Jiddu Krishnamurti (12 May 1895 – 17 February 1986) was an Indian
speaker and writer on philosophical and spiritual subjects. In his
early life he was groomed to be the new World Teacher but later rejected
this mantle and disbanded the organisation behind it. His subject
matter included psychological revolution, the nature of mind,
meditation, inquiry, human relationships, and bringing about radical
change in society. He constantly stressed the need for a revolution in
the psyche of every human being and emphasised that such revolution
cannot be brought about by any external entity, be it religious,
political, or social.
Krishnamurti was born in British India and in early adolescence, he had a
chance encounter with prominent occultist and theosophist Charles
Webster Leadbeater in the grounds of the Theosophical Society
headquarters at Adyar in Madras. He was subsequently raised under the
tutelage of Annie Besant and Leadbeater, leaders of the Society at the
time, who believed him to be a "vehicle" for an expected World Teacher.
As a young man, he disavowed this idea and dissolved the Order of the
Star in the East, an organisation that had been established to support
it.
He claimed allegiance to no nationality, caste, religion, or philosophy,
and spent the rest of his life travelling the world, speaking to large
and small groups and individuals. He wrote many books, among them The
First and Last Freedom, The Only Revolution, and Krishnamurti's
Notebook. Many of his talks and discussions have been published. His
last public talk was in Madras, India, in January 1986, a month before
his death at his home in Ojai, California.
His supporters, working through non-profit foundations in India, Great
Britain and the United States, oversee several independent schools based
on his views on education. They continue to transcribe and distribute
his thousands of talks, group and individual discussions, and writings
by use of a variety of media formats and languages.
Source: Wikipedia
