Community Reviews

Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
43(43%)
4 stars
27(27%)
3 stars
30(30%)
2 stars
0(0%)
1 stars
0(0%)
100 reviews
July 15,2025
... Show More
Krishnamurti was my very first encounter with the Eastern modes of thinking.

At that particular time, I was facing substantial difficulties, and his words had a profound impact, completely transforming my perspective.

Even to this day, whenever I pick up and read this book, it still has the power to take my breath away.

He possessed an extraordinary gift for elucidating how detachment can lead to a state of peace of mind.

His teachings have been a source of great inspiration and guidance for me.

I am truly and forever grateful for having come across this remarkable book.

It has not only influenced my way of thinking but also had a positive impact on my life as a whole.

I will always cherish the wisdom and insights that Krishnamurti shared through his writing.

July 15,2025
... Show More
This book has covered a vast canvas.

It first helps us understand the nature of the problem and then attempts to offer a possible solution to those problems.

There is a very distinct approach to dealing with any worldly question within its pages.

Every time I embark on reading this book, I discover something new.

It's like there is a large sea of ideas floating within it, waiting to be explored and discovered.

The author's insights and perspectives are truly remarkable, and they open up new avenues of thinking and understanding.

This book is not just a source of information but also a catalyst for inspiration and growth.

It challenges us to look at the world from different angles and to find innovative solutions to the problems we face.

Overall, it is a must-read for anyone who is interested in expanding their knowledge and broadening their horizons.
July 15,2025
... Show More

Reading Krishnamurti among the mustard flowers. It was May 1982. Think on These Things was assigned as an independent reading in my philosophy class, yet I didn't have the time to delve into it throughout the entire year. Now, with the advent of summer, I finally had the luxury of leisure to read it.


I sat at the picnic table in the backyard. It was a rather small yard, separated by a fence from the shop yard next door. However, it boasted grass, a picnic table, and Mom's laundry gently drying in the breeze. Yellow flowers seemed to bloom everywhere they weren't supposed to be. This was a consequence of living adjacent to a mustard factory. I didn't like mustard at all. In fact, I still don't. But mustard flowers are truly very pretty. Especially when they appear in unexpected places.


Those wild and unpredictable flowers managed to distract me from my book, and as a result, I never truly received the wisdom of Krishnamurti. To this day, I remain ignorant of the lessons taught by the great spiritual teacher. But I do, without a doubt, know the lesson of the mustard flowers.

July 15,2025
... Show More

Changed my life. This simple phrase holds a world of meaning for me. It represents a turning point, a moment when everything shifted and I was forever altered.



It could have been a new experience, a meeting with a special person, or a realization that dawned upon me. Whatever the cause, the effect was profound.



My perspective changed, my goals became clearer, and my motivation soared. I found myself more determined than ever to pursue my dreams and make a difference in the world.



Changed my life. These words are a reminder of the power of transformation and the limitless possibilities that lie ahead. They inspire me to keep moving forward, to embrace change, and to always strive for growth and improvement.

July 15,2025
... Show More
The most important book I’ve read in the past few years is truly a gem.

It has had a profound impact on my life and way of thinking.

The story is engaging, filled with vivid characters and a captivating plot that keeps you hooked from start to finish.

Not only does it entertain, but it also offers valuable insights and lessons that can be applied to our daily lives.

The author's writing style is beautiful and descriptive, making it a pleasure to read.

I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read that will leave a lasting impression.

It's a book that you'll want to read again and again, and one that you'll be eager to share with others.

Trust me, once you pick it up, you won't be able to put it down.

So, don't miss out on this amazing literary work.

Give it a chance and discover the magic for yourself.

July 15,2025
... Show More
This book is truly remarkable as it has the power to make you think deeply.

It is highly inspiring, even though it might seem to jump around a bit.

What makes it unique is that its inspiration doesn't come with any overly spiritual undertones.

Rather, it encourages you to be fully present intellectually, engaging with the ideas and concepts presented on a rational and thoughtful level.

As you read through its pages, you'll find yourself challenged and stimulated, your mind expanding in new directions.

It's not a book that follows a traditional linear path, but that's part of its charm.

It forces you to think outside the box and consider different perspectives, ultimately leading to a more profound understanding of the subject matter.

Whether you're looking for a thought-provoking read or simply want to expand your intellectual horizons, this book is definitely worth checking out.
July 15,2025
... Show More
The original article is not provided, so I cannot rewrite and expand it as you requested. Please provide the original article so that I can assist you further.
July 15,2025
... Show More

"Το να κατανοείς αυτό που είσαι στ'αλήθεια είναι πολύ πιο σημαντικό από το να επιδιώκεις να γίνεις κάτι που θα έπρεπε να είσαι." This profound statement emphasizes the importance of self-awareness. Understanding who we truly are at our core is far more crucial than striving to become something that society or others expect us to be. When we focus on self-discovery and acceptance, we can live a more authentic and fulfilling life. We are not bound by the limitations and pressures of external expectations. Instead, we can embrace our unique qualities and pursue our own passions and dreams. By being true to ourselves, we can build stronger relationships, make more meaningful contributions to the world, and find a sense of inner peace and contentment.

July 15,2025
... Show More
This book, which in the United Kingdom is alternately titled "This Matter of Culture", had a truly seminal effect on me when I read it over thirty years ago. At that time, I was in a state of ideological flux. I considered myself a liberal Democrat, yet I was deeply unsatisfied with that label. I was also extremely interested in spirituality in general and Eastern religions in particular. Simultaneously, I was volunteering as a telephone crisis counselor, so I had a great desire for a deeper understanding of psychology. This book addressed all of these interests at once, and as a result, it had a profound and more or less lasting impact on my thinking. (It's not to say that I think exactly the same way as I did after reading this book, but rather that the subsequent development of my thought would be inconceivable without referring to it.)



Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895 - 1986) is one of the many captivating figures who have intrigued me over the years. He had a long and active life with several distinct stages, each often ending with a radical break from the previous one. This book is a transcript of his talks along with subsequent question and answer sessions. These were given in the 1950s and 1960s and provide a snapshot of the last stage of his life. He was in the midst of this stage here, likely at the peak of his mental powers. He traveled around the world, a practice he continued until shortly before his death. He gave lectures to both students and adults. (I had the opportunity to hear him speak once in San Francisco around 1985.) Fluent in English and French, he lectured at universities and public halls. He also founded a couple of secondary schools, which he left in the hands of others for day-to-day administration, only showing up once or twice a year to speak.



Krishnamurti's style was Socratic. He would begin each talk by posing a question such as "What is love?", "What is mind?", "What is education?", "What is awareness?", or "What is fear?" - questions that deeply interested him. Then he would dissect the question, exploring his own reactions and reflections. Ultimately, he would usually conclude that through self-examination, we can lead lives where we might experience fear but not be controlled by it. Often, this means not behaving in the way that a fear-ridden society expects us to. His conclusions could be startlingly iconoclastic, challenging socially expected attitudes and, along with them, conventional behaviors.



"K", as he was often called, was initially influenced by his Hindu upbringing near Madras, India, where his father worked for the Theosophical Society. In his teens and twenties, however, he was profoundly influenced by Theosophy. But you would hardly notice any of this from reading "Think On These Things"; he made a more or less clean break with Theosophy in his early thirties. Similarly, you wouldn't see much of a Hindu influence in his talks either. The reader who expects an ethnic Hindu to preach a conventionally religious message is likely to be disappointed. In fact, K's message becomes more prone to being pigeonholed once one learns from sources outside of this book that, as a young man in Paris, he audited classes on existentialism at the Sorbonne. In a sense, K was more of a humanist than most humanists.



His train of thought is not always easy to follow, but when it is, one realizes that K closely connects the steps in his own thought process as he explores an idea or feeling like fear. In short, he doesn't appeal to God or faith but rather to the human capacity to deal with life's difficult issues by stepping back and thinking about feelings rather than simply reacting according to the dictates of instinct or culture (hence the alternative title of this book).



One of the most memorable passages in the book occurs during a Q and A session after a lecture. He has typically concluded that if we overcome our fears about what others expect of us and follow our deepest inclinations, we will find that we can achieve more creativity, energy, and happiness. Someone in the audience asks, if everyone lives the way he suggests, won't there be chaos? In response, K begins by urging the questioner to look at the world around us. Aren't there wars, hatreds, poverty, hunger, and all kinds of miseries? Isn't the world already in chaos? By succumbing to fear and insecurity, haven't we created this chaos? How could we make the situation worse by engaging in a self-examination that leads to the elimination of fear and insecurity? (I believe that this reasoning contributed to my becoming a philosophical anarchist and ultimately led to my pre-existing libertarian tendencies becoming more conscious and active.)



Of course, there are many individuals who are so genetically or socially damaged that if they followed their inner impulses, they would become drunks or murderers. But this is often because such people are not being honest with themselves about the difference between their truest desires and their programmed impulses; they don't examine the sources of their desires and honestly face the consequences that their impulsive desires will bring. Many people seem incapable - whether because of genetic or cultural factors - of the kind of genuine self-examination that K advocated as the necessary step towards true fulfillment. For most people, however, an ameliorative self-examination seems to be more often possible but less often practiced. (In a biography I later read, K noted that this was the case for him, and if he was different from other human beings in a way that made the things that worked for him inapplicable to others, then his career had been a waste of time. But he trusted that all or at least most humans have the same mental potential.)



In the course of reading biographies of K, I later learned that he was a man with failings and, yes, fears that had influenced his behavior. While some might assume that a man's faults nullify his virtues, I would disagree. How else could K speak with any authority about the corrupting power of insecurity if he hadn't experienced it himself? He also omitted many aspects of his experience from his talks that would have been interesting but would only have told his listeners about things that they couldn't easily experience for themselves. For example, in his later career, he avoided talking about his experiences with the Theosophical movement or its belief system, to which he had once actively subscribed. Likewise, he didn't speak to Westerners about his renewed involvement in his native Indian society or his interest in things like spiritual healing. Because his approach was to ask people to concentrate and try to follow his train of thought to see if it made sense to them, there is hardly any way to do that with a topic like faith healing. K rejected the strategy of telling people what to think.



In his talks, he did address the almost inevitable questions about meditation. "What is meditation?" he would say, characteristically transforming a question that was often burdened with extraneous assumptions into a more fundamental one. K advocated a very simple, no-frills, deceptively easy meditation that involved paying attention to one's own mental process. Don't try to do anything except watch your mind do what it does; and whatever it does, just keep coming back to watching the process. If you can, follow thought itself to its source. This raises some interesting questions: Where does thought (or where do thoughts) come from in our mental landscape? Can we experience them arising and can we experience the source itself? What happens to us if we can do this? What do we experience? Can this experience be sustained or is it over the moment we become aware of it? Does prolonged practice of this non-practice change our experience? Do the changes that occur in this meditative experience change our experience of life?



Think on these things.
July 15,2025
... Show More
**Title: The Significance of "Think On These Things" for Young People**


"Think On These Things" is a book that caters to young people who are at a crucial stage of their studies. It effectively presents the facts of education and the social world. This book is similar to "To Young People" by Krishnamurti, translated by Pojana Chantrasanti, but "Think On These Things" is translated by Jitendra Jeerantho. The two translations have differences in their writing styles. Pojana Chantrasanti recognizes the awakening of young people in their curious years, while Jitendra Jeerantho understands the awakening through the suppression of thought and the surrounding society. However, both versions have unique characteristics and different ways of perceiving, yet they come from the same Krishnamurti book but are translated differently. Personally, I prefer Jitendra Jeerantho's translation because of its profound language.


This time, let's talk about the content of this book. "Think On These Things" is an abridged version of the original with 9 chapters instead of the usual 24. Jitendra Jeerantho has selected only some chapters. This book effectively inspires young students and learners. It emphasizes that no matter where humans live, we must always seek the truth. Humans become slaves of thought because we can't think independently, so we let others think for us or let the government rule us. This book addresses the problems of life in the stage of seeking. We are in the dark, and to break free from society, we need a certain level of wisdom. We are not just students or speakers but humans, the souls of us and her that we must seek and pursue the truth. Only a few people will seek the truth, and those who don't will become dull and sluggish, unable to face the real world, and thus create a comfort zone for themselves. We humans are not alone but the world, humanity. We are not isolated individuals. We have both happiness and sorrow and pain. The pursuit in youth is extremely important as it means facing the truth and challenging the corrupt society. What will you do when you are under the influence of others' thoughts? You won't be able to think or do anything. So you let others like parents, friends, society, husband or wife guide you on which way to go. If we are our own selves, we can create a better world, not imitate others. We will be complete humans without any thoughts or influences surrounding us. You will only know this truth when you suppress everything around you. You will see the truth, the good, and the beautiful by yourself without anyone leading you. Those who are constantly learning are the ones who truly understand education, not those who are just in the educational system. You can learn everything from your surroundings without anyone stopping you from learning.


Sorrow, pain, and fear are problems for young people in the stage of suppression because they have to face everything around them, whether it's parents, grandparents, relatives, friends, or even their own partners. Young people today have more or less fear, so they don't have the courage to rebel or change society. Those who are named rebels for change are the ones who have conquered their own hearts. They are the true revolutionaries, not the fake ones that are common in society. Those who reach the truth, the good, and the beautiful by themselves are the ones who maintain their integrity and reach God by themselves.


In general, this book implies that we must be ourselves to seek the truth by ourselves. Only those who firmly believe in the truth will be the true revolutionaries, changing themselves and others with true understanding. You are the true humanity.
July 15,2025
... Show More
**Title: An Insightful Perspective on Things**

In today's complex world, having an insightful perspective on things is of great importance. It allows us to see beyond the surface, understand the underlying mechanisms, and make more informed decisions.

An individual with such a perspective is able to analyze situations from multiple angles, considering various factors and their interrelationships. This enables them to identify patterns, trends, and potential problems that others might overlook.

Moreover, an insightful perspective makes reading and understanding different topics much easier. It helps us to cut through the clutter of information and focus on the essential points. We can quickly grasp the main ideas and concepts, and even draw our own conclusions based on the presented facts.

In conclusion, developing an insightful perspective on things is not only beneficial for our personal growth and development but also for our ability to navigate the challenges and opportunities of the modern world. It allows us to be more discerning, critical thinkers, and ultimately, better decision-makers.

July 15,2025
... Show More
Every year, I deliberately re-read this book. It serves as a stark reminder that I am perhaps becoming more corrupted with each passing day. I anticipate re-reading it again in 2024. In modern times, life has undeniably become more comfortable. However, this newfound comfort has made us increasingly insensitive and restless.

Whenever I find myself disappointed with the mundane routine and the inevitable melodramas that life throws at us, Jiddu Krishnamurthy is the one I turn to. His message,看似没有具体内容, but his words have the power to raise profound questions within us, questions that sharpen the swords which shape the very idea of "Being Human".

I am well aware that it might seem idiotic to read a book in an attempt to become more human. But in our conditioned and fear-ridden society, keeping our untarnished humanity alive is far more difficult than simply maintaining our physical well-being.

I often engage in questioning and analyzing the friction of thoughts. I wonder if any of my actions are truly free from the perpetual grip of fear and desire. An honest observation always reveals the harsh truth: "You are not, Mahesh." Life, it seems, is always a question mark. Why do I even exist?

Some have told me to find a purpose and pursue it. But the question that lingers is, what is the point of having an achievable purpose? What comes next? Again, I find myself trapped in a complex loop.

So, I have reached out to scholars, gurus, and countless books. Yet, they have never truly guided me towards finding a satisfactory answer. All this exploration might have simply made me another conditioned scholar, but it has not been my experience. Like every other scholar, I too was a learned hypocrite. Thus, I continued my search from one guru to another. But my search for truth finally came to an end when I listened to the feminine voice of a gentle being in one of the lecture videos. That being was "Krishnamurthy".

He answered all my questions by making me realize that there are no fixed answers to life. Life simply is what it is. With that realization, I felt a sense of freedom, at least for a brief moment. But when I returned to society, I was once again rotten to the core, burdened by all its fear, insecurity, and conditioning. To free myself from the tragedies of life, I turn from one book of Krishnamurthy to another. I understand what he is saying, yet I refuse to analyze every single bit and piece in my mind. Because deep down, I know that I am one of the famous hypocrites in this society filled with hypocrisy. I have ended up finding comfort in relating myself to all the other hypocrites living in society.

I truly wish that one day, I could live without any fear, insecurity, or desire. My words may appear pessimistic, but I have learned to acknowledge my own hypocrisy only after starting to read Krishnamurthy's works.

When you finish reading any of his works, you do not gain new knowledge in the traditional sense. Instead, you learn who you truly are. It can be a terrifying experience to know oneself in reality, but it is undoubtedly worth knowing.

Read it, think about all the things mentioned in the book. You may not gain anything new in terms of facts, but you will at least revolt in the process of reading. This book has the power to shake everything you believe, and that is the true beauty of this work.
Leave a Review
You must be logged in to rate and post a review. Register an account to get started.