Krishnamurti: To Deal with Pain and Suffering

We all had at least that one moment when we sat and thought about the problems we have to deal with and how often it makes us sad and in pain. Although many people give various reasons for the misery and suffering in our lives, Jiddu Krishnamurti is someone who gives a very relatable and believable perspective on it. Read more to find out what he believes in and what he thinks is the right way to deal with all human suffering.

Philosophical School of Krishnamurti; Source: TheIndiaForum

Heard the phrase "All is Suffering"? It was the first noble truth that came from the Buddha. The sentence simply means that our lives are filled with sadness and misery. Suffering is permanent. Even if there is some form of happiness or content in life, it acts as a beset with the awareness that it will come to an end. Like Buddha, Jiddu Krishnamurti also believed the same. He too believed that our lives are full of pain and suffering. But he doesn't think the reason for this is avidya, or ignorance, something that Buddha believes as the reason. Nor does he believe that all of this can be solved by Satsang, Kirtan, reciting

prayers, or doing certain rituals.

The actual reason for people suffering

throughout their lives is indolence and laziness. He believes that because of

our laziness we always hope for some form of external energy to get us out of

our misery. This external energy might be in the shape of a guru, a leader, a guide, etc. He asserts, "*We cannot depend on anybody. There is no guide, no instructor, and no authority; there is only oneself and one's

relationship with others in the world; nothing else exists*." He, like Sartre, strongly expresses that we are all abandoned and that self-help is the only way to solve one's problems.

Jiddu Krishnamurti's self-help philosophy is founded on the belief that "*There can be no

universal solution to individual human problems because each man's problem is

unique in its way," that "each man must face and dissolve his problems on his own," and that "each man must find the solution

on his own."* The perfect 'way' to overcome one's suffering, according to him, is through appropriate actions that will 'wipeout all difficulties' that become the reason for making life miserable. "To bring about a different mind and a different quality of existence, we must act, to do

something vital, powerful, and aggressive."

Krishnamurti's notion of appropriate action is rather comprehensive. It encompasses not only the physical features of space and time, but also the actions of the mind, ideas, ambition, feelings of the environment, food, and psychological impacts, of which the majority of people are utterly oblivious. It also encompasses both the conscious and unconscious mind's actions.

His viewpoint is supported by the Bhagavad-Gita, 3.5, "There is no one who can remain without action even for a moment. Indeed, all beings are compelled to act by their qualities born of material nature, the three Gunas"; and in Srimad Bhagavad Purana, 6.1.53, "Nobody can remain inactive for even a moment. Everyone is forced to act by their svabhava, modes of nature". Taking influenced by all of these teachings, Krishnamurti builds up the conclusion that without actions we are as good as a dead. The decision of what action one should do or perform always depends on the individual's needs. It is not dictated by an

external presence or energy, and it can never be, but it must be what brings

about the inner transformation and leads to the end of pain.