Krishnamurti to Himself
Author | Jiddu Krishnamurti |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom and United States |
Language | English |
Subject | Autobiography, philosophy |
Publisher |
|
Publication date | 1987 |
Media type | Print ( |
Krishnamurti to Himself, subtitled His Last Journal, is a book based on a spoken diary of 20th-century Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986). It discusses psychological, social and spiritual issues he addressed throughout his long career, and like previous diaries includes observations of nature remarked for their originality and nuance; it is however unique in being the only one of his works in this format. Originally recorded in 1983–84, it was first published in print in 1987.
About the work
The text was transcribed from audiotape recordings made by Krishnamurti at his home in Ojai, California.[1] He recorded the monologues while alone, at irregular intervals and occasionally in batches of consecutive days, between 25 February 1983 and 30 March 1984.[3] In print, the recordings are organized in twenty-seven dated sections of a few pages each; in two cases there are multiple recordings on the same date, published in separate sections. The transcription was minimally edited by Mary Lutyens, an authorized Krishnamurti biographer and longtime friend.
The work was reputedly prompted by the success of the previously published diary Krishnamurti's Journal.[4] Due to his advanced age, Krishnamurti opted to dictate the new diary instead of writing it, using a portable tape recorder.[4] Alternating between second-person and third-person narratives, and occasionally with the help of an imaginary conversation partner,[4] he delves on subjects that were common concerns during his long speaking career. Among them, the importance of right relationship, the unhealthy desire for identification, the significance of meditation, the dangers of conditioned thinking, and "the extraordinary simplicity of dying”.[2]
A commentator wrote that this and previous diaries are "worth seeking for the sheer power of the language alone"[5] while Lutyens stated in foreword, "The reader gets very close to Krishnamurti in these pieces – almost, it seems at moments, into his very consciousness. ... The gist of Krishnamurti's teaching is here, and the descriptions of nature with which he begins most of the pieces may for many,... quieten their whole being so that they become intuitively receptive to what follows."[4]
Publication history
The book was originally published in June 1987 by
Copyright was held by the Krishnamurti Foundation Trust, a UK entity. As of 2021[update], publishing rights were managed by Krishnamurti Publications, the global distributor of Krishnamurti works; the book was listed in their online trade catalog as available in several languages and dialects.[6]
Select editions
- OCLC 26262314.
Reception
Soon after initial publication the work was noted by journals on philosophy and current affairs;
The book is mentioned in newspaper articles discussing Krishnamurti's worldwide influence on education,[12] and has been a designated text in college-level courses on education and ecology.[13] Entries from the diary have appeared in the popular press,[14] while some readers of the work have remarked on its perceived soothing quality.[15]
See also
Notes
- Hampshire, UK.
- ^ a b J. Krishnamurti 1993, p. 134. Part of the final entry (30 March 1984, pp. 132–134). The recording of the entire entry, titled "The extraordinary simplicity of dying", was made available in an official podcast (KFT 2021, quoted excerpt is 1:15:32 in).
- ^ Audio and other original Krishnamurti materials are collected in official archives (KFA n.d.); a segment of the first recording for 11 March 1983 (J. Krishnamurti 1993, pp. 17–19) is also available in an official podcast ; additional recordings have been published.[2]
- ^ a b c d Lutyens 1987.
- ^ Vas 2004, p. 17. Retrieved 2022-03-25 – via Google Books.
- ^ Krishnamurti Publications, "Krishnamurti to Himself: His Last Journal". Retrieved 2021-10-04.
- ^ Critical Inquiry 1988, p. 898; The Philosophical Review 1988, p. 457.
- ^ Twemlow 2001.
- ^ Prokopchuk 2021.
- ^ Bharucha 2000, pp. 1098–1099, 1100.
- ^ Anderson 2000.
- ^ Rao 2005. By the Dean of Education at the University of Hong Kong.
- ^ Boxley 2010, "Week 9: Krishnamurti on education and nature". The book was one of the reading materials for the academic year 2010–11.
- ^ Tribune India 2001. Part of the entry of 26 April 1983 is quoted here.
- ^ Kawauchi 2021, p. 16. "As I flip through, peace returns to my scattered, noisy heart, and I’m able to find my center again."
References
- Anderson, Joan M. (December 2000). "Gender, 'race', poverty, health and discourses of health reform in the context of globalization: a postcolonial feminist perspective in policy research". ISSN 1320-7881.
- JSTOR 4409083. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
- "Books of Critical Interest". ProQuest 1297310658.
- "Books Received". JSTOR 2185461.
- Boxley, Simon (9 December 2010). "ES2218: Theorising Education and Ecology". Education Studies. University of Winchester. § Seminar Schedule [Week] 9. Archived from the original on 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2021-08-10 – via Wayback Machine. Additional pages archived on 2012-03-19: "Week 9: Krishnamurti on education and nature".
- "Editorial Page: Spiritual Nuggets". Archive. OCLC 47351219. Retrieved 2022-03-01.
- EBSCOhost 148464481. p. 16:
§ Jiddu Krishnamurti, Krishnamurti to Himself: His Last Journal, 1987
.
- ISBN 978-0-06-064877-0.
- —— (1988). Krishnamurti: the open door (ISBN 978-037418225-0 – via Internet Archive.
- Prokopchuk, Yuri V. (October 2021). "The Phenomenon of Consciousness in the Works of Lev Tolstoy and Jiddu Krishnamurti". Russian Studies in Philosophy. 59 (5). S2CID 247548627.
- Rao, Nirmala (19 March 2005). "All paths uncover a child's potential. The Thinkers: The influence of Indian educator and philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti can be seen in reforms globally". ProQuest 266446629.
- "The KFA Archive". Krishnamurti Foundation of America. Ojai, California. n.d. Archived from the original on 2020-09-22. Retrieved 2022-04-15.
- Twemlow, Stuart W. (2001). "Training psychotherapists in attributes of 'mind' from Zen and psychoanalytic perspectives, part II: Attention, here and now, nonattachment, and compassion". PMID 11291189.
- "Urgency Of Change Episode 79: Krishnamurti on Death". Krishnamurti Foundation Trust (Podcast). 16 March 2021. [Transcript:] "Part 5: The Extraordinary Simplicity of Dying" at 1:03:54. Retrieved 2023-10-15.
- Vas, Luis S. R. (2004). J. Krishnamurti: great liberator or failed messiah? (.
External links
- "The roots of heaven are in deep abiding silence" – From Urgency of Change: The Krishnamurti Podcast, as published at the Krishnamurti Foundation Trust YouTube channel. This excerpt is part of the original Krishnamurti recording for the first diary entry of Friday, 11 March 1983; it is included in "Episode 100: Krishnamurti on Silence" (published August 2021), at time 52:12 to 1:00:15.