The Awakening of Intelligence Paperback – May 6, 1987

"Some of you believe in the idea of reincarnation. You come and ask me what I believe, whether reincarnation is a fact or not, whether I remember my past lives, and so on. Now, why do you ask me? Why do you want to know what I think about it? You want a further confirmation of your own belief, which you call a fact, a law, because it gives you a hope, a purpose in life. Thus, belief becomes to you a fact, a law, and you go about seeking confirmation of your hope. Even though I may confirm it, it cannot be of vital importance to you. Whatever it may be to me, real or false, what is important for you is that you should discern for yourself these conceptions through action, through living, and not accept any assertions." - krishnamurtiI cannot recommend this book high enough. This book is one of the most comprehensive and accessible of Krishnamurti's work. It is a collection of talks given at various parts of the world. In each series of talk Krishnamurti leads the listener to look into serious topics like Operation of thought, conflict , The art of seeing, freedom, the energy needed for freedom, do we need a teacher, etc. There is a huge difference between looking into an issue and "thinking" about an issue. Thinking involves thought, and simply looking is mere observation. And krishnamurti says that if this observation, the seeing is done with total attention without the interference of thought, then the intelligence operates.Many a times while reading this book, my mind will come to a complete stop and I would be taken to deep and spontaneous meditation. Krishnamurti is highly skillful in sparking our insights and allows us to see what he sees. He never says "This is right or this is wrong", he doesn't even want us to agree or disagree to what is being said, because he doesn't offer any theories. He just tells us to look without judment, prejudice or opinions. He asks us to listen "completely". He says that people ask questions for two reasons, one is to confirm what they already beleive in, and the other is to "really" find out the truth. The first way of asking will never lead to an answer, because we are unwilling to listen to the "truth"; We only want a confirmation for the false, and only the false needs confirmations. This book is for sincere seekers of truth who really want to know the truth. He says that when we look at the false as false, what remains is truth. Health is the absence of diseases, and so it truth the total negation of false. The ability to discern the true from the false is what intelligence is. I have observed that reading one talk per session in regular periods helps tremondously in awakening "intellingence", not "my" intelligence but just intelligence."As I was saying, the importance in asking a question is not to find the answer but to understand the problem because there is only the problem and not the answer. To ask a question is easy; but to go into the problem is extremely difficult because once you know what the problem is, the very seeing of the problem is the understanding of the problem. The moment I can state the problem very clearly, simply, the answer is there, I do not have to look beyond. But most of us do not know what the problem is. We are confused about the problem and so naturally we look, in our confusion, for answers; and that will only produce further confusion. " -krishnamurti

This book of conversations is a great start for anyone diving into the SELF!!

This book is outstanding. In this review I will attempt to write my takeaway from the book.In meditation:There must be understanding that knowledge is from the memory (the past) and is limited to the past. There cannot be new which is born from the past.There must be no authority: tradition, past, god, guru, etc. because you cannot be second-hand. Belief in authority is the same as belief in the past. Authority is a concept or an idea passed on to you by tradition.There must be no control - a thought (the controller) controlling other thoughts. The "controller" is the "controlled". The consciousness is the same as the content of the consciousness. The presence of the control is the perpetuation of the thought which is the continuation of the past. What you refer to as "I" is one thought amongst many others. If there were no thoughts, there would be no "I".In observation (without naming, without denial, without acceptance), there is no illusion of a "controller". Where there is no "word" (the past), there is no sense of control. The controller is also a thought.Once there is realization that the "I" is just another thought, there is also a realization there is "no one" who is greedy, selfish, or immoral. There is only "the greed, the selfishness, and the immorality". Therefore, there is no one to be changed or enlightened.In pure observation, there is no control or conflict. When there is no conflict, the mind has the capacity to act from observation instead of thought.Action from pure observation is intelligence, love and compassion.Because our relationship is based on the past rather than the observation: the society is immoral.Only the mind that is contradictory and in conflict, seeks for enlightenment, god, etc. The mind that is not in contradiction or conflict is clear and is quiet and absolutely silent.But when the mind seeks and says it must achieve silence, it cannot be silent. There cannot be silence born from noise. There cannot be freedom born from imprisonment.In understanding of this, there is natural and non-controlled meditation. Which is the only real meditation.

This book will challenge you, frustrate you, and push you to limits in thinking that forces you to confront your conditioned mind....some of the talks can set you back because how brutally frank krishnamurti could be when talking to his audience....but I guess to benefit from his wisdom you have to ignore what seems to be rude conversational exchanges.... Much to say about education, fear, and getting past our worshipping of "gurus" and foundational rituals or beliefs that have been established hundreds of generations ago. He is not perfect for he was human. Again he will teach again and again what it means to use intelligence and not maufactured or traditional knowledge....BiG Difference..... Sad because the world he envisioned has not come to pass. It takes a combination of intelligence, courage, humanity, and community to get that done. This is exactly what Krishnamurti hoped to highlight in the minds of those he taught and challenged. Highly recommend this book and others related to his work. Also on YouTube you will find excellent video discussions recorded and beneficial to watch and take notes....

Excellent book, I am a fan of Krishna J's teachings, an awakening it is, an awakening inside the mind of how thought functions. This is an uncovering of how the psyche works.