Choiceless Awareness- A Selection of Passages from the Teachings of J. Krishnamurti

The passages in this Study Book have been taken directly from Krishnamurti's talks and books from 1933 through 1967. The compilers began by reading all the passages from this period which contained the phrase choice less awareness-the theme of this book. This would not have been possible without the use of a searchable full-text database, the `Krishnamurti Text Collection', produced by the Krishnamurti Foundation Trust, England. Over 600 passages were studied in all, and the aspects of choice less awareness most frequently addressed by Krishnamurti were noted. These aspects then formed the outline for the contents of this book.

The material selected has not been altered from the way it was originally printed except for limited correction of spelling, punctuation, and missing words. The only other change to the text is the use of ellipses. Ellipses introducing a passage, or ending it, indicate that the passage begins or ends in mid-sentence. Ellipses in the course of a passage indicate words or sentences omitted.

Krishnamurti spoke from such a large perspective that his entire vision was implied in any extended passage. If one wishes to see how a statement flows out of his whole discourse, one can find the full context from the references at the foot of each passage. These refer primarily to talks which have been published in The Collected Works off Krishnamurti. This seventeen-volume set covers the entire period from which this Study Book has been drawn. A complete bibliography is included at the end of this book.

Talking things over together as two friends... In a few days we are going to have discussions, and we can start those discussions this morning. But if you assert and I assert, if you stick to your opinion, to your dogma, to your experience, to your knowledge, and I stick to mine, then there can be no real discussion because neither of us is free to inquire. To discuss is not to share our experiences with each other. There is no sharing at all; there is only the beauty of truth, which neither you nor I can possess. It is simply there.

To discuss intelligently, there must also be a quality not only of affection but of, hesitation. You know, unless you hesitate, you can't inquire. Inquiry means hesitating, finding out for, yourself, discovering step by step; and when you do that, then you need not follow anybody, you need not ask for correction or for confirmation of your discovery. But all this demands a great deal of intelligence and sensitivity.

By saying that, I hope I have not stopped you from asking questions! You know, this is like talking things over together as two friends. We are neither asserting nor seeking to dominate each other, but each is talking easily, affably, in an atmosphere of friendly companionship, trying to discover. And in that state of mind we do discover, but I assure you what we discover has very little importance. The important thing is to discover, and after discovering, to keep going. It is detrimental to stay with what you have discovered, for then your mind is closed, finished. But if you die to what you have discovered the moment you have discovered it, then you can flow like the stream, like a river that has an abundance of water.

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