Right Living in Modern Society
By Prof. P. Krishna.
126 Pages | Uitgegeven in 1995 | Softcover | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland, Amsterdam | ISBN: 9061750717.
This book is a verbatim account of eight lectures delivered by prof. P. Krishna in 1992 and 1993 on the subject of right living in modern society. Primarily based on the teachings of Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895 - 1986), these lectures focus on the following issues: what is it that divides us?, our relationship to the world, our relationship to ourselves, our responsibility towards children and ways of creating the right learning environment.
If you ask me to list the major problems that modern society, or mankind, in its present state is facing, I would say that the tendency in human beings to form groups - either national groups or religious groups or caste groups or racial groups - and create division of mankind, then feel not for the whole of mankind, but only for the particular group to which one belongs, is by far the greatest problem facing us, because it does give us some sort of a feelings of security to belong to a group. We must examine whether it is real security or some kind of illusory feeling of security, which comes because we are not farsighted enough, we are not looking deeply enough. I would say this division in mankind is perhaps the most major problem and the greatest cause of violence and suffering in modern society.
From Chapter 8 - 'Right Living in Modern Society: Creating the Right Learning Environment' (p. 126):
" In the field of academics the teachers may know more than the students and they can transfer their knowledge. But in this field, as human beings struggling to discover the Art of Living rightly, we, grown-ups, are not different from the children. Knowledge does not help us to live rightly. Therefore we must inquire together and learn together, as friends, not as instructors and trainees. Only a school that cares both for the academic development and for the Art of Right Living, can impart right education to children and fulfil our responsibility towards the next generation. "
To me, the true value of any book lies only in the questions that it raises, not in the answers that it offers. If the reader finds in this book even few questions he wishes to dwell on, I shall feel amply rewarded. That is the only purpose of this book. (from the foreword)A quote from the book:
If you ask me to list the major problems that modern society, or mankind, in its present state is facing, I would say that the tendency in human beings to form groups - either national groups or religious groups or caste groups or racial groups - and create division of mankind, then feel not for the whole of mankind but only for the particular group to which one belongs, is by far the greatest problem facing us, because it does give us some sort of a feeling of security to belong to a group. We must examine whether it is real security to belong to a group. We must examine whether it is real security or some kind of illusory feeling of security which comes because we are not farsighted enough, we are not looking deeply enough. I would say this division in mankind is perhaps the most major problem and the greatest cause of violence and torture in modern society.P. Krishna is a former professor of physics at the Banaras Hindu University, and a former rector of the Rajghat Education Centre of the Krishnamurti Foundation India at Varanasi, India. He is currently in charge of the Krishnamurti study centre there.
Right Living in Modern Society
By Prof. P. Krishna.
126 Pages | Uitgegeven in 1995 | Softcover | Uitgeverij der Theosofische Vereniging in Nederland, Amsterdam | ISBN: 9061750717.
This book is a verbatim account of eight lectures delivered by prof. P. Krishna in 1992 and 1993 on the subject of right living in modern society. Primarily based on the teachings of Jiddu Krishnamurti (1895 – 1986), these lectures focus on the following issues: what is it that divides us?, our relationship to the world, our relationship to ourselves, our responsibility towards children and ways of creating the right learning environment.
If you ask me to list the major problems that modern society, or mankind, in its present state is facing, I would say that the tendency in human beings to form groups – either national groups or religious groups or caste groups or racial groups – and create division of mankind, then feel not for the whole of mankind, but only for the particular group to which one belongs, is by far the greatest problem facing us, because it does give us some sort of a feelings of security to belong to a group. We must examine whether it is real security or some kind of illusory feeling of security, which comes because we are not farsighted enough, we are not looking deeply enough. I would say this division in mankind is perhaps the most major problem and the greatest cause of violence and suffering in modern society.
From Chapter 8 – ‘Right Living in Modern Society: Creating the Right Learning Environment’ (p. 126):
” In the field of academics the teachers may know more than the students and they can transfer their knowledge. But in this field, as human beings struggling to discover the Art of Living rightly, we, grown-ups, are not different from the children. Knowledge does not help us to live rightly. Therefore we must inquire together and learn together, as friends, not as instructors and trainees. Only a school that cares both for the academic development and for the Art of Right Living, can impart right education to children and fulfil our responsibility towards the next generation. “