There are many collections of J. Krishnamurti's writings, which actually come from his talks prepared for various audiences, and most of them are extremely good and enlightening.

However, this, his notebook, is a more direct view of his thoughts, being written down during one of his travels in a notebook. These are personal revelations, written for his own purposes, and as such are quite instructive.

We do once again encounter many of his concepts as revealed in his lectures, but here they are presented in a different context, as in a personal journal. We get beautiful descriptions of his surroundings. These musings are written in the third person in that he refers to himself as "one" rather than "I".

This book will undoubtedly be of more value to those already familiar with his writings and with his talks than to those who haven't yet become acquainted with them. It is a more direct glimpse into his thinking.

Very highly recommended to the spiritually inclined.

Comments and reflections written down by K himself; similar themes to his talks but more poetic and in many ways more poignant. Buy it if you can find it.

This book goes into the root of human problems, addressed to young audiences. Spoken with clarity, it can cause a turning point in a young person's life, as it did to me when I read it while at the university.

This is a GREAT book! It's aimed basically at the highschool student, but can be applied to anyone. JK talks about the problems with the way most education is setup, the problems with teachers and parents. He says "Learning is possible only when there is no coercion of any kind...There is coercion through influence, through attachment or threat, through persuazzive encouragement or subtle forms of reward." I reccommend this book highly! Next time you see it in a used bookstore get a copy of it.

One gets the impression from reading this Wonderfull book that Sunanda was a warm hearted, sincere and intelligent seeker of spiritual truth.

Since her first meeting with Krishnamurti in 1947 to her death in 1999 she did a lot of work for Krishnamurti and the Krishnamurti foundation in India. This book is a collection af meditation on the Spiritual Search and the influence of Krishnamurti and his Teaching on her. She says that she often got a sense of the Sacred around Krishnamurti and in situations like that it's so easy fo fall into the Guru trap and to stop thinking for oneself and just relying on the words and influence of others, But as Krishnamurti said to her " I can tell you that there is a lovely garden beyond the hill. I can hold your hand, But You have to walk and climb the hill."(p-11).

This book is inspiring and gives one a lot to think on, and her writing is Poetic and Clear.

Also recomended are the Krishnamurti Biograpy's by Pupul Jayakar and Mary Lutyens and some of Krishnamurti's books like his Notebook and Freedom from the Known.

A VISION OF THE SACRED: My Personal Journey with Krishnamurti By Sunanda Patwardhan Ph.D.

Reviewed by Satish Telgar Ph.D.

J.Krishnamurti the peripatetic teacher who ever since his apostasy from the Theosophical Society in the 1930's traveled around the world and talked to thousands of people touched and transformed many lives. Mrs. Sunanda Patwardhan the author of this wonderful little book A Vision of the Sacred had the rare privilege of being his close friend and confidant, records in it in a frank and candid manner the number of conversations and anecdotes that she was privy to. As she says in the introduction to the book the reason to write it was an earnest wish to share with the reader the events, insights and conversations with Krishnamurti and how it helped her face her own conflicts and begin her inward pilgrimage. The book has yet another lofty purpose, which is to communicate the sense of the sacred she witnessed in the remarkable presence of Krishnamurti. She hopes as she says in the introduction that a reader in the next century, which is upon us now, should be able to get a glimpse of this sense of the sacred that radiated from Krishnamurti by reading the book.

Those of us who tend to think of metaphysical and religious truths as 'distant' and 'inaccessible' without undergoing rigorous practices of meditation will be surprised to discover that much of it has to do with observation of one's daily life with its attendant conflicts and problems. Time and again the reader is offered with anecdotes and suggestions which point out the need to be aware of what is happening to oneself as the key to unlock the unknown.

Mrs. Patwardhan refers to an incident where Krishnamurti admonishes her and refers to her vanity and the need to be aware of it. Through careful observation one can see the self as it is instead of resorting to speculation. Speculative thinking brings into play in its wake the deeply encrusted thought process and distorts our perception. Intellect is the main instrument of speculative thought. Krishnamurti urges us to transcend the intellect as he is quoted saying, " You have sharpened your intellect. It is capable of analysis, clear thinking. That's enough. Now turn to other direction, the unexplained part, an explosion of silence in the mind". Silence and solitude are an essential part of Krishnamurti's teaching. One is reminded here of what the Buddha said that despite the fact that he had taught for nearly forty years yet he was in silence.

Every now and then as one reads the book one gets a glimpse of Krishnamurti's probing mind. In one such revealing conversation, in response to a query from Krishnamurti, Mrs. Patwardhan refers to how in her own life through perception she was able to negate formation of things in her mind and accomplish this in a successive manner with other perceptions as well and thereby gaining insight into the ending of time. Krishnamurti points out that by going from one act of perception-negation to another it becomes a process and so it is still in the realm of time. He goes on to add through an exhortation, "....... Stop saying, ' I know, then the process ends'". To someone like me, who teaches philosophy, that statement resonates and reverberates with an ever-deeper meaning. In the Apology of Plato one of the great texts of philosophy in the western tradition, Socrates says that all he knows is that he does not know. Plato's dialogues may be seen as an attempt to understand this great utterance of Socrates.

There are many interesting anecdotes and passages in the book, which will hold the attention of the thoughtful reader. One such passage is Mrs. Patwardhan talking about her many miscarriages and her failure to attain motherhood. This leaves a great sense of void. Talking about it to Krishnamurti she says that she has accepted her inevitable fate of not being a mother and in a sense made peace with herself. Krishnamurti's response to this is very revealing. He raises many interesting questions all calculated to expose the deep lingering desire to have a child and the consequent frustration of not having one. He asks if she has observed very clearly her inner reactions when she sees photographs of lovely children, sees a mother being tender to her baby etc,. The moral of this story is clear; it is not a matter of acceptance or rejection but deep and careful observation. It is only through deep and careful observation that the hidden and buried content of our consciousness can be eviscerated to clear view.

The book is divided into convenient sections covering a wide array of topics ranging from Mrs. Patwardhan's first impressions of Krishnamurti and her own brahminical background to the subject of social change, tradition, education, living and dying, inner revolution, and theosophy. The language of the book is simple, direct, clear and straight from the heart. Some of us who are fortunate enough to have known Mrs. Patwardhan personally will immediately sense the gentleness and openness that was so characteristic of her personality as we read the book. The fact that Mrs. Patwardhan was a fine stenographer as well and kept scrupulous notes makes the quotations from Krishnamurti all the more authentic. The book is a great contribution not only to those who are discovering the teachings of Krishnamurti anew, but to others as well who have been familiar and who cannot afford to lose the ever renewing challenge of the vastness and depth of a great body of teachings that Krishnamurti has left behind for posterity.

This short book written by the nephew of K offers some beautiful and very sincere reflexions about Krishnamurti.

Krishnamurti examines several topics. Separated into 9 discussions, subject matter for this book incudes the examination of violence, control and order, change in society, meditation, the religious mind, conflict, fear, thought, truth, time, and pleasure. Each chapter has questions and answers at the conclusion of K's talk.

This cassette helps clarify K's teachings as to holistic attention being the energetic connection between universal mind and the particular brain. K explains how it is that the pure energy of mind can enter into matter and wipe away the impressions formed from conditioning. The brain being silent through pure understanding can act as an instrument for that compassion and intelligence that is impersonal and unconditioned. It helps also to actually hear K's passion in asking 'who will listen?'

Krishnamurti provides probing questions to unravel the self-imposed prejudices of mankind. Disdaining all attempts to draft him as guru or teacher -- rather powerfully pointing to the fact the each is responsible for themselves. No one can show us how to "know". Instead he challenges the reader/listener to determine reality by facing fear to see it for what it is. Freedom is the goal. Not for anyone not willing to stare into the recesses of mind to see.

This a great book for anyone who wants to take a look at the nature and dynamics of any relationship in a way that goes refreshingly, and piercingly beyond the tiresome slew of self-help books or long, PhD club diatribes on the subject. It is a truly mystical look at relationships -- it sometimes uncomfortably yet always enlighteningly shows what we do with them.

Beautiful photographs! And the most sensitive piece I have read about K.

....a moving discussion with young students. Memorable; at one point, asked a question by a little girl, Krishnamurt turns to the assembled teachers and asks: why is it that a little girl wants to know why she is never satisfied with anything? You adults are responsible for this, for you've created a world in which children must ask such questions....