The Unconditione

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David Edmund Moody

The Unconditioned Min

(Weaton: Quest Books,

The function of educatio various fields of human from all tradition so that Otherwise the mind bec knowledge. Unless it is tradition, the mind is inc eternal, but it must obvi information so that it is and must produce. So useful and necessary at detriment. To recogniz destructive and has to b allowed to function with of intelligence.

J. KrishnHow to put the iframework of a primary tthe theme of this fascinDavid Moody.

Mind (Book Review)

adlowon December 13, 2011 at 9:49am

: J. Krishnamurti and the

Oak

Grove

2011, 260pp.)

n is to give the student abundant knowl endeavour and at the same time to free he is able to investigate, to find out, to me mechanical, burdened with the m constantly freeing itself from the accum pable of discovering the Supreme, that usly acquire expanding knowledge and apable of dealing with the things that m nowledge, which is the cultivation of m a certain level, but at another level it be the distinction — to see where knowle e put aside, and where it is essential an as much amplitude as possible — is the

murti in

This Matter of Culture

(1964)sights of J. Krishnamurti into practice inhrough secondary private school in Caliting account by the former director of th

hool

dge in the his mind iscover.chinery of lations of which is n needs mory, is comes a ge is to be beginning

thefornia ise school,

Krishnamurti stressed that along with knowledge necessary foreveryday life, it was essential to have students understand the process ofthought, the working of the mind. He said “In a real school, the studentmust not only be taught various subjects but also helped to be aware of theprocess of his own thinking…You cannot create a new world if your mind isnot alert, watchful, expansively aware; and that is why it is so importantwhile you are young, to spend some time reflecting over these very seriousmatters and not just pass your days in the study of a few subjects.“Our present education consists in telling us

what

to think, it doesnot teach us

how

to think, how to penetrate, explore; and it is only whenthe teacher as well as the student knows how to think that the school isworthy of its name.“A crucial feature of intelligence is the capacity of self-awareness.Self-knowledge comes when you observe yourself in your relationship withyour fellow-students and your teachers, with all the people around you…Ifyou can just observe what you are and move with it, then you will find thatit possible to go infinitely far.“To go beyond its hindrances, the mind must first be aware ofthem. You must know the limitations, the boundaries, the frontiers of yourown mind…If one can watch the hindrances of the mind, not only thesuperficial hindrances but also the deeper hindrances in the unconscious — watch them without condemnation — then the mind can go beyondthem; and that very going beyond is a moment towards truth.”In order to develop a school in which there is both the transmissionof knowledge and an emphasis on the processes of the mind, you needteachers who are aware of these processes of the mind. As Krishnamurtisaid “You must have teachers who really have a song inside them and aretherefore happy, creative human beings.” Teachers must help thestudents to explore, to discover, to understand the whole process of lifewith a mind that is very acute, sharp, alive, inquiring, curious, and thereforecapable of discovery.Understanding how the mind functions should also open the doorto creativity. “There must first be freedom of the mind for creativeness totake place, and then technique can be used to express that creativeness.But to have the technique is meaningless without a creative mind, withoutthe extraordinary creativeness which come with the discovery of what istrue.”

By understanding the working of the mind, a student also learns tounderstand how negative conditioning can take place. As Krishnamurtisaid “Your mind is like a rich soil, and if given sufficient time any problemthat comes along takes root like a weed, and then you have the trouble ofpulling it out; but if you do not give the problem sufficient time to take root,then it has no place to grow, and it will wither away. If you encouragehate, give it time to take root, to grow, to mature, it becomes an enormousproblem. But if each time hate arises, you let it go by, then you will findthat your mind becomes very sensitive without being sentimental; thereforeit will know love.”Understanding the processes of the mind is a crucial step inovercoming fear. The overcoming of fear is necessary for psychologicalfreedom. As Moody writes “The full, unmediated perception of fear is thesolvent in which it is dissipated. Such perception is not easily achieved,however, for the mind is quick to supply judgements or justifications,reasons why fear should or should not exist, as well as the impulse to fix it,suppress it, or overcome it. All these movements of the mind introducedistortions and prevent the act of pure perception. ‘Choiceless awareness’in Krishnamurti’s phrase, is therefore an art in its own right, one thatrequires dedication, clarity, and the intention to live a different kind of life.”Krishnamurti had said “we shall give our hearts, our minds, ourbodies towards creating a school where there is no such thing as fear withall its implications.” Understanding the processes of the mind helps tocreate a sense of world citizenship, of going beyond narrow identifications.As Moody stresses “Right education will cultivate in the student a globaloutlook, a realization that all of humanity is linked and shares a common,basic psychological condition. The individual is not, in any deep respect,different from mankind everywhere. The school’s work is not to reproducean American mind, or a European mind, or an Indian mind, but rather amind unconditioned by identification with any national, ethnic or culturalgroup. The role of the teacher entails unconditioning himself as well as thestudent. There is no blueprint or method for this process because anyprescribed method can only produce a mechanical result. What can bedone is to explore the meaning of conditioning and the actual, living realityof one’s own state of mind.”Teachers must help students to create an atmosphere in whichsuch learning is possible. For students, Krishnamurti underlined theimportance of “cleanliness, tidiness of dress, a smile, a graceful gesture,the rhythm of walking, a flower in your hair, good manners, clarity ofspeech, thoughtfulness, being considerate of others, which includespunctuality — all this is part of beauty…It is to sit quietly without pressure,to eat elegantly without rush, to be leisurely and yet precise, to be clear inone’s thinking and yet expansive.”