AT THE FOOT OF THE MASTER.
J. Krishnamurti was adopted in his youth by Madame Annie Besant, the then president of the Theosophical Society, the International Organization based in Adyar, Chennai (then Madras). Dr. Besant and other leaders of the organization proclaimed that JK would soon be the Teacher of the World, whose coming the Theosophists had long been proclaiming.
The three stated goals of the Theosophical Society were:
To form a Universal Brotherhood of Humanity without distinction of race, creed, sex, caste or color;
Encourage the study of religion, philosophy and comparative science.
Investigate inexplicable laws of nature and latent powers in man.
He was a student of Theosophy and other schools of thought until 1922. In 1922, JK underwent some mystical experiences and some years later he dissolved the Order with a large following and handed over all the money and huge property raised by the Order. In a rather prophetic historical speech in 1929, he categorically declared: “Religious organizations cannot bring man to the truth and their only concern is to free man absolutely and unconditionally.”
Thus, the years up to 1922 were his learning years and the years between 1922 and 1929 turned into years (although he never believed in becoming one). He attained full wisdom in 1929 and the years after 1929 to 1986 were His propagation years. There is some difference in the content of his teaching during the two periods (before reaching full wisdom and after reaching full wisdom). “At the feet of the master” is a small book like Tirukural preaching how to follow in the footsteps of the Master written in the first decade of the 20th century, first published in 1910.
In his own prologue, he makes it clear that those were not his words, but those of the teacher who taught him. A man who wants to be successful must do exactly what he is told. one must do what He says, paying attention to every word, taking every hint.
For this pathway, you need four qualifications;
1. Discrimination 2. Lack of desire 3. Good behavior and 4. Love
1. Discrimination:
The first of these qualifications is Discrimination;
The discrimination between the real and the unreal that leads men to get in the way. This path must be followed at every step to the end. What is really important is the knowledge of God’s plan for man. Because a man knows this, he is on God’s side.
The person who knows how to discriminate will be able to find the difference between the physical body and himself. It is different even from the mental body. You are able to differentiate between what to do and what not to do.
It is able to discriminate between what is important and what is not. It distinguishes the useful from the useless and also between the most useful and the least useful.
A distinction must be made between truth and falsehood. You must learn to be truthful at all times, in thought, word and deed. It must be sincere in action. You must discriminate between selfish and altruistic.
Learn to distinguish God in everyone and everything. You can help your brother through what you have in common with him and that is the Divine Life.
2. Lack of desire.
A person who has mastered the art of discrimination already knows that the things that most men desire, such as wealth and power, are not worth it, and when this is truly felt, all desire for them ceases.
When all desires for oneself are gone, there may still be a desire to see the result of one’s work. One must do good for good, not in the hope of a reward.
One should not desire psychic powers. You also have to take care of certain small wishes that are common in daily life.
Another common desire that one must sternly suppress is the desire to meddle in the affairs of others. One must learn the virtue of silence and must speak only when absolutely necessary.
3. Good conduct
The six points of conduct that are specially required are given by the Master as:
1. Self-control regarding the mind
2. Self-control in action
3. Tolerance
4. Joy
5. Unidirectionality
6. Trust
We are a spark of God’s own fire, and God, who is Almighty, is in us, and therefore there is nothing we cannot do if we want to.
4. LOVE
Of all the qualifications, love is the most important. It forces man to acquire everything else. In fact, it is the will to be one with God. Because He is Love, one will become one with Him when filled with perfect self-denial and Love.
The three sins against love are gossip, cruelty, and superstition, and they must be watched unceasingly.
The wisdom that enables one to help, the will that directs wisdom, the love that directs his will, are the qualifications of those who wish to enlist to serve him.
In conclusion, it can be affirmed that although this is the first writing of J. Krishnamurti, it contains some teachings that he disseminated until 1986.
Although the book is small in size, the content is very rich. Although it was recorded during a period when English writing was making inroads into India against Sanskrit and Tamil, which were eternally ancient, the content is on par with classical writings.
Finally, the beauty of the teachings can be fully realized when the entire book is studied without leaving a single word, as J. Krishnamurti himself advises.