Agitated Mind

Our mind is agitated because we have problems…

Quietness of mind, tranquillity of mind, is not a thing to be produced by will-power, by any action of desire; if it is, then such a mind is enclosed, isolated, it is a dead mind and therefore incapable of adaptability, of pliability, of swiftness. Such a mind is not creative. Our question, then, is not how to make the mind still but to see the truth of every problem as it presents itself to us. It is like the pool that becomes quiet when the wind stops. Our mind is agitated because we have problems; and to avoid the problems, we make the mind still. Now the mind has projected these problems and there are no problems apart from the mind; and so long as the mind projects any conception of sensitivity, practises any form of stillness, it can never be still. When the mind realizes that only by being still is there understanding—then it becomes very quiet. That quietness is not imposed, not disciplined, it is a quietness that cannot be understood by an agitated mind.

J. Krishnamurti – The First & Last Freedom

What prevents this quietness of mind is obviously conflict

Most of us are in such turmoil, worried about so many things, anxious about life, death, security, and our relationships. There is constant agitation; and it is extremely difficult, naturally, for a mind that is so agitated to understand the every-increasing social as well as psychological problems. And it is essential, is it not? that to understand a problem completely, there should be a silent mind, a mind that is not biased, a mind that is capable of being free, still, and allowing the problem to reveal itself, unfold itself. And such a quiet mind is not possible when there is conflict. Now, what makes for conflict? Why are we in such conflict, each one of us, and so society, and so the State and the whole world? Why? From what does conflict arise? When conflict ceases, obviously there can be a peaceful mind; but a mind that is caught in conflict cannot be tranquil. So, if we would understand the process of conflict, and how it arises, then perhaps there would be a possibility of the mind being free, quiet.

J. Krishnamurti, London, 1949

How can a man who is tortured by ambition have a still mind?

A mind which has many hidden drawers, hidden cupboards with innumerable skeletons held down by will, by denial, by suppression, how can such a mind be still? It can be driven, willed to be still; but is that stillness? A man who is hanging on to passion, who is lustful and has suppressed it, held it down, how can such a man have a calm, still, rich, mind? A man who is tortured by ambition and therefore frustrated, and who tries to fly from that frustration through every means of escape, how can such a man have a still mind? It is only when ambition is understood, when the problems of ambition, with its frustrations, with its conflicts, with its ruthlessness, have been understood, that the mind becomes quiet. By looking into oneself deeply, opening all the cupboards, all the drawers, unearthing all the skeletons and understanding them, the mind becomes quiet. You cannot have stillness of mind with locked doors.

J. Krishnamurti, Bombay, 1948

This silence demands intense psychological work

Silence is difficult and arduous, it is not to be played with. It isn’t something that you can experience by reading a book, or by listening to a talk, or by sitting together, or by retiring into a wood or a monastery. I am afraid none of these things will bring about this silence. This silence demands intense psychological work. You have to be burningly aware—aware of your speech, aware of your snobbishness, aware of your fears, your anxieties, your sense of guilt. And when you die to all that, then out of that dying comes the beauty of silence.

J. Krishnamurti, London, 1962

State of Silence

You must come to that state of silence; 
otherwise you are really not a religious person; 
out of that immense silence there is that which is sacred.

You cannot carefully calculate and enter the unknown…

The religious mind is the mind that has entered into the unknown, and you cannot come to the unknown except by jumping; you cannot carefully calculate and enter the unknown. 

You have to find out what truth is…

You have to find out what truth is because that is the only thing that matters, not whether you are rich or poor, not whether you are happily married and have children, because they all come to an end, there is always death. So, without any form of belief, you must find out.

Religion is the feeling of goodness…

Religion is the feeling of goodness, that love which is like the river, living, moving everlastingly. In that state you will find there comes a moment when there is no longer any search at all; and this ending of search is the beginning of something totally different. 

…leave the pool you have dug for yourself…

The search for God, for truth, the feeling of being completely good—not the cultivation of goodness, of humility, but the seeking out of something beyond the inventions and tricks of the mind, which means having a feeling for that something, living in it, being it—that is true religion. But you can do that only when you leave the pool you have dug for yourself and go out into the river of life. Then life has an astonishing way of taking care of you, because then there is no taking care on your part. Life carries you where it will because you are part of itself; then there is no problem of security, of what people say or don’t say, and that is the beauty of life. 

…only then that which is eternal and timeless comes into being

Only when the mind is wholly silent, completely inactive, not projecting, when it is not seeking and is utterly still—only then that which is eternal and timeless comes into being.

God, truth, or reality, is not to be known by a mind that is confused…

God, truth, or reality, is not to be known by a mind that is confused, conditioned, limited. How can such a mind think of reality or God? It has first to decondition itself. It has to free itself from its own limitations, and only then can it know what God is, obviously not before. Reality is the unknown, and that which is known is not the real.

… for him the blessing of the sacred comes into being

When the mind is completely alone, uncontaminated, which means that the movement of the known has come to an end—it is only then that there is a possibility of a tremendous revolution, a fundamental change… The religious man is he who does not belong to any religion, to any nation, to any race, who is inwardly completely alone, in a state of not-knowing, and for him the blessing of the sacred comes into being. 

Intelligence is mind and heart in full harmony

So to discover God or truth—and I say such a thing does exist, I have realized it—to recognize that, to realize that, the mind must be free of all the hindrances that have been created throughout the ages, based on self-protection and security. You cannot be free of security by merely saying that you are free. To penetrate the walls of these hindrances, you need to have a great deal of intelligence, not mere intellect. Intelligence, to me, is mind and heart in full harmony; and then you will find out for yourself, without asking anyone, what that reality is. 

from The Book of Life

J. Krishnamurti

Perfect Tranquility

“A group of spiritual leaders from Calcutta once conspired against Lahiri Mahasay.  They invited him to join in an evening discussion on spiritual matters.  Lahiri Mahasay accepted the invitation and accordingly attended the meeting.

“The conspirators had well prepared themselves to trap Lahiri Mahasay.  For example, if Lahiri Mahasay were to express his preference for a particular deity, or Istadev, ‘desired Lord,’ then a particular leader would find exception to that choice.

“In fact, each  member of the group selected a particular Devata, ‘deity’ such as Lord Vishnu, Lord Krishna, Lord Siva, the Goddess Kali (the Divine Mother) and prepared to debate and challenge Lahiri Mahasay’s choice.

“As soon as Lahiri Mahasay arrived, he was received in the traditional manner and shown proper courtesy.  After a while one of the members of the group asked Lahiri Mahasay, ‘Upon which deity do you meditate?’

“Lahiri Mahasay looked at him but did not reply.  Then another gentleman asked him, ‘Who is your Istadev, “desired deity?”’  Lahiri Mahasay turned his head towards him and looked at him in the same way, while keeping his peace.

“Finally, a third gentleman asked him, ‘Can you tell us upon which deity usually you meditate?’

“Lahiri Mahasay faced him and said very gently, ‘I meditate on Sthirattva (Tranquility).’

“The gentleman replied that he did not understand what was meant by this.  Lahiri Mahasay continued to observe silence.  After some time, another gentleman asked him, ‘Could you please explain this?  I do not understand exactly what  you are saying.’

“Lahiri Mahasay, as before, continued to maintain silence.  Another gentleman asked, ‘Can you enlighten me as to what you mean by that?  I do not understand at all!’  Lahiri Baba told him, ‘You will not be able to understand, and also I will not be able to make you understand (realize) through words.’

“The group was at a loss.  All of their preparation and conniving had come to naught.  Only silence prevailed.  All kept silent.

“After a long time Lahiri Mahasay got up and silently prepared to leave the meeting.  All showed him the traditional courtesy as he left.”

As Paramhansa Yogananda, who made Lahiri Mahashaya known in the West, often said: “He who knows, knows–none else knows.”

The Core of Krishnamurti's Teachings

The following statement was written by Krishnamurti himself on
October 21, 1980 in which he summarises the teachings. It may
be copied and used provided this is done in its entirety. No editing
or change of any kind is permitted. No extracts may be used.

The core of Krishnamurti's teaching is contained in the statement he made in 1929 when he said: "Truth is a pathless land." Man cannot come to it through any organization, through any creed, through any dogma, priest or ritual, not through any philosophic knowledge or psychological technique. He has to find it through the mirror of relationship, through the understanding of the contents of his own mind, through observation and not through intellectual analysis or introspective dissection. Man has built in himself images as a fence of security -- religious, political, personal. These manifest as symbols, ideas, beliefs. The burden of these images dominates man's thinking, his relationships and his daily life. These images are the causes of our problems for they divide man from man. His perception of life is shaped by the concepts already established in his mind. The content of his consciousness is his entire existence. This content is common to all humanity. The individuality is the name, the form and superficial culture he acquires from tradition and environment. The uniqueness of man does not lie in the superficial but in complete freedom from the content of his consciousness, which is common to all mankind. So he is not an individual. 

Freedom is not a reaction; freedom is not choice. It is man's pretence that because he has choice, he is free. Freedom is pure observation without direction, without fear of punishment and reward. Freedom is without motive; freedom is not at the end of the evolution of man but lies in the first step of his existence. In observation one begins to discover the lack of freedom. Freedom is found in the choiceless awareness of our daily existence and activity. 

Thought is time. Thought is born of experience and knowledge which are inseparable from time and the past. Time is the psychological enemy of man. Our action is based on knowledge and therefore time, so man is always a slave to the past. Thought is ever-limited and so we live in constant conflict and struggle. There is no psychological evolution. When man becomes aware of the movement of his own thoughts he will see the division between the thinker and the thought, the observer and the observed, the experiencer and the experience. He will discover that this division is an illusion. Then only is there pure observation which is insight without any shadow of the past or of time. This timeless insight brings about a deep radical mutation in the mind. 

Total negation is the essence of the positive. When there is negation of all those things that thought has brought about psychologically, only then is there love, which is compassion and intelligence. 

Quotes from Power Of Now

"If you cannot be at ease with yourself when alone, you will seek a relationship to cover up your unease.  You can be sure that the unease will then reappear in some other form within the relationship, and you will probably hold your partner responsible for it."--Eckhart Tolle (The Power of the NOW p145)

When you are enlightened, there is one relationship that you no longer have: the relationship with yourself.  Once you have given that up, all your other relationships will be love relationships.  (The Power of the NOW p145)

Beyond happiness and unhappiness there is peace...Happiness depends on conditions being perceived as positive; inner peace does not.  (The Power of the NOW p147 )

When ever anything negative happens to you, there is a deep lesson concealed within it....There may be sadness..but provided you have relinquished resistance, underneath the sadness you will feel a deep serenity, a stillness, a sacred presence.  That is the emanation of Being, this is inner peace, the good that has no opposite...acceptance immediately frees you from mind dominance and thus reconnects you with Being.  As a result, the usual ego motivations for "doing"---fear, greed, control...will cease to operate.  An intelligence much greater than the mind is now in charge, and so a different quality of consciousness will flow into your doing,.  (The Power of the NOW p147-9)

Most of the so-called bad things that happen in people's lives are due to unconsciousness.....they are self created, or rather ego-created...."drama".  When you are fully conscious, drama does not come into your life anymore....the basic ego patterns are designed to combat it's own deep seated fear and sense of lack.  They are resistance, control, power, greed, defence, and attack.  Some of the ego's strategies are extremely clever, yet they never truly solve any of it's problems, simply because the ego is the problem itself.  (The Power of the NOW by Eckhart Tolle p150)

"Whenever two or more egos come together, drama of one kind or another ensues.  But even if you live totally alone, you still create your own drama.  When you feel sorry for yourself, that's dram.  When you feel guilty or anxious, that's drama.  When you let the past or future obscure the present, you are creating time, psychological time--the stuff out of which drama is made.  (The Power of the NOW p150-151)

Most people are in love with their particular life drama.  Their story is their identity.  The ego runs their life.  They have their whole sense of self invested in it.  Even their--usually unsuccessful---search for an answer, a solution, or for healing becomes part of it.  What they fear and resist most is the end of their drama....You cannot have an argument with a fully conscious person.  An argument implies identification with your mind and a mental position, as well as resistance and reaction to the person's position. (The Power of the NOW p151)

The down cycle is absolutely essential for spiritual realisation. You must have failed deeply on some level or experienced some deep loss or pain to be drawn to the spiritual dimension....Failure lies concealed in every success, and success in every failure. (The Power of the NOW p 152)

the ego believes that through negativity it can manipulate reality and get away with it.....whenever  you are unhappy, there is the unconscious belief that the unhappiness "buys" you what you want.  If "you"--the mind--did not believe that unhappiness works, why would you create it it?  The fact is, of course, that negativity does not work.  Instead of attracting a desirable condition, it stops it from arising.....Its only "useful" function is that it strengthens the ego, and that is why the ego loves it.  (The Power of the NOW p156-7)

Once you have identified with some form of negativity, you do not want to let go, and on a deeply unconscious level, you do not want positive change.  It would threaten your identity as a depressed, angry, or hard-done-by-person.  You will ignore, deny or sabotage the positive in your life.  This is a common phenomenon.  It is also insane. (The Power of the NOW p157)

Every addiction arises from an unconscious refusal to face and move through your own pain...you are using something or somebody to cover up your pain.  That is why, after the initial euphoria has passed , there is so much unhappiness, so much pain in intimate relationships.  they do not cause pain and unhappiness.  They bring out the pain and unhappiness that is already in you.  Every addiction does that. (The Power of the NOW  p127)

Nobody chooses dysfunction, conflict, pain.  Nobody chooses insanity.  This happens because there is not enough presence in you to dissolve the past...You are not fully here.  You have not quite woken up yet.  In the meantime, the conditioned mind is running your life....if you are one of those people who have an issue with their parents, if you still harbour resentment about something they did or did not do, then you still believe they had a choice--that they could have acted differently.  It always looks as if people had a choice, but that is an illusion.  As long as your mind with its conditioned patterns runs your life, as long as you are your mind, what choice do you have?  None.  You are not even there.  The mind-identified state is severely dysfunctional.  It is a form of insanity.  Almost everyone is suffering from this illness in varying degrees.  The moment you realise this, there can be no more resentment.  How can you resent someone's illness?  The only appropriate response is compassion.  (The Power of the NOW p 190.)

You cannot truly forgive yourself or others as long as you derive your sense of self from the past.  Only by accessing the power of the Now, which is your own power, can there be true forgiveness.  this renders the past powerless, and you realise deeply that nothing you ever did or that was ever done to you could touch even in the slightest the radiant essence of who you are.  the whole concept of forgiveness then becomes unnecessary. (The Power of the NOW  p  191)