Krishnamurti, Jiddu (1895-1986), was an Indian philosopher and writer. He discouraged organized religion and constantly denied that he was a leader. Instead, he asked people to look closely at themselves when searching for spiritual enlightenment, and to avoid following others.
When he was still a child, Annie Besant and Charles Leadbeater, leaders of the Theosophical Society, declared that he was the incarnation of the “World Teacher.” The Theosophical Society combined the teachings of various religions, especially Hinduism and Buddhism, and studied the psychic powers of human beings. They founded the World Order of the Star of the East and installed Krishnamurti at its head. In 1929, Krishnamurti dissolved the order and let it be known that he did not see himself as a leader, and that he did not want any followers.
Krishnamurti spent most of his life lecturing to audiences around the world and writing books that detailed his thought. Most of his numerous books date from after his break with the Theosophists. They include You Are the World (1972); Commentaries on Living, published in three volumes in 1956, 1958, and 1960; and Freedom from the Known (1969). Three books of dialogues between Krishnamurti and the English physicist David Bohm have been published: The Ending of Time (1985); The Future of Humanity (1986); and The Limits of Thought (1999). Several schools in India and elsewhere follow Krishnamurti’s principles. They teach traditional academic subjects, but they encourage independent thinking.
Jiddu Krishnamurti was born on May 12, 1895, in Madanapalle, near Bangalore (now Bengaluru), in what is now the state of Karnataka, India. He was privately educated in England and briefly attended the Sorbonne University in Paris. He went to California in 1922 and subsequently traveled widely. The Krishnamurti Foundations in Europe, the United States, India, and Latin America prepare and distribute his books, maintain archives, and support the schools. Krishnamurti died on Feb. 17, 1986, in Ojai, California.
