“Truth Is a Pathless Land” means there is no path to truth. This statement is a negative response to the various so-called paths that claim to lead to truth. Because of this statement, the ferocious merchants of the spiritual marketplace began to say, “J. Krishnamurti is a dangerous man.”
J. Krishnamurti!
He is a stir, a disruption. His teachings and ideas are periodically published in various prestigious and distinguished magazines and newspapers around the world. From eminent writers, journalists, artists, doctors, engineers, scientists, and politicians to the most ordinary people, everyone reads him. He once said that after a reader understands the content of his book, they can tear it up and throw it away, making it clear that the message in the book matters, not the book itself. Truly, reading his books feels like looking into a mirror—once you’ve seen yourself, what use is the mirror?
“Please forgive me, gentlemen, though my passport is Indian, I am not Indian,” he once said. In conventional terms, J. Krishnamurti was a citizen born in India. He was born in a Brahmin household in the city of Madras, India. However, he did not live as a citizen of any nation. According to him, the concept of nation and nationalism is an obstacle to human freedom.
We are accustomed to policies, ethics, principles, and directives. We consider it wise to base ourselves on one belief and grow distrustful of another. We take pride in demolishing or rebuilding Ram Janmabhoomi or Babri Masjid, yet we fail to understand—why are these things happening? Why must Babri Masjid be demolished or preserved as it is? All of this is a product of belief. The very idea of something being a product of belief is meaningless. We fail to see this meaninglessness. Caste, language, religion, nation, nationalism, jealousy, hatred, attachment—all these are meaningless things. When we look at these things without prejudice or preconception, they appear meaningless, and the realization that we can transform in a single moment seems to be the essence or summary of his books.
In J. Krishnamurti’s view, if a sinner becomes a saint, they have merely moved from one illusion to another. For him, organizations like churches, monasteries, temples, and mosques are merely arenas for entertainment and security. According to him, all gods and all ideologies are products of the search for internal security. We all understand that the cause of security is fear. Therefore, J. Krishnamurti says, “Fear is a habit, and one must be free from it.”
Love has been defined countless times. Perhaps the most defined word is love itself. This is natural because, knowingly or unknowingly, people live for love. If someone has experienced love, their life becomes golden; otherwise, it is filled with restlessness and sickness. We live for love. We didn’t find it yesterday, so we live today with hope. We didn’t find it today either, but there’s hope it might come—a fleeting glimpse keeps us going. Even the hope that if not today, perhaps tomorrow, keeps us alive. Otherwise, we might have committed collective suicide long ago. For love, we have created relationships like husband and wife. By establishing such relationships, we have become prisoners of them. But J. Krishnamurti says that love is impossible without freedom. He says, “No one can give love to another. Freedom is something that becomes available only when you are not searching for it. It manifests the moment you realize you are a prisoner.”
Had he wished, he could have been established as the Buddha of the modern world. The Theosophical Society, which held significant influence at the time, had announced the coming of a world teacher. Later, they found J. Krishnamurti in India, took him under their wing, and trained him accordingly. An organization called the “Order of the Star” was even formed under his leadership. But once he gained understanding, he freed himself from these organizations and declared, “There is no path to truth.” He announced the dissolution of that organization, which had thousands of members, and continued to speak freely about life while traveling to various places.
J. Krishnamurti, who lived not to survive but to speak, passed away in 1986.