Krishnamurti: 100 Years

254 Pages·12.414 MB·English

by  Evelyne Blau

A JOOST ELFFERS BOOK

TEXT COPYRIGHT © 1995 BY Evelyne Blau
KRISHNAMURTI QUOTATIONS COPYRIGHT © PRE-1968 BY Krishnamurti
Foundation of America
KRISHNAMURTI QUOTATIONS COPYRIGHT © POST-1968 BY
Krishnamurti Foundation Trust
DESIGNED BY Karen Davidson
PRODUCED BY Karen Davidson and Alice Wong
COPYEDITED BY Josh Gosciak and Bill Koehnlein
PUBLISHED BY Stewart, Tabori & Chang
http://avaxho.me/blogs/ChrisRedfield
K R I S H N A M U R T I

1 0 0 y e a r s

E V E L Y N E B L A U

A JOOST ELFFERS BOOK

STEWART, TABORI & CHANG, NEW YORK
The first step is the last step.
—J. KRISHNAMURTI
A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

This book is the work of many people. Their significant recollections and comments span
the 100 years since Krishnamurti’s birth and consist of writings of the past, as well as those
of the middle period and contemporary times. Their contributions form the foundation of
this work. Profound gratitude is due to everyone involved. Their names are listed in the
table of contents and each is greatly and equally valued.
The Krishnamurti Foundation of America, the Krishnamurti Foundation Trust Ltd. of
England, and the Krishnamurti Foundation India have kindly allowed the use of a wealth of
writings by Krishnamurti as well as archival photographs ranging throughout his life. This
book has been immeasurably supported by their generous cooperation. The Krishnamurti
Foundation of America Archives and library have helped greatly in research. Thanks are
due to Ivan Berkowitz, Douglas Evans, Tom Heggestad and Dawn Peterson. Chari
Petrowski made special efforts. Professor Lloyd Williams is thanked for his contribution of
needed material. I am especially indebted to Mark Lee for his invaluable help. Aaron
Marking, Leslie Francis and Nandini Lee valiantly typed hours of transcripts. Curtis Wong
secured a valuable article. Gabriele Blackburn contributed needed research. Special thanks
are due to Michael Mendizza—many of the interviews published here are a result of our
joint work: he as director and the author as producer of two documentaries on Krishnamurti.
His photography is also seen in this book. Robin and Stephen Larsen are gratefully
acknowledged for their contribution of the Joseph Campbell material. Earl Scott kindly
allowed the use of his photographs of the Ojai Talks. Particular appreciation is due to Radha
Burnier, president of the Theosophical Society for graciously making available needed early
materials. Helen Hooker, as always, is the spirit of generosity. Thanks are due to Laura
Huxley for permission to use the Aldous Huxley material. The scholarly contributions made
by Mary Lutyens and Pupul Jayakar through their detailed biographies is significant. They
form the foundation of much of the research for this work and I am greatly in their debt.
Laurie Clewell has been an invaluable support. This book would not have been possible
without the dedicated professionalism of Carole Koneff. She has tirelessly typed and
retyped the manuscript. Her computer wizardry has kept every word in its marvelous
memory and in perfect order. Thank you. A tribute to Joost Elffers who was the first to
believe in this book, its vision and purpose. His associate, Karen Davidson, brings the gift
of inspired design and tireless dedication to this work. Everything in its right place, as
Krishnamurti would say. Alice Wong is thanked for her valuable suggestions. A special
salute to Lena Tabori, who unfailingly saw the importance of a commemorative volume
honoring the Krishnamurti centennial and guided it through its publication. Lastly, loving
appreciation and thanks are due to my husband, Louis Blau, whose love, patience and
support have made it all possible.
C O N T E N T S

PREFACE

PART I — THE FIRST STEP
Jiddu Narayaniah
Krishnamurti’s diary
Helena Petrovna Blavatsky
Annie Besant
Charles Webster Leadbeater
Krishnamurti on the beach
Russell Balfour Clarke
Krishnamurti’s diary
Krishnamurti’s diary
The initiation; At the Feet of the Master
The brothers’ first visit to England
Lady Emily Lutyens
James Montgomery Flagg
The brothers’ second visit to England
Nitya’s illness
Ojai and the pepper tree experience
The death of Nitya
Baron Phillip van Pallandt
Helen Knothe Nearing
Sidney Field
Krishnamurti’s poetry
Joseph Campbell
Antoine Bourdelle
Leopold Stokowski
Dr. Hedda Bolgar
Truth is a Pathless Land; The Order of the Star dissolves

PART II — THE LAST STEP
Mary Lutyens
Theodore Besterman
Beatrice Wood
Harry Wolfe
George Bernard Shaw and the New Zealand radio ban
Vanda Scaravelli
Anita Loos
Aldous Huxley
Lex Muller
Baron Phillip van Pallandt
Sidney Field
William Quinn
Benjamin Weinniger
Ahalya Chari
Pupul Jayakar
Achyut Patwardhan
Sunanda Patwardhan, Ph.D.
Pama Patwardhan
Ingram Smith
Doris Pratt
Mary Cadogan
Dorothy Simmons
David Bohm, Ph.D.
Howard Fast
Asha Lee, M.D.
T. K. V. Desikachar
Alan Rowlands
Alan Hooker
Erna Lilliefelt; the formation of the contemporary Krishnamurti Foundations
Giddu Narayan
David Shainberg, M.D.
Henry Miller
R. E. Mark Lee
Julie Desnick
Prof. P. Krishna
Angel Patrick Boyar
Michael Krohnen
Alan Kishbaugh
Jean Michel Maroger
Friedrich Grohe
Allan W. Anderson
Juan Colell
Robert Colet and Bruce Lee; The martial arts
Professor S. Rinpoche
Hillary Peter Rodrigues, Ph.D.
Michael Mendizza
Alasdair Coyne
Deepak Chopra, M.D.
Lois M. Hobson
Sarjit Siddoo, M.D.
Van Morrison
Larry Dossey, M.D.
Shigatoshi Takahashi
Mary Zimbalist
Mary Lutyens
Gary M. Deutsch, M.D.
Gary M. Deutsch, M.D. (continued)
Asit Chandmal
Evelyne Blau
Radhika Herzberger, Ph.D.
Evelyne Blau (continued)
Gary M. Deutsch, M.D. (continued)
Michael Krohnen

NOTES

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
The mind that has put its house in order is silent. That silence has no cause and,
therefore, has no end. Only that which has a cause can end. That silence—
which has no ending—is absolutely necessary, because it is only in that silence
that there is no movement of thought. It is only in that silence that that which is
sacred, that which is nameless, and that which is not measurable by thought, is.
And that which is, is the most sacred. That is meditation.
—PUBLIC TALK, MADRAS, NOVEMBER 29, 1981
P R E F A C E

Over the past century Krishnamurti has touched our lives in profound, yet often hidden
ways. Although known to thousands upon thousands around the world, to many he remains
well below the level of instant recognition. That he influenced many cannot be doubted as
will be seen by the depth of his impact on contributors to this book. Equally striking is the
wide range of people with whom he came in contact. They are authors, academics,
musicians, actors, scientists, business people—those from all walks of life.
Krishnamurti lived much of his life in an era of high technology and instant
communication, which clearly separates him from great teachers of the past, whose sayings
and teachings were often committed to memory or were recorded hundreds of years after
their death. Often those memories were faulty, or the teachings not well understood and so
strayed from the original intent of the teacher. It is our good fortune that the words and
works of Krishnamurti have not been changed and are preserved in Krishnamurti archives
and libraries around the world.
During his lifetime, friends and Krishnamurti foundation members were imbued with the
need to plumb the depths of his teaching and incorporate their understanding into daily
living. That was their main focus. During his later days, the yearly round of his talks, in
India, England, Switzerland and the United States necessarily directed their attention to
needful things: preparation for the talks themselves and the thousands who would flock to
them, seeing to the schools, in addition to arranging for publication of his works. For more
than twenty years it seemed as if that round would never stop. However, all things come to
an end. A feeling for history and the obligation to pass on to others not only Krishnamurti’s
work itself but also a sense of the time and the impact on those fortunate enough to have
known him, as well as those who knew him through his teachings, impelled the author to
undertake a series of oral history interviews. These interviews were inspired by the example
of close family friend, Alex Haley, historian and author. Alex often told of the importance
of listening on the porch of a summer evening, to the stories told by the elders. Their
recollections of family history were told and retold by grandmothers, aunts and cousins.
Those stories—to which were added travel and research—became the book, Roots. It was
during that period that the importance of oral history became overwhelmingly apparent. It
was history—alive, direct, and immediate. The “witnesses” to Krishnamurti’s history have
important stories to tell.
A series of informal conversations was begun and continues to this day. The simple and
unobtrusive technology of the tape recorder allowed for recollections unaffectedly retold.
Many who spoke, contemporaries of Krishnamurti, are gone now, but their legacy lives on.
Among those who knew him from the earliest days was Russell Balfour Clarke,
Krishnamurti’s first tutor, who was interviewed years ago in India when he was well in his
nineties. He was present at Adyar, Madras when Krishnamurti was “found” on the beach at
the Bay of Bengal in 1909. Baron Phillip van Pallandt, who many years ago generously
gave his castle, Eerde, and thousands of acres of surrounding land for the young Indian’s
work, was also in his nineties when he was interviewed at DeWeezenladen Hospital, The
Netherlands, in 1978. These, among others, are the “witnesses” whose priceless
recollections form the basis of this book.
The oral history remembrances have been called “conversations”. Others, who
participated in the making of the documentary film Krishnamurti: With A Silent Mind are
called “interviews”. All have been conducted by the author except for the discussion
between Krishnamurti and Leopold Stokowski in Part I.
Several contributors to this book have given their articles titles which are not included in
the text: Allan W. Anderson, On Krishnamurti’s Teachings: An Ongoing Personal
Response; T.K.V. Desikachar, Krishnaji—The Student and the Teacher; Friedrich Grohe,
from The Beauty of the Mountain; Michael Krohnen, A Great Man who could Laugh at
Himself; Jean-Michel Maroger, Krishnamurti, A Fundamental Discovery.
In Krishnamurti’s early days, the young boy and man was called Krishna, as a
shortening of his rather long name. Later he was called Krishnaji, which in India is an