An excerpt from Jiddu Krishnamurti , The Collected Works:
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Sir, take violence. Again, let us think that thought through. First, I do not like to acknowledge that I am violent, because socially and morally I am told that to be violent is a very bad thing. But the fact is I am violent. So I meditate, I compel, I try to become something else – but I never face what I actually am, which is violent. I spend my time trying to transform what is into something else. To transform, I must look at what is; and I am not looking at it as long as I have an ideal. If I see that, I set aside the ideal, which is non-violence, and look at violence, and then I am fully aware that I am violent; and the very fact that I am directly conscious of it brings about transformation. Experiment with it and you will see. This refusal to see what is – that is the problem with all of us. I never want to look at what is. I never want to acknowledge that I am ugly – I always give reasons for my ugliness; but if I look at my ugliness as it is, without explanation or excuse, then there is a possibility of transformation. So, to think a thought through is to see how thought is deceiving itself, running away from what is. You can think a thought out fully, completely, only when you stop all avenues of escape and then look at it – which requires an extraordinary honesty; and as most of us are dishonest in our thinking, we never want to see any thought through. It is the discovery of how thought is deceiving itself that is important; and when you discover its deceitfulness, then you can face what is. Then only what is reveals its full significance, its meaning.
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Inner Life Exercise
“Your deliberate walk into your own inner darkness enables your own cosmic sun to rise.”
– Vernon Howard
Definitely not a popular topic, and one I shy away from so mechanically. But as Mr Krishnamurti states “This refusal to see what is – that is the problem with all of us.” Nothing good is easy, and just a small taste of ‘my own’ pure evil is the impetus I need to go all the way with seeing what actually is. I am so inspired to go full force ahead and see the honest state of my life, of this world. Thank heaven for this Work… a Lighthouse in the dark night of my soul.
It is interesting that we spend the time and energy to try and transform into a non-violent person, which simply can’t be done because the problem can’t fix itself. It seems that if we didn’t do this, and instead look at our violence full on, that we would not only save our energy, but that we might get new energy from the release of trying to be something we’re not (think of the relief we would get). This Work is about creating a new energy, a new Life Force, in us. I think this is the important ingredient that allows us to evolve from a violent to a non-violent person.
‘I spend my time trying to transform what is into something else. To transform, I must look at what is; and I am not looking at it as long as I have an ideal. ‘
What a nice thing to hear. How nice to know I can give up ideas and ideals of what should be and this can bring change.