Krishnamurti

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Is anyone here familiar with the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurti?

For that matter, is anyone here familiar with any Indian philosophers?

 

[Exiledoomsayer]

I'm not.

Did he say anything in particular that caught your interest?

 

[GrowingSmaller]

I heard that Krishnamurti was declared to be Jesus by the Australian Theosophical society. I have not much experience of what he said, but from what I know I am not that impressed actually.

As for indian philosophers there is Buddha, if that counts. And then in Buddhism (which is partially philosophic, one might say) I know of Atisha and some other Indial pandits. I am not sure if all are Indian, but I have at least heard of scolars like Nagarjuna, Vasubhandu, Asanga, Chandrakirti, Shantideva and Dromtompa.

Vasunbhandu and Asanga were IIRC prominent in the yogacara school, and from what I know they held a position close to, or if not identical to philosophical idealism. The "external world" does not exist, instead percieved events are dream like projections of the mind as it's karma plays out. The practical consequances of this are a sense of personal responsibility for the world one lives in, as it is a product of ones karma rather than an independent entity we are born into.

I think that Nagarjuna and Chandrakirti were of the Madhyamaka school and held the "two truths" doctrine, that samasara and nirvana were two ways of experiencing. Samsara was the grasping of things as inherently existing, and nirvana was an understanding that things did not self exist but such existences were merely imputed upon compound objects by a form of "delusional" (grasping) consciousness. But the umtimate truth is that neither the subject nor the object have the reality we ordinarily ascribe to them.


Also in Hinduism I have heard of the lokayata or carvaka school which was one of the first historical presentations of materialist mataphysics.

 

[GrowingSmaller]

I have not had much time to check this out, but there seems to be a good e resource in Indian philosophy here:

Indian Philosophy Web Directory.

 

[Eudaimonist]

Wow, I had read some of a book by Krishnamurti when I was a teen. I don't remember anything I read though.


eudaimonia,

Mark

 

[GrowingSmaller]

Is it right that "krishna" means attractive (as in "hare krishna"), and "murti" means sacred idol (as in "the murtis in the temple will be on display from 3 till 7")?

 

[leftrightleftrightleft]

Is it right that "krishna" means attractive (as in "hare krishna"), and "murti" means sacred idol (as in "the murtis in the temple will be on display from 3 till 7")?

Krishna is also a Hindu god. I think "Krishnamurti" would most likely mean "an embodiment of Krishna".

It is standard practice for a by-the-book Hindu family to name their 8th child after Krishna.

Jiddu Krishnamurti....first name: Krishnamurti. last name: Jiddu

 

[GrowingSmaller]

"A consistent thinker is a thoughtless person, because he conforms to a pattern; he repeats phrases and thinks in a groove."​

Read more: Jiddu Krishnamurti Quotes - BrainyQuote​

Ok so heres the first quote from brainyquote.​

I think it is right and wrong. There are some situaitons where we need to adopt a formula, for instance procedural knowledge of driving a car, or practicing science. Also we "drive" a body and need to have certain rules.​

But then, depending on personality I suppose there is more or less of a need for creativity and sponteneity. I like to say the first thing that comes to mind sometimes, often the more unusual the better. e.g. here goes "Eating sheep soothes the mind."​

Such speech acts give a new angle on experience, and need not make sense until the mind tries its best to impose order on experience, and invents a sense of it's own. This is my version of action painting with words. I justify this by saying the mediated reality in the news and papers can often be horrific or grey, and the world needs spicing up a bit. Its a testament to how ingrained in culture a certain "logical" and "realistic" patterns of thought are than if I say something a bit odd people often completely fail to get it, even remotely.​

 

[Eudaimonist]

"A consistent thinker is a thoughtless person, because he conforms to a pattern; he repeats phrases and thinks in a groove."​

Does he really want to advocate inconsistent thinking?

I think he is being very sloppy here, or maybe English isn't his first language. I think that his real target isn't consistent thinkers, but rather people who are incapable or unwilling to integrate new facts and principles into their worldview if those go against established dogma. So his target is dogmatic thinkers who have decided they have nothing left to learn.​

eudaimonia,​

Mark​

 

[GrowingSmaller]

I think that his real target isn't consistent thinkers, but rather people who are incapable or unwilling to integrate new facts and principles into their worldview if those go against established dogma.

This made me think of a quote from Neitzsche. I m not sure if he is outdated though, because of all the self help - pop psychology books available.

Quote apparently comes from "Schopenhauer as Educator."

"As long as what is meant by culture is essentially the promotion of science, culture will pass the great suffering human being by with pitiless coldness, because science sees everywhere only problems of cognition and because within the world of science suffering is really something improper and incomprehensible, thus at best only one more problem."