Freedom, Love, and Action-J. Krishnamurti (132 pages)

J. Krishnamurti is an Indian religious figure who I know very little about. However, this book is touted as a pretty good summary of his thoughts and teachings. I came to this book hoping that it would give me some kind of spiritual guidance. I left it feeling kind of like I just got yelled at by an obstinate Indian man for a hundred or so pages. That's really harsh. But Krishnamurti's ideas are very difficult to stomach. He believes that ALL thought is bad, that thought is the source of all evil, that every religion and organization of people is not only an illusion, but a terrible idea. Art and poetry aren't even ok. The idea is to completely let go of all attachment, live a life of inaction, and love without needing other people. Marriage is a big no-no. It's not that Krishnamurti offered no wisdom--a lot of what he said was quite interesting, such as that we are more in love with the ideas of people than the people themselves, or that we don't allow ourselves to flower inwardly because we're so hung up with social categories and ideology/dogma. But mostly I felt assaulted. I kept saying in my head, "But I like romantic love. And literature. And...thinking."