The primary premise of the book is that nearly all of the education system (govt. based, religious based, private) fails the child. These systems educate children to be good at techniques or skills, but do not educate them to know themselves.

Without knowledge of oneself, children will grow to be conflicted between the reality of their true nature, and the constrictions of conforming to civil society or religious doctrine.

An educational system that truly sought to benefit the children would be staffed by adults who were continually studying themselves, and striving to deepen their own awareness, not just conformists seeking the safety of job, income and leisure. Only when open-minded, self-aware adults teach with true love can children learn to know themselves, and so lead dignified, effective lives.

We are far from this vision, but it is worth it for each of us to walk along this path.

Since 9/11, it seems to me that we should be asking ourselves what caused it to happen? Either we feel we are totally separate from the terrorists and therefore they are to blame and we are not to blame, or we realize they are humans too and we question how could humans do such a thing? Meaning we have to question whether we have helped create this violence.
"War is the spectacular and bloody projection of our everyday living. We precipitate war out of our daily lives; and without a transformation in ourselves, there are bound to be national and racial antagonisms, the childish quarrelling over ideologies, the multiplication of soldiers, the saluting of flags, and the many brutalities that create organized murder."
Are not the terrorists a product of a religious ideology? "If you belong to any particular ideology, to a specialized prejudice, even if you call it religion, then you will be the cause of stife and misery." Religious ideologies are not the only cause of war, but anything that causes separateness. "Nationalism, the patriotic spirit, class and race consciousness, are all ways of the self, and therefore separative. After all, what is a nation but a group of individuals living together for economic and self-protective reasons? Out of fear and acquisitive self-defense arises the idea of "my country", with its boundaries and tariff walls, rendering brotherhood and the unity of man impossible."
Look at what is going on between the Israelis and Palestinians. Is it not obvious as long as they will not drop their religious and other divisions that there will never be peace? That goes for all of us. If we want unity, then we have to drop whatever causes division between us and the rest of humanity.
Two of the above quotes are from "Education and the Significance of Life", while the shorter one is from "Sayings of J. Krishnamurti". So this book "Education and the Significance of Life" is one of the most profound ever written on understanding the causes of war and the going beyond them. If we are ever going to have a peaceful world it is going to be through understanding ourselves, not by killing every terrorist in existence.

The focus point here is on just what education should produce. At present, it produces students intellectually prepared for their life's journey, but without a clue when it comes to self-knowledge. In fact, in Krishnamurti's eyes, education as it presently is, or at least was in the 50's when the book was written (and I haven't really seen evidence of huge change yet), discourages self-knowledge and focuses on false values, such as financial success and prestige.

The present educational system teaches reliance on authority, on books.

Krishnamurti comes down hard on the nationalistic mode our youth are molded in. This point may be difficult to agree with in today's America, especially in the past year. There has been a huge swing in patriotism since Sept. 11, and this is quite natural. And to read Krishnamurti's pleas to free ourselves from nationalism, from patriotism, may well be difficult.

And yet, if we truly want peace on this planet, loyalty to nation and loyalty to religion are blocks, according to Krishnamurti.

This is a book to read and study, even if you are uneasy with some points. I don't mean that this is a philosophy to pick up on and make the ruler of your life. And Krishnamurti makes it quite obvious that this isn't what he wants. Self-knowledge includes self-rule nd self-responsibility. Even if you, as I did, have a few reservations, this is a philosophy to consider, one which may call for action on your part to bring out a positive change in our educational system.

Read this book only if you are really and truly interested in finding the path to freedom from emotional dependency. The great master makes you aware with his candid elocuence of all the emotional weigh and guilt that we needlessly carry through our short life span on earth. You will learn how your mind through the thought process plays tricks on you that sometimes make you see a distorted picture of reality. This book is not to be read while watching TV or doing other tasks. You must really concentrate to get the best out of it. But if you do, at the end you will enjoy a totally new outlook in life! May you find the profound inner peace that I found!

Like many people, I want to know what love is..
But if you don't know what it is, how would you recognised
it when it presents itself ?

In his book, Krishnamurti suggest a simple method.
Do not seek love, instead look at each individual feelings
that you have and ask yourself is this love or is this a path
to love ? Do not judge but simply observe. just patiently look
and let it reveal itself.

Love is not attachment, nor is it detachment.
Love does not contain fear nor is it pleasure.

There is beauty in love,
There is freedom in love,
There is understanding in love,

When you have removed "ALL" feelings/concepts/ideas which are
not love, then what remain must be love.

This is only my observations, and I encourage you to find your
own.

If you have trouble with relationships and are to the point where you need to examine 'what is love' and 'relationship', if you need to determine how to define these things for yourself....what has been your attitude toward love and relationships to this point? and what do you maybe need to understand going forward to make things better for yourself and others? ...then this is the book you should read.

This story of Krishanurti's life is the most fascinating and complete biography I have ever read. It certainly helps that the book begins with intriguing accounts of Krishnamurti's unusual childhood, in which he was "found" by the Theosophical Society. ... "Leadbetter suddenly noticed one of the boys, outwardly a rather skinny looking little boy with a shaved front to his head and a pigtail. He was about thirteen (actually fourteen but appeared much younger), and had a little brother with him. He saw that around this boy was an aura of such brightness and glory as he said no one else in Adyar had, and that was so outstanding to him that he at once made friends with the two brothers."

Thus begins a most unusual relationship between the very young Krishnamurti and the Theosophical Society (Annie Besant was appointed guardian of Krishnamurti and his beloved younger brother one year later, in 1910. There were many advantages and disadvantages to the transformed life Krishnamurti led, and this book covers all the most interesting facets of Krishnamurti's life with beautiful photographs, hand-written journal entries, and interviews with Krishnamurti and other great thinkers of his time.

This is the story of a man devoted to giving spiritual teachings -- a man who inspired many (including Bruce Lee, Van Morrison, Henry Miller, Deepak Chopra, and Joseph Campbell) with his tremendous wisdom and clarity. Many of Krishnamurti's thoughts and quotes are included, such as, "In yourself lies the whole world, and if you know how to look and learn, then the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either that key or the door to open except yourself."

I highly recommend this book, both for its exquisite attention to the details and big picture of Krishnamurti's life, and for the inspirational wisdom it imparts to the reader.

I first came across this book in a library and borrowed it, and the impression I got, sustained for 3 years to make me actually buy it. As Krishnaji would say, the only way of understanding and discovering your self is through the mirror of relationship, what better way of understanding Krishnaji than through the way he interacted with people from different parts of the world and with different perspectives? That said, Krishnaji still remains a mystery as he rightly should, but nevertheless a delightful mystery.....

Krishnamurti, although interesting and intriguing, is not known for his entertainment value. He was as austere and uncompromising as he was fascinating. This book is entertaining, and interesting, and intriguing, and fascinating. It is my educated guess that Krishnamurti's teachings will become more well known in the years to come. Much more well known. This book is an excellent introduction to his teaching as well as a supplement to his actual wealth of books. What other book offers an invitation to what it means to being really aware and seeing truth, and also shares anecdotes of the like of which Krishnamuti is on a picnic with Charlie Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, and Aldous Huxley, to name a few. This book is a wonderful gem, full of insight. Absolutely enlightening.

J. Krishnamurti (1895-1986) was a philosopher whose influence was international in scope. The author of more than forty books, Krishnamurti maintained that we live in a time of a growing awareness to what threatens our natural environment, even our very survival as a species, and that we require a radically new, world-wide approach to ecological issues that can only be brought about through the freeing of the human mind from an exploitive self-centeredness and the emergence of an environmental sensitivity and appreciation for the human condition as a whole. Very highly recommended for students of environmental studies, as well as Krishnamurti's philosophy of life, All The Marvelous Earth blends superbly produced, thematically appropriate color photography with Krishnamurti's writings and fundamental truths.

All the Marvelous Earth is an anthology of Krishnamurti's writings on nature - it is unlike any of his previous works. This book looks wonderingly at all the marvelous earth in its beauty and grandeur, our connections with other creatures with whom we share our world, and reflections on human destruction of species and the environment. Through his deep appreciation of beauty and questioning of our relationship with nature, Krishnamurti goes beyond the environmentalists' appeal for sustainable development to argue that the interaction between humankind and nature has a deeper and life-enhancing dimension. The dazzling photographs of this book by 48 of the world's top photographers, remind us again of the urgency of forming a relationship with nature and with each other.

I like more about he was explaining the human expression and if you want to become something in your life how would you express yourself?. And the way he answer the questions he is not just giving the answers straight away instead he make the questioners think theirself very deeply and find the answer themself.

Krishnamurti addresses the issues and concerns of students in a private school in Britain. In response to questions and comments from these young people he operates on the level that they understand. He pushes them, and with affection. He helps them see the pitfalls of resistance and conformity and finding an intelligent way to function and act. He addresses the issue of sentimentality as a source of much of the problems in the world and the way to counter it with what he calls affection. Sentimentality is the source of all attachment, nationalism, and ultimately the misery in the world.

"Just as part of a hologram has the capacity to produce the whole three-dimensional picture, Krishnamurti's discourses have a holographic quality. Each point of departure, each phenomenological fact, seems to have the whole of his teachings inexorably linked to it..."

This is just one of many other insights which Hillary Rodrigues works fine.

This is one of most important book I have ever read about Krishnamurti Teachings.I highly recomend for every one who wants to understand the Krishnamurti metaphysics in a logical sense.

This is a delightful little book of wisdom. It is a great read for anyone searching for greater spirituality in their life. It is not really a book of any particular religion or Denomination. It is just a bit of guidance from a great master. Krishnamurti does not try to convert anyone. He merely nudges people to seek aims greater than themselves. I find it a quick read that can also be read over again numerous times. In fact, I suggest it be read through once quickly and then referred to sporadically to absorb all the wisdom. It is a spiritual reference book that holds value over time.

I first read this book in 1984/85 while in high school and I have bought copies for several friends in the last 15 years. I plan on giving this book as a gift to everyone for Xmas with a basket of white and yellow candles. I read this book at least 2 times a year for inspiration and guidance. Next to the Bible, this book is a masterpiece unparalleled.

Is one of the greatest books I've ever read. Follow the words of the master: Love , respect all religions, keep your body free of impurities, treat all living things with respect. A great book to read to our children. cb

I have read quite a few of his books, and this book is more like a mirror into my soul than a book. Whether you have read him for many years or just starting, this is the book for you. Like other reviewers, i must warn you about the power of his books. Do not read them if you do not want to look within yourself VERY deeply. This is one of the few books i carry around with me at all times.

This book guides my mind deeper & deeper onto a self-discovery journey. Krishnamurti's wisdom & questions are clear and profound. A must-read for all spiritual "lookers"! You don't seek, you see.

I have been re-reading this edition of 'Meeting Life' for the past week, and recommend it highly. In the past 10 years of reading K's books, I can with all humility say he has transformed my life. May he transform yours as well.

(see below for a short excerpt from the Chapter 'Is There a Meaning to Life?' page 192 of the current edition)

Note: If you seek truth, freedom, and an end to sorrow, buy it. If you desire solace, comfort, and other such 'feel goodies', I'm afraid this book is not for you. New Age this ain't. Alot of heavy lifting goes with the territory when encountering Krishnamurti.

Now for the excerpt:

'Religions have tried to offer [us] the meaning of life--that is, organized, propagandistic, ritualistic religions. But in spite of 2,000 or 10,000 years, man has merely asserted certain principles, certain ideals, certain conclusions, ALL verbal, superficial, non-realistic. So I think it becomes very important to discover a meaning for oneself, if one is at all serious--and one must be serious, otherwise one does not really live at all, which doesn't mean one never laughs or smiles--serious in the sense of a TOTAL COMMITMENT to the whole issue of life. So when we ask what is the meaning of life, we are faced with the fact that our brain is caught in a groove, caught in a habit, in tradition, in the conditioning of our education, cultivating only knowledge, information, and so making it more and more mechanical.

If we are to inquire into this very deeply, there must be great doubt. Doubt, scepticism are essential, because they bring a certain quality of freedom of mind through negation of everything than man has put together--his religions, rituals, dogmas, beliefs which are all the movements of thought.'

(and later on page 194, he says)

'We are asking what is the meaning and significance of life, and if there is any meaning at all. If you say there is, you have already committed yourself to something, therefore you cannot examine, you have already started with distortion. In the same way if you say there is no meaning to life, that is another form of distortion. So one must be completely free of both, the positive and the negative assertions. And this is the real beginning of meditation.'

Thank you to the Krishnamurti Foundation of America (kfa.org) for keeping his words in print. Cheers.

This is another collection of short pieces that doesn't do Krishnamurti's teachings justice. To fully grasp & enjoy his teachings, you must go into each & every subject slowly & carefully, as he himself states in many different works. The pieces here are too short, & Krishnamurti's vocabulary & philosophy aren't fully explained. If you've read several of his other works, & are familiar with his vocabularu & philosophy, then this is a fairly decent book. If you're not, this isn't a good place to start.

I am reading these books in sequence so that I will be aware of any shifts in this philosophy as he progresses.

The reading here is easy, but the thinking is more difficult. Krishnamurti doesn't attempt to speak what people might want to hear, but speaks from his heart, from his innermost being. So he doesn't give an easy path to follow nor does he promise such a path. Actually, to provide a path for others to follow would contradict his philosophy.

The answer according to him is in self-knowledge, but that knowledge can not be gained through effort. Nor, says he, can it be passed on to you by a guru. It won't be found in books. (I can't help but be amused by those who emphasize that the Truth isn't revealed in the printed word, and of course they use the printed word to share this message with us.)

The first half of the book is comprised of writings and portions of talks. The second half consists of questions asked after his talks, and in his answers you will find repetition sometimes as he clarifies. He has a way of emphasizing the main points by asking "Is it not?" or words to that effect.

I admit to having difficulties with much of what he says, but this isn't criticism as much as a compliment. The very difficulties I might have benefit me so so that I learn through resolving them. If you don't get this book, do at least read some of his other material. You will be rewarded.

For those interested in exploring a non-authoritative speaker in the realm of 'spirituality'. Krishnamuti is among the finest. The First and Last Freedom includes a preface written by Aldous Huxley. Krishnamurti explores many different topics of our daily lives in a practical approach. This is not 'new age' and read best if not treated as just another philosophical view of life. Enjoy! This is definitely a favorite of mine! :

Krishnamurti's message is simple but profound: all religious teachings have failed, all meditations and techniques cannot work because they take place within the same old field of knowledge, thought, experience, time, and so can never lead to consciousness without content. There has never been a message quite like this, not even in the best of Zen or Taoism. If all the spiritual seekers of the world could just understand this man's work, all the other "religious" teachers would have to close up shop--because Krishnamurti, as you might one day discover for yourself, was right all along.

"The world accepts and follows the traditional approach. The primary cause of disorder in ourselves is the seeking of reality promised by another; we mechanically follow somebody who will assure us a comfortable spiritual life." To understand ones self, Krishnamurti believed, is the beginning of wisdom. Understanding is not accepting a description of the view of the world mapped by another no matter how lofty the map maker. Krisnamurti encouraged making your own map:).This book should create a revolution within you. It is the start of a fantastic journey.

This book summarizes the teachings of J. Krishnamurti. If any human being could read one book in their lives this should be the one. After reading the book one can get the sense of immense potential in terms of freedom, love, and joy.

One can see for oneself the influence of culture and tradition on our thought process at a fundamental level. One can see how this influence conditions our mind and distorts the perception of facts. At the same time the human mind has an inner demand to be free from this influence.

Our desire to be free is pacified by organized religions, gurus, psychologists, and propaganda by the politicians. However, it does not die until an answer is found.

So, if the desire to be free is present even the minutest of forms then this book can be a true beginning in life of freedom and happiness.