So I want to know myself. I really do. It is most interesting to know yourself, because yourself may be the universe, not a theoretical universe, but the global universe. I want to know myself because I see very clearly that if I don’t know myself, whatever I say is meaningless, is corruption. I see that, not just verbally. It is corruption if I don’t; all my actions become corrupt, and I mean it. I don’t want to live a corrupt life, and I see, without exercising will and all that nonsense, that I must know myself.
So self-knowledge is not knowing oneself, but knowing, watching, every movement of thought. Because the self is the thought, the image-the image of K, the image of me, and all the rest of it. So watch every movement of thought, never letting one thought go without realizing what it is. Try it, do it, and you will see what takes place. As you were saying last night, it gives muscle to the brain. [Laughs]
Yes we are confused and intellectually dishonest - and this confusion and dishonesty, in the hands of such a powerful organism (ie. humans and humanity) is a catastrophic problem.
However its immensely dificult for a confused and dishonest brain to see the simple fact (ie. its confusion and dishonesty) - and its implications (ie. that its existence is highly unfortunate)
Is the brain-thought fully broken or only partly? ‘Fully’ calls for a new brain. ‘Partly’ suggests we fix what’s broken and keep the good bits. ‘Partly’ is doable, observable. ‘Fully’ is for the majority speculative, we can only imagine, catch possible glimpses, harken to hearsay from the masters.
Self-knowledge is when one considers that the time has come to listen to that inner voice that asks us all the time “what are you doing?”. Without reacting by answering “leave me alone” to see if we can silence it forever without, unfortunately, ever succeeding.
That is why, by the way, we react the same way every time any external voice (that is: parents, siblings, neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances or strangers, Krishnamurti) reminds us of that inner voice that we never want to listen to.
Why would I trust this inner voice if I heard it? The conditioned brain is always yacking and reviewing its contents to sustain its illusory sense of itself as its reason for being.
Many people believe in this quiet little voice that gets shouted down by louder, more assertive voices, and many people listen to and talk to God, Jesus, their spirit guides, etc.
Because that little voice only speaks when the brain is silent, so you ‘know’ it’s not lying to you, in the same way you know the outside voices aren’t lying to you either… no matter how much you try to deny it/them with your reactions. Haven’t you ever heard the saying ‘you’re not fooling anyone but yourself’?
Yes, you are right, the brain needs silence BUT ONLY to listen to that inner voice, which some have called “insight.”
When the brain knows it needs to know what it is doing it doesn’t need to be reminded by another voice.
Yes, you are right, the brain needs silence BUT ONLY to listen to that inner voice, which some have called “insight.”
This is true only of a conditioned brain - one that does what it’s told. Your “inner voice” is what’s known as the voice of authority. The conditioned brain is lost when it doesn’t hear that voice. It can’t do anything until it hears it. Some call it the “ring of truth”.
To be hypnotized is to be addicted to the voice of authority. To be free is to be unmoved by voices.
“We” is the confused and dishonest organism - to even suggest that the confused and dishonest organism decide whats good or what to fix is an obvious confirmation of the confusion or dishonesty (or charitably we can say : lack of attention).
Whatever you believe the voice is, it’s just a voice, just thought, it has its place when it’s needed, and it has no place when silence, no thought, says it all.
Ask yourself why you decided to believe I’ve locked myself in a prison.
I think all of us here occupy prisons of our own design and construction…that’s why we’re here. When you ask one of us why we’re in prison, you imply that you are not self-imprisoned; that you are not like the rest of us here.
This is I think often true, but possibly not always. There may be a clear and intelligent organism inhabiting us who can call the shots, discern what needs discerning, see. A higher self aligned with nature-truth. A kind of Buddha within to guide the fixing work.
I asked myself the question very seriously and found no decision, no belief in what I said, so perhaps it is up to you now to ask yourself why you have decided to believe that I had decided to believe that you had locked yourself in a prison.