Beyond Myth and Tradition
Beyond Myth and Tradition
consists of a series of theme Videos compiled and edited from
Krishnamurti's talks and dialogues. Each of the half-hour programmes
starts with an introduction to the theme by the producer, Evelyne Blau.
"A mirror held up to
human life – the timeless teachings of Krishnamurti"
The Mirror of
Relationship:
The importance of
self-knowledge has been stressed by all the great thinkers and religious
figures of the world. Krishnamurti's approach to it is quite original
and fresh, for he states categorically that self-knowledge can come
about only in relationship and not in isolation.
Conflict:
Can we live together
without conflict? Krishnamurti poses this question in several ways.
Where there is division, he says, there must be conflict. Yet we divide
ourselves into nations, races and religions. We may realize
intellectually the root of our conflicts, but that does not necessarily
solve the problem. Krishnamurti approaches the problem in a way that
compels us to look at it anew.
Meditation:
Over the last several
decades, the topic of meditation has gained great currency in the
western world, while in the east it has long been a staple of life.
There are countless systems, techniques and methods practised around the
world. Krishnamurti's approach starts with freedom and not with burdens
of yesterday. In beginning with 'I don't know', we are free to step into
the beauty of the unknown.
The Sacred:
Wherever man has lived,
whatever be his race or culture, he has always longed for a sense of the
sacred. That sense of the immeasurable has taken many forms through art
and through the spoken or the written word of the world's great
religions. However great this cultural legacy may be, have these ancient
myths and the on-going traditions prevented us from looking beyond the
boundaries of our own preconception? Is there something beyond the scope
of thought?
Freedom and
Authority:
Over his lifetime one of
the great themes that Krishnamurti addressed was that of freedom,
touching upon it again and again, linking it with authority. As far back
as 1929, he said that his purpose was to set man unconditionally free. A
phrase that he used in that regard was 'to be a light to yourself'. this
meant not leaning on the insights and truths of others, no matter how
profound the teaching, not matter how great the teacher.
Choiceless Awareness:
What does it mean to be
aware, to be fully, deeply alive from moment to moment? Most of us have
a distinctive awareness of our likes and dislikes. But is it possible to
be just aware, to have a distinctive awareness of our likes and dislikes
behind and simply see things as they are? This Krishnamurti calls 'choiceless
awareness'. As he has said, when one is very clear, there is no need for
choice.
Conditioning:
What prevents a radical
change in our life, the change that we inherently fell is necessary to
bring about a new way of living? Why do we repeat old patterns
generation after generation? Krishnamurti points out that the
psychological conditioning of the past, what we have been taught by
parents, peers, our education, our work and social environment can be
iron bars that hold us. Can we not move beyond the old, leaned responses
of the past? Are we condemned forever to be prisoners of the past, asks
Krishnamurti.
Change:
Is it possible to move
out of the shadow of myth and tradition into the light of a different
way of living? This implies radical change in our psyche. Krishnamurti
suggests that lasting change must lake place now , in the immediate
present. He challenges the idea that outward changes in society, in
political or religious systems, can transform humanity.
|
