Does thinking begin with conclusions? (Annotations on Life III)

Author: (Japanese) Krishnamurti, translated by Xu Wenxiao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: In this book, Krishnamurti recorded conversations with many ordinary people in 1960. Each chapter begins with a description of the scenery, starting from the weather and environment of that day. The descriptions are very detailed, and everything in his eyes is presented in our minds. It is the atmosphere of the conversation, like the color tone background of a theme. Then, within this atmosphere, the visitor and their unique experiences and problems are presented before us. Finally, comes the conversation between Krishnamurti and the visitor. When these three elements—natural environment, visitor, and conversation—are organized together, they become irrepeatable, always fresh, and full of vitality. Not only is the narrative style unique, but more importantly: although the backgrounds and experiences of these visitors are diverse, their desires, fears, expectations, and struggles are almost identical to the landscape of my own inner world. The questions they raise are specific, yet they reveal the common problems faced by humanity: due to our conditioning and our lack of self-awareness, our actions have led us into confusion and bewilderment. Krishnamurti listens to people's stories with great compassion; his constant questioning and probing, thorough discussions, point out the blind spots in people's thinking, guide them through the maze in their hearts, lighten the burden of suffering, and heal the inner creation. Regardless of the visitor's identity, we cannot find a name for them in the book; the locations change constantly, and there are no records of place names. What we read is the feeling for each specific person, the changes in the scenery of each place—in the absence of names, the true qualities that belong to a person or a place.