Beware of quick solutions and never trust self-proclaimed experts
The late Indian philosopher and speaker Jiddu Krishnamurti, came to Saanen—my hometown in the Swiss Alps—and gave many speeches during a 24-year period starting in 1957.
During his talks, he celebrated the natural beauty of my region, its mountains, its silence, its light, and its energy.
Also, he rejected the label of “guru,” something he likened to original sin.
I think he’s right. There are many examples of gurus gone bad. Take for example, sex guru Bhagwan Rajneesh aka Osho, who left a trail of pain, abuse, unpaid taxes, and a fleet of 93 golden Rolls Royce cars. He is the epitome of Lord Acton’s phrase: "power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men..." I am reminded of a book I read last year and recommend called If You Meet the Buddha on the Road, Kill Him! by Sheldon Kopp.
Krishnamurti did not want to be seen as a “great man.” His message was one of freedom, freedom from one’s conditioning. He says that it is this conditioning that separates us from the present moment, from nature and from each other.
Instead of looking to others for answers, Krishnamurti says in this short video that “each man needs to be a light to himself.”
“Begin with skepticism. Don’t accept anything, including what I am saying… Work it out. Let’s discuss it. We are together in this…this business of living.”
Like him, I have not only fallen in love with the Swiss Alps, but I am enjoying learning how to observe, explore and inquire with others.
“Two friends are talking over together about their problems. They are real friends, not convenient friends, but friends who have known each other for some time, and they are walking, perhaps, in a wood, sitting on a bench, and talking over their intimate problems, as friends do...”