So I finally finished the (thin) book called "Freedom From The Unknown" by my spiritual hero Krishnamurti, and I must admit that I found it a fairly entertaining and useful read. The whole book is only a little over a hundred pages long, but by reading each chapter slowly, and then rereading each chapter over and over, and then going back to reread a previous section again and again, this short piece became a long piece to peruse and to cherish at the same time. Afterall time is nothing isn't it? I love to read books, and this one provided me with the necessary spiritual escape from the doldrums of my present day-to-day life. At times the book was a little too repetitive and on the predictable side, how one must look within and ignore the external reality when searching for one's true self. Reject authority and theologies that are unnecessary burdens which need to be thrown off. However, the essence of the book was very difficult for me to appreciate, as it is contrary to common thought. Alot of not this and not that, rather than focusing on the true positive nature of what is. Makes me wonder why I am even reading the book in the first place. Afterall, isn't the act of reading based upon understanding facts in the form of words and sentences?

"It is very important to understand from the very beginning that I am not formulating any philosophy or any theological structure of ideas or theological concepts. It seems to me that all ideologies are utterly idiotic. What is important is not a philosophy of life but to observe what is actually taking place in our daily life, inwardly and outwardly... Having realized that we can depend on no outside authority in bringing about a total revolution within the structure of our own psyche, there is the immensely greater difficulty of rejecting our own inward authority, the authority of our own particular little experiences and accumulated opinions, knowledge, ideas and ideals."

In effect, the author states that we should not listen to spiritual leaders nor should we read their literature as this will inevitably blind one from the true unfettered inner pursuit of the self. Isn't this a bit of a dilemma (ironic) when you think about it openly? I guess Krishnamurti purposely uses this ironic twist of ideas in order to get his point across, but it still does not make sense. He says we should not follow leaders, and yet he is a leader with followers. He also states that you will not gain enlightenment through the written and/or spoken words of others, and yet here is Krishnamurti collecting a bunch of words on paper which he has consciously been kind enough to have done in order to help others like myself. If I believe what he writes, then I can not believe what he writes. And if I do not believe what he writes, then I had better not read the book in the first place as it would be a big waste of my time. Get it or not? The true spirit is what we are here for in the first place.