time, I had read a lot of self-help books, books on philosophy, psychology, theosophy, theology etc., but within two paragraphs of this book, I had the greatest epiphany of my life - simply that it was possible to understand life. That's all I needed to know. Up until then, I had tended to accept that the pursuit of self-interest was as valid a philosophy of life as any. With this other possibility now opened to me, I saw at a glance the life of passion and glory which is the lot of those who love truth for its own sake, and allow themselves to be taken where truth leads them.
I'm 42 now, and feel I haven't aged a day since then, inwardly. Goodness knows how my life would have turned out without the insights and understandings come to me through Krishnamurti to keep me grounded.
I suggest - pick up something by Krishnamurti, and read a few paragraphs, a chapter. If nothing happens, don't spend time analysing what he has to say, - just close the book, put it in a drawer and forget you own it. Just go about your life - it's for the best.
They say that even a chimpanzee is quite content with his life if his circumstances are favourable, and wastes no time in regretful comparisons.
Best wishes.

Rating:
Summary: Great Introduction to a Prolific Modern Philosopher!
Review: I had heard about Krishnamurti for years before I took the plunge with this book. It is probably one of the best introductions to his work since it consists of introductory material and question and answer sessions with Indian students. As such, the complex web of ideas is made a little easier to see. The book is broken down into short chapters related to everyday issues such as Freedom, Ambition and the Quest for Knowledge. I especially enjoyed the discussions regarding the purpose of education. Krishnamurti would not be a fan of our system of emphasis on test results over all else. The purpose of education is not rote learning and ticket punching, but rather the development of the ability to think in a critical fashion for yourself and develop your own path. This is a great book to read from start to finish and then leave in a convenient spot to pick up and peruse as the mood hits.

Rating:
Summary: Most accessible of all K's books (along with "Life Ahead")
Review: I've read over 25 Krishamurti books, including all the "big ones" like Freedom from the Known, The First and Last Freedom, Total Freedom, Awakening of Intelligence, Flight of the Eagle, Krishmaurti's Notebook, etc., many of which I've read more than once. I've given all of them away to share K's message but kept four of them which I keep as references for focused daily reflection/meditation (as opposed to the meditation of all waking life). The four I've kept are Freedom from the Known, On God, On Right Livelihood, and Education and the Significance of Life (the last one of great relevance to me since I'm an educator). And so now I always recommend (and often give) the first three books on that list I just mentioned to anyone who wants to learn more about K's "teachings." "Freedom from the Known" is the single best, most concise and thorough summary of all K's teachings. "On God" should greatly help anyone who is searching for ultimate reality, Truth, God, Enlightenment, Nirvana, The Meaning of Life, or whatever one wants to call it. No summary will do it justice; you must read it for yourself. "On Right Livelihood" addresses the issue of our daily living, in work, leisure, and even to some degree home life and family relationship, becuase, as K emphasizes, they all should be an integrated whole, not fragmented parts of our lives. "Education and the Significance of Life" is also or relevance to anyone who has children or who teaches; it will transform the way you view childrearing and education. I would say that those four books would be all a person would need to transform one's life; to have a radical revolution in living. Now that being said, why do I still highly recommend "Think on These Things?" It and Life Ahead are numbers Five and Six on my list; those two are books that I never keep for myself, but I often give to others: mostly children and young adults, or people who otherwise either wouldn't enjoy or couldn't handle the relatively more complex and philosophically-oriented nature of K's other works; I even gave copies of them to my mentally-disabled adult sister, and she is able to understand these latter two books. This is because both "Think on These Things" and "Life Ahead" were talks given to young students and their parents, and both the language K uses and the ideas themselves seem much more simple and direct, yet retain all their power and vibrancy. I highly recommend "Think on These Things" and "Life Ahead" as gifts, or for any reader who wants a more "accessible" Krishnamurti.

Rating:
Summary: Most accessible of all K's books (along with "Life Ahead")
Review: I've read over 25 Krishamurti books, including all the "big ones" like Freedom from the Known, The First and Last Freedom, Total Freedom, Awakening of Intelligence, Flight of the Eagle, Krishmaurti's Notebook, etc., many of which I've read more than once. I've given all of them away to share K's message but kept four of them which I keep as references for focused daily reflection/meditation (as opposed to the meditation of all waking life). The four I've kept are Freedom from the Known, On God, On Right Livelihood, and Education and the Significance of Life (the last one of great relevance to me since I'm an educator). And so now I always recommend (and often give) the first three books on that list I just mentioned to anyone who wants to learn more about K's "teachings." "Freedom from the Known" is the single best, most concise and thorough summary of all K's teachings. "On God" should greatly help anyone who is searching for ultimate reality, Truth, God, Enlightenment, Nirvana, The Meaning of Life, or whatever one wants to call it. No summary will do it justice; you must read it for yourself. "On Right Livelihood" addresses the issue of our daily living, in work, leisure, and even to some degree home life and family relationship, becuase, as K emphasizes, they all should be an integrated whole, not fragmented parts of our lives. "Education and the Significance of Life" is also or relevance to anyone who has children or who teaches; it will transform the way you view childrearing and education. I would say that those four books would be all a person would need to transform one's life; to have a radical revolution in living. Now that being said, why do I still highly recommend "Think on These Things?" It and Life Ahead are numbers Five and Six on my list; those two are books that I never keep for myself, but I often give to others: mostly children and young adults, or people who otherwise either wouldn't enjoy or couldn't handle the relatively more complex and philosophically-oriented nature of K's other works; I even gave copies of them to my mentally-disabled adult sister, and she is able to understand these latter two books. This is because both "Think on These Things" and "Life Ahead" were talks given to young students and their parents, and both the language K uses and the ideas themselves seem much more simple and direct, yet retain all their power and vibrancy. I highly recommend "Think on These Things" and "Life Ahead" as gifts, or for any reader who wants a more "accessible" Krishnamurti.

Rating:
Summary: This book helped me thru a terrible summer
Review: This book could very well 'enlighten' you to be very careful of those in which you put your faith in. This guy is/was very lacking in compassion and love. You read his words and get the same feeling that I associate with someone telling you as a child that there is no Santa Claus. I get it that he's trying to break the conformist in you, but *Example* telling you that parents don't really love their children, they are just scared of what will happen to themselves if something happens to their child, is flat-out freaking rediculous.

Krishnamurti picks apart questions asked at the end of every chapter and basically answers the audience's question in the form of another question, hence, creating confusion and indirectness. I think there are many better teachers out there who can lead you in a more positive/productive direction.. Try His Holiness the Dalai Lama or Thich Nhat Hanh.

Thanks for playing Krishna-murky.

Rating:
Summary: A Clean Mirror - Discover Yourself
Review: This book is a collection of talks given by J. Krishnamurti to a group of school children and teachers. He talks about different things like Education, love, freedom, etc.

Personally this was a life changing book for me. This was not another book which told you what to do, but tells you 'Just see yourself'. The first time I read this book, I found it too intellectual and I thought Krishnamurti was a very negetive guy. Sadly, at that time I was too caught up in my own beleif system and was not ready for reality.

This book is not really a book. It is a mirror where you can see yourself. It makes you question everything including the way we look at life, the way we interact with people. Each talk is followed by a series of questions put forward by children like "Why do we feel shy?" , "What is jealousy?" etc. Krishnamurti's words are totally unbiased and honest. He is like a surgeon. A surgeon cuts throught the patient with a sharp knife! His objective is not to hurt the patient, but to remove the ulcer from him. His objective is to let us see ourself, and make us live a life in which their heart, mind and action are in harmony and not in conflict.

The other book of krishnamurti that I would recommend is "The awakening of Intelligence". It covers everythign that this one doesn't and is meant for really serious people. You don't need any other book after that.

Rating:
Summary: Simple, yet complex...complex, yet simple
Review: This is a very good first book in Krishnamurti's philosophy. However, if you've already read some of his thoughts, this is still a good book to read and re-read.

This collection is a compilation of talks given to groups of students and their teachers in India. It is still of universal appeal and for all stages in life. The occasional references to scenes and situations more familiar to his Indian audience than to us give a slight glimpse into this culture.

The style of writing is simple and direct without patronizing
the younger people in his audience. There are questions from the audience in the last part of each chapter, and are quite penetrating.

One sample of his directness is illustrated by a rather weighty question posed by one of the youngest members of the audience and the author's response which indicated his suspicion that one of the teachers gave the question to the student. Another time, he directly tells the questioner that he wasn't listening to the talk. One student asks a question which pits one of the professors against Krishnamurti, a question well handled by the author.

The reader must be prepared to expect basic thoughts, especialy those involving religion, nationalism, and patriotism, to be challenged. However, these are challenges from one who is a friend, not from a guru or holy person.

Rating:
Summary: Simple, yet complex...complex, yet simple
Review: This is a very good first book in Krishnamurti's philosophy. However, if you've already read some of his thoughts, this is still a good book to read and re-read.

This collection is a compilation of talks given to groups of students and their teachers in India. It is still of universal appeal and for all stages in life. The occasional references to scenes and situations more familiar to his Indian audience than to us give a slight glimpse into this culture.

The style of writing is simple and direct without patronizing
the younger people in his audience. There are questions from the audience in the last part of each chapter, and are quite penetrating.

One sample of his directness is illustrated by a rather weighty question posed by one of the youngest members of the audience and the author's response which indicated his suspicion that one of the teachers gave the question to the student. Another time, he directly tells the questioner that he wasn't listening to the talk. One student asks a question which pits one of the professors against Krishnamurti, a question well handled by the author.

The reader must be prepared to expect basic thoughts, especialy those involving religion, nationalism, and patriotism, to be challenged. However, these are challenges from one who is a friend, not from a guru or holy person.