We have been talking, communicating with each other about many things concerning our daily existence. And I think this morning we should talk over together the problem of religion. I know most people don't like that word, they think it's rather old fashioned and has very little meaning in the modern world. There are the weekend religion urn up on a Sunday morning, well-dressed, and do all the mischief you can during the week, and so on. When we talk about the word, use the word 'religion' we are not in any way concerned with organised propagandist religions, churches, dogmatism, rituals and the authority of the saviours and representatives of God, and all the rest of that stuff. We are talking about something quite different. I am sure most human beings, both in the past and the present, have always asked if there is something more, much more transcendental, real than the everyday existence with all its tiresome routine, with its violence and despairs and sorrows, if there is something more. And not being able to find it, they have begun to invent, imagine, worship a stone, a tree, or an image, giving to that symbol a great significance. And it was all, it appears and seems, based on fear and thought. Now to find out if there is anything really true, sacred - I am using that word rather hesitantly - something that is not put together by one's own desires and hopes and fears and longings, something that is not dependent on environment, culture, on education, but something that thought has never touched, that something that is totally incomprehensibly new. And to find that out perhaps this morning we could spend an hour or so in enquiring into that, trying to find out whether there is a vastness, an ecstasy, a light that is unquenchable. Because without finding that, life - however virtuous one is, however orderly, however non-violent one is - in itself has very little meaning. And the meaning of religion in the sense we are using, in which there is no kind of fear or belief, is the quality that makes for a life in which there is no fragmentation whatsoever. And if we are going to enquire into that, one must not only be free of all belief, but also one must be very clear of the distorting factor of all effort, direction and purpose. Please do see the importance of this, because we are talking over together, sharing together, understanding together. And if you are at all serious in this matter it's very important to understand how any form of effort does distort a direct perception. Any form of suppression obviously distorts. Or any form of direction, direction born of choice, of established purpose, an end, created by one's own desire, will, does make the mind not only distorted, but utterly incapable of seeing things as they are. So we are enquiring into this question of what is truth, if there is such a thing as enlightenment, if there is such a thing as something that is not of time at all, if there is a reality that is not dependent on one's own demands. Now in trying to find that out - Oh, Lord, there's so much noise, isn't there? - there1 must not only be freedom but also a certain quality of order. We generally associate order1 with discipline - discipline being conformity, imitation, adjustment, suppression and so1 on, drilling the mind to follow a certain course, a certain pattern, what it considers1 to be moral. That is generally understood as discipline. And that is diametrically opposite1 of order. Order has nothing whatsoever to do with discipline. Please do follow this1 a little while, give your attention, we are sharing together, so I don't have to repeat,1 'Please do pay attention to this'.1 As we were saying, order is not discipline. Order comes about naturally and inevitably1 when we understand all the disturbing factors, when we understand the disorders, the conflicts,1 the battles that are going on within ourselves, and outwardly, when we are aware of all this1 - the disorder, the mischief, the hate, the violence, the ambitions. The comparative pursuit1 and so on, which all creates not only social disorder but inward disorder. When we understand1 this disorder, look at it, become aware of it, then out of that awareness comes order,1 which is nothing whatsoever to do with discipline. But you must have order, because after all1 order is virtue. Yes, sir, you may not like that word 'virtue', after all virtue is not1 something to be cultivated. If it is a thing of thought, will, suppression, it's no longer1 virtue. But if one understands the disorder of our life, the confusion in which one lives,1 the utter meaninglessness of our existence, when we see all that very clearly, not only1 intellectually and verbally, but actually see the utter futility of all that, not condemning1 it, not running away from it, but observing it in our life, then out of that awareness1 and observation comes naturally order, which is virtue. This virtue is entirely different1 from the virtue of society with its respectability, the sanctions of society, of churches and1 religions with their hypocrisy, it is entirely different from one's own self imposed discipline.1 But this order in our enquiry must exist, otherwise you cannot proceed - proceed to1 find out if there is, or if there is not, without any assumption, a reality that is1 not of time, that is incorruptible, that doesn't depend on anything.1 Now to find that out, if you are at all serious, really serious in the sense that it's a part1 of life, it's as important as earning a livelihood, as important as eating, seeking pleasure,1 you know, it is a vital, tremendously important thing to find out - each one of us. And this1 can only be found out through meditation. That word 'meditation' implies, the dictionary1 meaning of that word, is to ponder over, to think over, to enquire, to have a mind that1 is capable of looking, a mind that is intelligent, a mind that is sane, not perverted, not neurotic,1 not wishing something, for something. That is the generally understood meaning of meditation1 if you look into the etymology of that word, and so on.1 Now we are going to, together, enquire into thi hat is meditation, and if there is1 any method, any system, any path which you can pursue and come to the understanding,1 or perception of reality. You are following all this? You know unfortunately people come1 from the East with their bag of tricks. Their bag of tricks consists of systems, authorities. They say, do this,1 and don't do that and you will find enlightenment. Practise Zen. Some of you have done all these1 tricks. Or go to India, or Japan, and spend your years studying it, disciplining yourself,1 trying to become aware of your toe, and your nose and your eyes and all the rest of it,1 day after day, practise endlessly. Or repeat certain words, the Sanskrit word for that1 is mantra, repeat certain words and you will calm the mind and in that calmness there will1 be perception of something beyond thought. You know all these tricks can be practised1 by a very stupid mind. A stupid mind, a dull mind - I am using the word 'stupid' as stupefied,2 the word 'stupid' means a mind that is made dull, stupefied. A mind that is stupefied2 - you may not like stupid, so I will be more polite by calling it a stupefied mind - a2 stupefied mind can practise any of these things. Study Zen, practise it, repeat words, and2 specially if they are Sanskrit they have a certain tonality, and do all these tricks2 of control, suppression, imitation, follow a certain authority. A dull mind can do this,2 and it will remain dull. Naturally. Because when you do all these things, practise, the2 mind becomes more and more mechanical. Please, you may not be interested in all this but2 you have to find out. Because after you have listened very carefully you may go out in2 the world and teach people, that may be your vocation - and I hope it is - and so if you2 are going to point out these things you have to know the whole substance, the meaning,2 the fullness, the beauty, the ecstasy of all this.2 So a dull mind, a mind that has been stupefied by practice can not possibly under any circumstances2 whatsoever understand what is reality. So one must be completely, totally, everlastingly2 free of all this. Because you need a mind that is not distorted, that's very clear,2 that is not blunted, that is no longer pursuing a direction, a purpose, then only is it possible2 for such a mind to see 'what is'. In this state of mind there is no experiencing at2 all. Experience implies there is an entity who is experiencing. Isn't there? An entity2 that is going through a certain experience, and therefore there is a duality - the experiencer2 and the thing to be experienced. Right? There is the observer and the thing to be observed.2 That is, most of us want some kind of deep, abiding, marvellous, mystical experience,2 because our own daily experience is so trivial, so banal, so superficial, we want something2 mysterious, something that is electrifying. Now in that desire for a marvellous experience2 there is this duality of the experiencer and the experience. Right? As long as this duality2 exists there must always be a distortion because the experiencer is the accumulated past, with2 all his experiences, his knowledge, his memories. Being dissatisfied with all that he wants2 something much greater, and therefore he either projects it, or finds it, but in that still2 there is a duality, therefore there is a distortion. Are you following all this? Truth is not something2 to be experienced. Truth is not something that you can seek out and find it. That which2 is beyond time, thought cannot possibly enquire, search it out and grasp it.2 So one must understand very deeply this question of experience and wanting experience. (That's2 our train!) So please understand this. Do please see this tremendously important thing.2 Any form of effort, wanting direction, seeking out truth, and the demand for experience,2 in that there is a duality, the observer wanting something transcendental, and therefore making2 effort, and therefore making the mind not clear, pristine, non-mechanical. And a mind2 that's seeking an experience, however marvellous, mysterious, in that very search there is a2 duality - the 'me' that is seeking it. The 'me' is the past, with all the frustrations,2 miseries, hopes, disgusts, you know, all that, is seeking, therefore in that there is a distortion.2 Then there is the whole business of the brain. After all the brain - you can observe this2 in yourself, I haven't read books, so we are not discussing from any special point of view2 - you can observe yourself, for yourself, how the brain operates. The brain is the result2 of the past, of time, of experience, it is the storehouse of memory. And memory is the3 past. And this memory responds, all the time responding, of like and dislike, justifying,3 condemning and so on, responding all the time, according to its conditioning, according to3 the culture, religion, education it is brought up in. That storehouse of memory, from which3 thought arises guides most of our life. Right? You are following all this? Are we going together?3 Don't look so worried, please. If you don't quite understand it now we will go into it3 a little later, afterwards, so relax and take it easily, because this is really quite an3 immense thing if you can grasp it.3 And that brain, which is the storehouse of the past, is directing, is shaping our lives,3 every day, and every minute, conscious or unconscious. And that's one of the distorting3 factors, which is thought, which is the response of the past - the past being knowledge, experience,3 and so on, the 'me', which is the very essence of the word and thought. Now can that old3 brain be completely quiet, only awaken when it is necessary to operate, to function, to3 speak, to do, act? But the rest of the time completely still. Have you ever tried to do3 this? No, of course you haven't. You see, you all smoke very easily, you do things without3 deep thought, it doesn't matter, that's your affair.3 Meditation implies, not the orthodox meditation, not the Zen meditation, not the meditation through repetition, all3 that is stupefying, mechanical, has no meaning. The real meditation is to find out whether3 the brain with all its activities, with all its experiences, can be absolutely quiet,3 not force it, because the moment you force it there is again duality. The entity that3 says, 'By Jove, I'd like to have a marvellous experience, therefore I must force my brain3 to be quiet, will it' - you will never do it. But if you begin to enquire, watch, observe,3 listen to all the movements of thought, its conditioning, its pursuits, its fears, its3 pleasures, how the brain operates, then you will see the brain becomes extraordinarily3 quiet. And the quietness is not dormancy, sleep, but tremendously active and therefore3 quiet. You understand? A machine, a big dynamo that is working perfectly, ticking over, well-oiled,3 hardly makes any sound, it's only when there is friction, there is noise. So the brain3 and therefore the body, must be completely quiet.3 So one has to find out whether your body can completely sit still, or lie still, without3 any movement - again, not force it. Because the body, the brain are interrelated, psychosomatically3 they function, not separately. Shall we go on, we are meeting each other? We are communicating3 with each other?3 There are various practices to make the body still. Again these practices imply suppressio :16the body wants to get up and go away, walk, and it says, 'No, I must sit quiet', and the3 battle begins, wanting to go out and wanting to sit still. And in this there is this whole3 thing called yoga - you have heard about it? Oh, Lord, you are rather - I suppose you know3 the whole world is upside down, when one is concerned only with social activities, social3 reform, revolution, all the other things escape, or are put aside. But if you want to understand3 the whole business of life, you have to understand everything that is contained in it, human3 life, psychologically. The word 'yoga', you will find dozens of books all over the world,3 written by all the specialists, means to join together. The very word 'join together' is3 wrong, which implies duality. You understand? Therefore it has quite a different meaning,3 which we won't go into now. Probably it was invented, this particular series of exercises3 and breathing many thousands of years ago in India. It is to keep the glands and the3 nerves and the whole system functioning very healthily, without medicine, and keep it highly3 sensitive. And the body needs to be sensitive otherwise you can't have a very clear brain.3 You know, if you stuff yourself with wine, meat and all the rest of it, how can your3 brain function clearly? Your smoking, drugs and all the rest of it, becomes such superficial3 immediate satisfactions without any understanding what is beyond it.4 Now yoga is a certain kind of practice of exercises, exercise, not something mysterious4 through exercises, one has to do it to keep the body supple. You understand? The brain4 has to have all the blood it needs, and therefore right breathing. You understand all these4 things? If I may be a little personal, we do it every day for two hours, regularly.4 Not the regularity of machinery - I won't go into all that, it doesn't matter.4 So one has to have very good healthy, sane body, and therefore a brain that is capable4 of thinking rationally, healthily, objectively, non-personally, therefore efficiently, and4 a brain that is absolutely quiet - not mechanically made quiet. Now you can see the truth of this,4 can't you, the simple fact of it, that one needs to have a very good healthy, sensitive,4 alert body, a brain that functions very clearly, non-emotionally, non-personally, and such4 a brain to be absolutely quiet. You can see the fact of that, the simple logical fact4 of it. Now how is this to be brought about? You understand what I mean? How can the brain,4 which is so tremendously active, not only during the day time but when you have gone4 to sleep, how can this brain be so completely relaxed and completely quiet? You understand4 my question? No method will do it, obviously. Please follow all this. No method. Right?4 Do you see that? Because method implies mechanical repetition, which stupefies the brain, and4 therefore makes the brain dull, and during that dullness you think you have marvellous4 experiences. So how is this brain, which is so tremendously active, which is never still,4 because it's always chattering, to itself or with others, judging, evaluating, liking,4 disliking, you know, turning over all the time, how can that brain be completely still?4 Do you understand the importance of a brain being still, the importance, not what the4 speaker says is important, for yourself do you see the real importance, the extraordinary4 importance that this brain should be completely quiet? Because the moment it acts it can only4 act in response of the past. It can only act in terms of thought, and therefore again the4 operation of the past. And it's only such a brain that's completely still that can observe.4 Right?4 One can observe a cloud, a tree, a flowing river, with a fairly quiet brain. Right? You4 can see those mountains, the extraordinary light on those mountains, and the brain can4 be completely still. You have noticed this, haven't you? Now how has that happened? How4 does the mind, facing something of extraordinary magnitude, like a very, very, very complex4 machinery, like a marvellous computer, or a magnificent sunset or a mountain, how does4 it become completely quiet, for even a split second? Have you noticed when you give a child4 a good toy, how the toy absorbs the child? Then the child is concerned with it, playing4 with it, and doesn't - you know - he is absorbed by the toy. In the same way the mountain,4 the beauty of a tree, the flowing waters, absorb the mind and makes the mind by its4 greatness still. Right? That is, the brain is made still by something. Now can the brain4 be quiet without an outside factor entering into it? You are following all this? And because4 they haven't found a way, therefore they say, grace of God, prayers - right? - faith, absorption4 in Jesus, in this or in that. And we see all that, this absorption by something outside,4 a dull, a stupefied mind can do this.4 We are trying to find out, can this happe his quiet, free brain that is completely4 quiet, without any interference. Right? You have understood the question? If it is not4 quiet one of the factors is dreams. You are following all this? Is this too much? Tant4 pis, if you don't understand, it's up to you. The brain is active all day, endlessly, the4 moment it wakes up till it goes to sleep it is on the move. And when you go to bed and4 go to sleep, the activity of the brain is still going on. Right? The activity of the4 brain is dreams. Right? The same movement of the day is carried on during sleep. And5 therefore the brain has never a rest, never a moment it says, 'I've finished, it's over',5 because it is carrying on the problems which it has accumulated into sleep, and when you5 wake up those problems go on. It is a vicious circle. So a brain that is to be quiet must5 have no dreams at all. Because when the mind is quiet during sleep there is a totally different quality entering5 into the brain, into the mind. We will go into that a little later, if you are interested.5 So we are asking how does it happen that the brain, which is so tremendously, eagerly,5 enthusiastically active, can naturally, easily, without any effort and suppression, be quiet?5 I'll show it to you. As we said, during the day it is active endlessly. The moment you5 wake up, you look out of the window and say, 'Oh, awful rain', or, 'It's a marvellous,5 lovely morning, but too hot'. You have started. At that moment when you look out of the window5 not to say a word, not suppressing words, to realise that by saying, 'What a lovely5 morning, what a horrible rain', this or that, the mind has started, brain has started. But5 if you watch out of the window and not say a word, which doesn't mean you suppress the5 word, just to observe without all the memory of the past rushing, just to observe. Right?5 So there you have the clue, there you have the key. To observe without the old brain5 responding. Therefore when the old brain doesn't respond there is a quality of the new mind,5 new brain coming into being. Are you getting all this?5 You can observe the hills, the mountains, the river, the valleys, the shadows, the lovely5 trees, and the marvellous cloud full of light and glory beyond the mountains, to look at5 it without a word, without comparing. But it becomes much more difficult when you look5 at your neighbour, at your wife, your husband, another person. There you have already got5 the images established and it becomes much more difficult to observe your wife, your5 husband, your neighbour, your politician, your priest, or whatever it is, absolutely5 without an image. Just to observe, and you will see when you so observe, so clearly see,5 the action becomes extraordinarily vital, therefore it becomes a complete action which5 is not carried over the next minute. You are meeting this? You understand?5 One has problems, not sleeping well, quarrelling with the wife, you know, problems, deeply,5 superficially, and we carry these problems from day to day - dreams, the repetition of5 these problems, the repetition of fear, pleasure, problems, over and over and over again. That5 obviously stupefies the mind, makes the mind dull, the brain too. Now, is it possible to5 end the problem as it arises? You understand? Not carry it over. I have a problem, somebody5 has insulted me - I am taking the most silly problem. At that moment the old brain responds5 instantly. Right? Saying, you are also. Now before the old brain responds, to be aware5 of what the man or woman has said, something which is unpleasant, to have an interval between5 what he has said and the response of the old brain, to have a gap. You understand this?5 So that the old brain is responding slowly, doesn't immediately jump into the battle.5 So if you watch during the day the movement of thought in action - thought is action,5 and if you watch that and you realise that it is breeding problems, and problems are5 something which are incomplete, which had to be carried over - but if you watch that5 with a brain that is fairly quiet, then you will see action becomes instantaneous, so5 there is no carrying over of a problem. You have got this? No carrying over the insult5 or the praise, or something, you know, problem, carrying over the next minute, it's finished.5 So when you go to bed, when there is sleep, the brain is no longer carrying on the old5 activities of the day, it has complete rest. Right? And therefore the brain then being5 quiet in sleep, there takes place not only rejuvenation of the whole structure in itself but a quality of innocency comes5 into being. Because only the innocent mind can see what is truth. Right? Not the complicated5 mind, not the philosopher, not the priest, not the brain that is constantly repetitive,5 mechanical. The innocent mind is the brain as well as the body, the mind, the whole entity6 - not entity - the whole being - not even the being, it's that whole thing in which6 the body, the heart, the brain, the mind, the whole of that, if there is this alertness,6 watchfulness during the day, and when there is sleep there is a certain quality of innocency6 that happens. And it is only this innocent mind which has never been touched by thought,6 it's only such an innocent mind that can see what is truth, what is reality, if there is6 something beyond measure. That is meditation, not all the phoney stuff.6 Therefore to find, to come upon this extraordinary beauty of truth with its ecstasy, you must6 lay the foundation. The foundation is the understanding of thought which breeds fear6 and sustains pleasure. The understanding of order and therefore virtue, and therefore6 the freedom from all conflict and aggression and brutality, violence. That is the foundation,6 without that you can play tricks. And what you will have are the tricks of the conjurer.6 But if one has laid this foundation on freedom, then there is this sensitivity which is supreme6 intelligence, and from that the whole life one leads becomes entirely different.
Krishnamurti - Meditation, Silence and Quiet Mind
We have been talking, communicating with each other about many things concerning our daily existence. And I think this morning we should talk over together the problem of religion. I know most people don't like that word, they think it's rather old fashioned and has very little meaning in the modern world. There are the weekend religion urn up on a Sunday morning, well-dressed, and do all the mischief you can during the week, and so on. When we talk about the word, use the word 'religion' we are not in any way concerned with organised propagandist religions, churches, dogmatism, rituals and the authority of the saviours and representatives of God, and all the rest of that stuff. We are talking about something quite different. I am sure most human beings, both in the past and the present, have always asked if there is something more, much more transcendental, real than the everyday existence with all its tiresome routine, with its violence and despairs and sorrows, if there is something more. And not being able to find it, they have begun to invent, imagine, worship a stone, a tree, or an image, giving to that symbol a great significance. And it was all, it appears and seems, based on fear and thought. Now to find out if there is anything really true, sacred - I am using that word rather hesitantly - something that is not put together by one's own desires and hopes and fears and longings, something that is not dependent on environment, culture, on education, but something that thought has never touched, that something that is totally incomprehensibly new. And to find that out perhaps this morning we could spend an hour or so in enquiring into that, trying to find out whether there is a vastness, an ecstasy, a light that is unquenchable. Because without finding that, life - however virtuous one is, however orderly, however non-violent one is - in itself has very little meaning. And the meaning of religion in the sense we are using, in which there is no kind of fear or belief, is the quality that makes for a life in which there is no fragmentation whatsoever. And if we are going to enquire into that, one must not only be free of all belief, but also one must be very clear of the distorting factor of all effort, direction and purpose. Please do see the importance of this, because we are talking over together, sharing together, understanding together. And if you are at all serious in this matter it's very important to understand how any form of effort does distort a direct perception. Any form of suppression obviously distorts. Or any form of direction, direction born of choice, of established purpose, an end, created by one's own desire, will, does make the mind not only distorted, but utterly incapable of seeing things as they are. So we are enquiring into this question of what is truth, if there is such a thing as enlightenment, if there is such a thing as something that is not of time at all, if there is a reality that is not dependent on one's own demands. Now in trying to find that out - Oh, Lord, there's so much noise, isn't there? - there1 must not only be freedom but also a certain quality of order. We generally associate order1 with discipline - discipline being conformity, imitation, adjustment, suppression and so1 on, drilling the mind to follow a certain course, a certain pattern, what it considers1 to be moral. That is generally understood as discipline. And that is diametrically opposite1 of order. Order has nothing whatsoever to do with discipline. Please do follow this1 a little while, give your attention, we are sharing together, so I don't have to repeat,1 'Please do pay attention to this'.1 As we were saying, order is not discipline. Order comes about naturally and inevitably1 when we understand all the disturbing factors, when we understand the disorders, the conflicts,1 the battles that are going on within ourselves, and outwardly, when we are aware of all this1 - the disorder, the mischief, the hate, the violence, the ambitions. The comparative pursuit1 and so on, which all creates not only social disorder but inward disorder. When we understand1 this disorder, look at it, become aware of it, then out of that awareness comes order,1 which is nothing whatsoever to do with discipline. But you must have order, because after all1 order is virtue. Yes, sir, you may not like that word 'virtue', after all virtue is not1 something to be cultivated. If it is a thing of thought, will, suppression, it's no longer1 virtue. But if one understands the disorder of our life, the confusion in which one lives,1 the utter meaninglessness of our existence, when we see all that very clearly, not only1 intellectually and verbally, but actually see the utter futility of all that, not condemning1 it, not running away from it, but observing it in our life, then out of that awareness1 and observation comes naturally order, which is virtue. This virtue is entirely different1 from the virtue of society with its respectability, the sanctions of society, of churches and1 religions with their hypocrisy, it is entirely different from one's own self imposed discipline.1 But this order in our enquiry must exist, otherwise you cannot proceed - proceed to1 find out if there is, or if there is not, without any assumption, a reality that is1 not of time, that is incorruptible, that doesn't depend on anything.1 Now to find that out, if you are at all serious, really serious in the sense that it's a part1 of life, it's as important as earning a livelihood, as important as eating, seeking pleasure,1 you know, it is a vital, tremendously important thing to find out - each one of us. And this1 can only be found out through meditation. That word 'meditation' implies, the dictionary1 meaning of that word, is to ponder over, to think over, to enquire, to have a mind that1 is capable of looking, a mind that is intelligent, a mind that is sane, not perverted, not neurotic,1 not wishing something, for something. That is the generally understood meaning of meditation1 if you look into the etymology of that word, and so on.1 Now we are going to, together, enquire into thi hat is meditation, and if there is1 any method, any system, any path which you can pursue and come to the understanding,1 or perception of reality. You are following all this? You know unfortunately people come1 from the East with their bag of tricks. Their bag of tricks consists of systems, authorities. They say, do this,1 and don't do that and you will find enlightenment. Practise Zen. Some of you have done all these1 tricks. Or go to India, or Japan, and spend your years studying it, disciplining yourself,1 trying to become aware of your toe, and your nose and your eyes and all the rest of it,1 day after day, practise endlessly. Or repeat certain words, the Sanskrit word for that1 is mantra, repeat certain words and you will calm the mind and in that calmness there will1 be perception of something beyond thought. You know all these tricks can be practised1 by a very stupid mind. A stupid mind, a dull mind - I am using the word 'stupid' as stupefied,2 the word 'stupid' means a mind that is made dull, stupefied. A mind that is stupefied2 - you may not like stupid, so I will be more polite by calling it a stupefied mind - a2 stupefied mind can practise any of these things. Study Zen, practise it, repeat words, and2 specially if they are Sanskrit they have a certain tonality, and do all these tricks2 of control, suppression, imitation, follow a certain authority. A dull mind can do this,2 and it will remain dull. Naturally. Because when you do all these things, practise, the2 mind becomes more and more mechanical. Please, you may not be interested in all this but2 you have to find out. Because after you have listened very carefully you may go out in2 the world and teach people, that may be your vocation - and I hope it is - and so if you2 are going to point out these things you have to know the whole substance, the meaning,2 the fullness, the beauty, the ecstasy of all this.2 So a dull mind, a mind that has been stupefied by practice can not possibly under any circumstances2 whatsoever understand what is reality. So one must be completely, totally, everlastingly2 free of all this. Because you need a mind that is not distorted, that's very clear,2 that is not blunted, that is no longer pursuing a direction, a purpose, then only is it possible2 for such a mind to see 'what is'. In this state of mind there is no experiencing at2 all. Experience implies there is an entity who is experiencing. Isn't there? An entity2 that is going through a certain experience, and therefore there is a duality - the experiencer2 and the thing to be experienced. Right? There is the observer and the thing to be observed.2 That is, most of us want some kind of deep, abiding, marvellous, mystical experience,2 because our own daily experience is so trivial, so banal, so superficial, we want something2 mysterious, something that is electrifying. Now in that desire for a marvellous experience2 there is this duality of the experiencer and the experience. Right? As long as this duality2 exists there must always be a distortion because the experiencer is the accumulated past, with2 all his experiences, his knowledge, his memories. Being dissatisfied with all that he wants2 something much greater, and therefore he either projects it, or finds it, but in that still2 there is a duality, therefore there is a distortion. Are you following all this? Truth is not something2 to be experienced. Truth is not something that you can seek out and find it. That which2 is beyond time, thought cannot possibly enquire, search it out and grasp it.2 So one must understand very deeply this question of experience and wanting experience. (That's2 our train!) So please understand this. Do please see this tremendously important thing.2 Any form of effort, wanting direction, seeking out truth, and the demand for experience,2 in that there is a duality, the observer wanting something transcendental, and therefore making2 effort, and therefore making the mind not clear, pristine, non-mechanical. And a mind2 that's seeking an experience, however marvellous, mysterious, in that very search there is a2 duality - the 'me' that is seeking it. The 'me' is the past, with all the frustrations,2 miseries, hopes, disgusts, you know, all that, is seeking, therefore in that there is a distortion.2 Then there is the whole business of the brain. After all the brain - you can observe this2 in yourself, I haven't read books, so we are not discussing from any special point of view2 - you can observe yourself, for yourself, how the brain operates. The brain is the result2 of the past, of time, of experience, it is the storehouse of memory. And memory is the3 past. And this memory responds, all the time responding, of like and dislike, justifying,3 condemning and so on, responding all the time, according to its conditioning, according to3 the culture, religion, education it is brought up in. That storehouse of memory, from which3 thought arises guides most of our life. Right? You are following all this? Are we going together?3 Don't look so worried, please. If you don't quite understand it now we will go into it3 a little later, afterwards, so relax and take it easily, because this is really quite an3 immense thing if you can grasp it.3 And that brain, which is the storehouse of the past, is directing, is shaping our lives,3 every day, and every minute, conscious or unconscious. And that's one of the distorting3 factors, which is thought, which is the response of the past - the past being knowledge, experience,3 and so on, the 'me', which is the very essence of the word and thought. Now can that old3 brain be completely quiet, only awaken when it is necessary to operate, to function, to3 speak, to do, act? But the rest of the time completely still. Have you ever tried to do3 this? No, of course you haven't. You see, you all smoke very easily, you do things without3 deep thought, it doesn't matter, that's your affair.3 Meditation implies, not the orthodox meditation, not the Zen meditation, not the meditation through repetition, all3 that is stupefying, mechanical, has no meaning. The real meditation is to find out whether3 the brain with all its activities, with all its experiences, can be absolutely quiet,3 not force it, because the moment you force it there is again duality. The entity that3 says, 'By Jove, I'd like to have a marvellous experience, therefore I must force my brain3 to be quiet, will it' - you will never do it. But if you begin to enquire, watch, observe,3 listen to all the movements of thought, its conditioning, its pursuits, its fears, its3 pleasures, how the brain operates, then you will see the brain becomes extraordinarily3 quiet. And the quietness is not dormancy, sleep, but tremendously active and therefore3 quiet. You understand? A machine, a big dynamo that is working perfectly, ticking over, well-oiled,3 hardly makes any sound, it's only when there is friction, there is noise. So the brain3 and therefore the body, must be completely quiet.3 So one has to find out whether your body can completely sit still, or lie still, without3 any movement - again, not force it. Because the body, the brain are interrelated, psychosomatically3 they function, not separately. Shall we go on, we are meeting each other? We are communicating3 with each other?3 There are various practices to make the body still. Again these practices imply suppressio :16the body wants to get up and go away, walk, and it says, 'No, I must sit quiet', and the3 battle begins, wanting to go out and wanting to sit still. And in this there is this whole3 thing called yoga - you have heard about it? Oh, Lord, you are rather - I suppose you know3 the whole world is upside down, when one is concerned only with social activities, social3 reform, revolution, all the other things escape, or are put aside. But if you want to understand3 the whole business of life, you have to understand everything that is contained in it, human3 life, psychologically. The word 'yoga', you will find dozens of books all over the world,3 written by all the specialists, means to join together. The very word 'join together' is3 wrong, which implies duality. You understand? Therefore it has quite a different meaning,3 which we won't go into now. Probably it was invented, this particular series of exercises3 and breathing many thousands of years ago in India. It is to keep the glands and the3 nerves and the whole system functioning very healthily, without medicine, and keep it highly3 sensitive. And the body needs to be sensitive otherwise you can't have a very clear brain.3 You know, if you stuff yourself with wine, meat and all the rest of it, how can your3 brain function clearly? Your smoking, drugs and all the rest of it, becomes such superficial3 immediate satisfactions without any understanding what is beyond it.4 Now yoga is a certain kind of practice of exercises, exercise, not something mysterious4 through exercises, one has to do it to keep the body supple. You understand? The brain4 has to have all the blood it needs, and therefore right breathing. You understand all these4 things? If I may be a little personal, we do it every day for two hours, regularly.4 Not the regularity of machinery - I won't go into all that, it doesn't matter.4 So one has to have very good healthy, sane body, and therefore a brain that is capable4 of thinking rationally, healthily, objectively, non-personally, therefore efficiently, and4 a brain that is absolutely quiet - not mechanically made quiet. Now you can see the truth of this,4 can't you, the simple fact of it, that one needs to have a very good healthy, sensitive,4 alert body, a brain that functions very clearly, non-emotionally, non-personally, and such4 a brain to be absolutely quiet. You can see the fact of that, the simple logical fact4 of it. Now how is this to be brought about? You understand what I mean? How can the brain,4 which is so tremendously active, not only during the day time but when you have gone4 to sleep, how can this brain be so completely relaxed and completely quiet? You understand4 my question? No method will do it, obviously. Please follow all this. No method. Right?4 Do you see that? Because method implies mechanical repetition, which stupefies the brain, and4 therefore makes the brain dull, and during that dullness you think you have marvellous4 experiences. So how is this brain, which is so tremendously active, which is never still,4 because it's always chattering, to itself or with others, judging, evaluating, liking,4 disliking, you know, turning over all the time, how can that brain be completely still?4 Do you understand the importance of a brain being still, the importance, not what the4 speaker says is important, for yourself do you see the real importance, the extraordinary4 importance that this brain should be completely quiet? Because the moment it acts it can only4 act in response of the past. It can only act in terms of thought, and therefore again the4 operation of the past. And it's only such a brain that's completely still that can observe.4 Right?4 One can observe a cloud, a tree, a flowing river, with a fairly quiet brain. Right? You4 can see those mountains, the extraordinary light on those mountains, and the brain can4 be completely still. You have noticed this, haven't you? Now how has that happened? How4 does the mind, facing something of extraordinary magnitude, like a very, very, very complex4 machinery, like a marvellous computer, or a magnificent sunset or a mountain, how does4 it become completely quiet, for even a split second? Have you noticed when you give a child4 a good toy, how the toy absorbs the child? Then the child is concerned with it, playing4 with it, and doesn't - you know - he is absorbed by the toy. In the same way the mountain,4 the beauty of a tree, the flowing waters, absorb the mind and makes the mind by its4 greatness still. Right? That is, the brain is made still by something. Now can the brain4 be quiet without an outside factor entering into it? You are following all this? And because4 they haven't found a way, therefore they say, grace of God, prayers - right? - faith, absorption4 in Jesus, in this or in that. And we see all that, this absorption by something outside,4 a dull, a stupefied mind can do this.4 We are trying to find out, can this happe his quiet, free brain that is completely4 quiet, without any interference. Right? You have understood the question? If it is not4 quiet one of the factors is dreams. You are following all this? Is this too much? Tant4 pis, if you don't understand, it's up to you. The brain is active all day, endlessly, the4 moment it wakes up till it goes to sleep it is on the move. And when you go to bed and4 go to sleep, the activity of the brain is still going on. Right? The activity of the4 brain is dreams. Right? The same movement of the day is carried on during sleep. And5 therefore the brain has never a rest, never a moment it says, 'I've finished, it's over',5 because it is carrying on the problems which it has accumulated into sleep, and when you5 wake up those problems go on. It is a vicious circle. So a brain that is to be quiet must5 have no dreams at all. Because when the mind is quiet during sleep there is a totally different quality entering5 into the brain, into the mind. We will go into that a little later, if you are interested.5 So we are asking how does it happen that the brain, which is so tremendously, eagerly,5 enthusiastically active, can naturally, easily, without any effort and suppression, be quiet?5 I'll show it to you. As we said, during the day it is active endlessly. The moment you5 wake up, you look out of the window and say, 'Oh, awful rain', or, 'It's a marvellous,5 lovely morning, but too hot'. You have started. At that moment when you look out of the window5 not to say a word, not suppressing words, to realise that by saying, 'What a lovely5 morning, what a horrible rain', this or that, the mind has started, brain has started. But5 if you watch out of the window and not say a word, which doesn't mean you suppress the5 word, just to observe without all the memory of the past rushing, just to observe. Right?5 So there you have the clue, there you have the key. To observe without the old brain5 responding. Therefore when the old brain doesn't respond there is a quality of the new mind,5 new brain coming into being. Are you getting all this?5 You can observe the hills, the mountains, the river, the valleys, the shadows, the lovely5 trees, and the marvellous cloud full of light and glory beyond the mountains, to look at5 it without a word, without comparing. But it becomes much more difficult when you look5 at your neighbour, at your wife, your husband, another person. There you have already got5 the images established and it becomes much more difficult to observe your wife, your5 husband, your neighbour, your politician, your priest, or whatever it is, absolutely5 without an image. Just to observe, and you will see when you so observe, so clearly see,5 the action becomes extraordinarily vital, therefore it becomes a complete action which5 is not carried over the next minute. You are meeting this? You understand?5 One has problems, not sleeping well, quarrelling with the wife, you know, problems, deeply,5 superficially, and we carry these problems from day to day - dreams, the repetition of5 these problems, the repetition of fear, pleasure, problems, over and over and over again. That5 obviously stupefies the mind, makes the mind dull, the brain too. Now, is it possible to5 end the problem as it arises? You understand? Not carry it over. I have a problem, somebody5 has insulted me - I am taking the most silly problem. At that moment the old brain responds5 instantly. Right? Saying, you are also. Now before the old brain responds, to be aware5 of what the man or woman has said, something which is unpleasant, to have an interval between5 what he has said and the response of the old brain, to have a gap. You understand this?5 So that the old brain is responding slowly, doesn't immediately jump into the battle.5 So if you watch during the day the movement of thought in action - thought is action,5 and if you watch that and you realise that it is breeding problems, and problems are5 something which are incomplete, which had to be carried over - but if you watch that5 with a brain that is fairly quiet, then you will see action becomes instantaneous, so5 there is no carrying over of a problem. You have got this? No carrying over the insult5 or the praise, or something, you know, problem, carrying over the next minute, it's finished.5 So when you go to bed, when there is sleep, the brain is no longer carrying on the old5 activities of the day, it has complete rest. Right? And therefore the brain then being5 quiet in sleep, there takes place not only rejuvenation of the whole structure in itself but a quality of innocency comes5 into being. Because only the innocent mind can see what is truth. Right? Not the complicated5 mind, not the philosopher, not the priest, not the brain that is constantly repetitive,5 mechanical. The innocent mind is the brain as well as the body, the mind, the whole entity6 - not entity - the whole being - not even the being, it's that whole thing in which6 the body, the heart, the brain, the mind, the whole of that, if there is this alertness,6 watchfulness during the day, and when there is sleep there is a certain quality of innocency6 that happens. And it is only this innocent mind which has never been touched by thought,6 it's only such an innocent mind that can see what is truth, what is reality, if there is6 something beyond measure. That is meditation, not all the phoney stuff.6 Therefore to find, to come upon this extraordinary beauty of truth with its ecstasy, you must6 lay the foundation. The foundation is the understanding of thought which breeds fear6 and sustains pleasure. The understanding of order and therefore virtue, and therefore6 the freedom from all conflict and aggression and brutality, violence. That is the foundation,6 without that you can play tricks. And what you will have are the tricks of the conjurer.6 But if one has laid this foundation on freedom, then there is this sensitivity which is supreme6 intelligence, and from that the whole life one leads becomes entirely different.