Krishnamurti to Himself
 First US edition | |
| Author | Jiddu Krishnamurti |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Subject | Autobiography, philosophy |
| Publisher | Gollancz (UK) Harper & Row (US) |
Publication date | 1987 |
| Publication place | United Kingdom and United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback) |
| Pages | 134 pp (first edition) |
| ISBN | 978-0-575-04060-1 (UK) 978-0-06-064877-0 (US) |
Krishnamurti to Himself, subtitled His Last Journal, is a book based on a spoken diary of 20th century Indian philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895–1986). It is unique in being the only one of his works in this format. Originally recorded in 1983–84, it was first published in print in 1987.
About the work
The text was transcribed from audiotape recordings made by Krishnamurti at his home in Ojai, California.[1] He recorded the monologues while alone, at irregular intervals but often in batches of consecutive days, between February 1983 and March 1984. In print, the recordings are organized in twenty-nine dated sections; in a few cases an entry spans consecutive recordings. The transcription was minimally edited by Mary Lutyens, an authorized Krishnamurti biographer and longtime friend.
The work was reputedly prompted by the success of a previous diary, Krishnamurti's Journal.[2] Due to his advanced age, Krishnamurti opted to dictate the new diary instead of writing it, using a portable tape recorder.[2] Alternating between second-person and third-person narratives, he delves on subjects that were common concerns during his long speaking career. Among them, the importance of right relationship, the unhealthy desire for identification, the significance of meditation, the dangers of conditioned thinking, and "the extraordinary simplicity of dying".[3]
Mary Lutyens stated in foreword, "The reader gets very close to Krishnamurti in these pieces – almost, it seems at moments, into his very consciousness. ... The gist of Krishnamurti's teaching is here, and the descriptions of nature with which he begins most of the pieces may for many, who regard him as a poet as well as a philosopher, quieten their whole being so that they become intuitively receptive to what follows."[4]
Publication history
The book was originally published in June 1987 by Gollancz in the UK, and by Harper & Row in the US. A trade paperback edition was published in the US in January 1993 by HarperOne (). Copyright was held by the Krishnamurti Foundation Trust, a UK entity. As of 2021[update], publishing rights were managed by K Publications, the global distributor of Krishnamurti works; the book was listed in their online trade catalog as available in several languages and dialects.[5]
Select editions
- Jiddu, Krishnamurti (1993). Krishnamurti to himself: his last journal (trade paperback). Foreword by Lutyens, Mary (1st US paperback ed.). San Francisco: HarperOne. 144 pp. ISBN 978-006250649-8.
Reception
Soon after initial publication the work was noted by journals on philosophy and current affairs.[6] It was mentioned in newspaper articles discussing Krishnamurti's worldwide influence on education;[7] his approach to choiceless awareness and insight, as presented in this diary, has been commented upon in psychotherapy journals.[8]
The work has been a designated text in college-level courses on ecology and education,[9] while diary entries have also appeared in mass media.[10]
See also
Notes
- ^ Lutyens 1988, p. 75. One exception is the entry of 31 May 1983, which was recorded while at Brockwood Park in Hampshire, UK.
- ^ a b Lutyens 1987.
- ^ J. Krishnamurti 1993, p. 140.
- ^ Lutyens 1987; Kawauchi 2021, p. 16. "As I flip through, peace returns to my scattered, noisy heart, and I’m able to find my center again."
- ^ K Publications, Krishnamurti to Himself: His Last Journal. Retrieved 2021-05-29.
- ^ Critical Inquiry 1988; The Philosophical Review 1988.
- ^ Rao 2005. By the Dean of Education at the University of Hong Kong.
- ^ Twemlow 2001.
- ^ Boxley 2010, "Week 9: Krishnamurti on education and nature". The book was one of the reading materials for the academic year 2010–11.
- ^ Tribune India 2001. Part of the entry of 26 April 1983 is quoted here.
References
- "Books of Critical Interest". Critical Inquiry. 14 (4). University of Chicago Press: 898. 1988. ISSN 0093-1896.
- "Books Received". The Philosophical Review. 97 (3). Durham, North Carolina: Duke University Press: 457. July 1988. ISSN 0031-8108.
- Boxley, Simon (9 December 2010). "ES2218: Theorising Education and Ecology". Education Studies. University of Winchester. "§ Seminar Schedule [Week] 9". Archived from the original on 2012-03-19. Retrieved 2021-08-10 – via Wayback Machine. Additional pages archived on 2012-03-19: "Week 9: Krishnamurti on education and nature".
- Kawauchi, Rinko (Spring 2021). "Curriculum". Aperture. No. 242. New York City: Aperture Foundation. pp. 16–17. ISSN 0003-6420.
§ Jiddu Krishnamurti, Krishnamurti to Himself: His Last Journal, 1987
. - Lutyens, Mary (1987). Foreword. Krishnamurti to himself: his last journal. By Jiddu, Krishnamurti (hardcover) (1st US ed.). San Francisco: Harper & Row. pp. 5–6. ISBN 978-0-06-064877-0.
- —— (1988). Krishnamurti: the open door (hardcover) (1st US ed.). New York: Farrar Strauss & Giroux. ISBN 978-037418225-0.
- Rao, Nirmala (19 March 2005). "All paths uncover a child's potential. The Thinkers: The influence of Indian educator and philosopher Jiddu Krishnamurti can be seen in reforms globally". South China Morning Post. Hong Kong. p. 7. ISSN 1021-6731. ProQuest 266446629.
- "Spiritual Nuggets". Tribune India. Chandigarh: Tribune Trust. 5 December 2001. Editorial Page. OCLC 47351219.
- Twemlow, Stuart W. (2001). "Training psychotherapists in attributes of 'mind' from Zen and psychoanalytic perspectives, part II: Attention, here and now, nonattachment, and compassion". American Journal of Psychotherapy. 55 (1). New York: Association for the Advancement of Psychotherapy: 22–39. doi:10.1176/appi.psychotherapy.2001.55.1.22. ISSN 0002-9564.
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