"So we are concerned with life, with the living of that life of every day—the struggle, the pain, the fleeting pleasures, the fears, the despair, the sorrow, the loneliness, the utter absence of love, the crude and subtle forms of selfishness; and of course there is the ultimate fear of death. So that is what we are concerned with, and to understand that deeply with all the passion that is necessary, meditation is the key: not given by another, not to be put together by any book, by any philosopher, by any specialist. And the quality of meditation is important. The word itself means to ponder over, think over, enter deeply into the issue. So meditation then is not what to do, how to think, or how to control the mind so that it is quiet, silent—but rather in the very understanding of all these problems, the beauty of silence comes into being. For without beauty in life—not the beauty in those mountains, in those trees, in the light on the water, or in the bird on the wing, but the beauty in living - to come upon that in daily life, whether it is in the office, or at home, or when you are walking by yourself, communing with nature and with the world, if there is no beauty then life, the very living has no significance whatsoever." – J. Krishnamurti Students Talk 3 Claremont, California, USA - 17 November 1968 |