Uppaluri Gopala Krishnamurti (9 July 1918 – 22 March 2007) was an Indian philosopher and thinker. Although people considered him ‘enlightened’, Krishnamurti often referred to his state of being as the ‘natural state’. He claimed that the demand for enlightenment was the only thing standing in the way of enlightenment itself, if enlightenment existed at all. On his 10th death anniversary, let us recall the top ten of his quotes pertaining to life and self-actualization:

1. “Nature is busy creating absolutely unique individuals, whereas culture has invented a single mold to which all must conform. It is grotesque.”
2. “You know the story of ‘Alice in Wonderland’. The red queen has to run faster and faster to keep still where she is. That is exactly what you are all doing, running faster and faster. But you are not moving anywhere.”
3. “When you know nothing, you say a lot. When you know something, there is nothing to say.”
4. “All I can say is that as long as you are searching for happiness, you will remain unhappy.”
5. “Charity is the filthiest invention of the human mind: first you steal what belongs to everyone; then you use the law and various other means to protect it. You give charity to prevent the have-nots from rebelling against you. It also makes you feel less guilty. All do-gooders feel ‘high’ when they do good.”
6. “Thought can never capture the movement of life, it is much too slow.”
7. “The search ends with the realization that there is no such thing as enlightenment. By searching, you want to be free from the self, but whatever you are doing to free yourself from the self IS the self. How can I make you understand this simple thing?”
8. “The fact is that we don’t want to be free. What is responsible for our problems is the fear of losing what we have and what we know.”
9. “My teaching, if that is the word you want to use, has no copyright. You are free to reproduce, distribute, interpret, misinterpret, distort, garble, do what you like, even claim authorship, without my consent or the permission of anybody.”
10. “Don’t follow me, I’m lost.”

By Lekhak Yashaswita