Redefine Yourself

Author: Krishnamurti
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-11-01
Features: The purest soul of the 20th century, the voice that made the whole world pause and listen. ☉ Time: We always believe we will change in the future, but in fact, time itself does not bring any comfort or abundance; we must find harmony in this very moment. ☉ Freedom: You must die to all known traumas, honors, and experiences every day, only then can you be free from the known, becoming fresh, pure, and powerful. ☉ Pleasure: The so-called "living in the present" means experiencing the beauty and joy of life in an instant, without clinging to the pleasure it brings. True joy transcends pleasure. ☉ George Bernard Shaw: He is the most beautiful human I have ever met. Henry Miller: Knowing him is the greatest honor of life! Kahlil Gibran: When he entered my house, I couldn’t help but think, "This must be the incarnation of Christ." He opposes all anger, fear, confusion, mediocrity, and weakness—he is Krishnamurti. ☉ Meeting him is a life-changing encounter. 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 the complete you, see all the things in your heart, all your feelings, motives, habits, impulses, and fears. This mirror is the mirror of relationships: the mirror between you and your parents, the mirror between you and your teachers, the mirror between you and rivers, trees, and the earth, the mirror between you and your thoughts. In it, you do not see the image you wish to see, but your true self. I can observe how I speak to others—I am particularly polite to those who give me things, but rude and disdainful to those who do not. I pay special attention to those I fear. When important people enter, I quickly stand up, but when servants enter, I pay no attention at all. So by observing my behavior in relationships, I discover how I wrongly express respect for others. At the same time, I can also discover my truth from my relationships with trees, birds, ideas, and books. You may have all the degrees in the world, but if you do not know yourself, you are the most foolish person. Self-knowledge is the true purpose of all education. Without self-awareness, it is just collecting information or taking notes, then passing exams. That is merely a foolish way of living. You may quote extensively from any book you think is extremely important, but unless you know yourself, you are just a parrot repeating others' words. Yet once you begin to understand yourself, however small you may be, extraordinary, creative actions have already begun. Suddenly seeing your true self is a new discovery, including seeing your greed, argumentativeness, anger, envy, and foolishness. From this point, you can go deeper and deeper, infinitely, because self-knowledge has no end. Self-awareness is the beginning of wisdom, containing the entire universe and all the struggles of humanity.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1: No Guide
Chapter 2: Knowing the Self
Chapter 3: Awareness
Chapter 4: What is Pleasure
Chapter 5: Goodbye to Fear
Chapter 6: Violence and Anger
Chapter 7: The Truth of Interpersonal Conflict
Chapter 8: Living with the Real Self
Chapter 9: Time and Worry
Chapter 10: Understanding Love
Chapter 11: The Barrier of Space and Time
Chapter 12: The Observer and the Observer
Chapter 13: The Origin of Thought
Chapter 14: The Burden of Yesterday
Chapter 15: Meditation
Chapter 16: Radical Revolution
Afterword by the Original Editor