"So what does death mean? The ending of things we have remembered, which we have now, and with the hope of something in the future. A great confusion, turmoil, sorrow. This is our life. And death comes, says, it will end. All this will end. So is it possible âplease listen if you are interestedâis it possible, take for example one thing, attachment. You are attached to a person, to an idea, to a conclusion, to a belief, to some imaginative romantic pictures, you are attached to it. And death says, it's over, you can't be attached anymore, it is finished. So while you are living, can attachment end? Do you follow what I am saying? Which is death. I am attached now to my experience, to my knowledge, to my wife, husband, children, to the various conclusions I have, I am attached to it. And in that attachment, there is fear, jealousy, anxiety, all that happens. And when death comes there is a break, there is an ending. So can I, knowing this, being aware of the whole nature of attachment, can there be freedom from attachment, now, living? So if there is an end I am living with life and death together. Do you understand? Are we following each other a little bit? There is no separation between living and dying. There is great beauty in that. There is great truth in it. Not some romantic nonsense. So the brain becomes free. And then it has infinite capacity, infinite energy." J. Krishnamurti Talk 2, New York, 1983
One may imagine an ending or something that is the opposite of life when thinking of death. When most people think of life, they aren't likely to say it also means to die. Krishnamurti describes death as the ending of our various attachments like our ideas, beliefs, or conclusions. He asks if it is possible to live with life and death together because they aren't separate from each other. It might be that life and death are one movement. Is it possible to live in such a way? It could be that one has more energy or that the brain is free. It may be that living has more to do with dying to what we think we know. Krishnamurti never gave any methods or prescriptions, only suggestions to try and find out for ourselves. Share your thoughts and comments.
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